Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free WWE Smackdown Live results for April 18, 2017. This week’s episode featured a Six-Pack Challenge for the right to get a WWE Championship match, and the first installment of Kevin Owens’ “Face of America Open Challenge.”
Be back here tomorrow for the full Best and Worst of Smackdown column.
WWE Smackdown Live Results:
— The show opened with Charlotte Flair coming to the ring. She said she’s getting upset that it’s been a whole week and she still doesn’t have a title shot yet. She said she’s the queen of the division, and she demands respect now. Naomi came out and said they don’t have queens here, they have champions. She said she’s going to give Charlotte what she wants, because she’s never scared. She said they’ll have a match now, and she attacked Charlotte. A referee came down to break it up, and then Shane McMahon came out. Shane said Charlotte has quite a pedigree, but on Smackdown, people still have to earn title shots. He said if Charlotte can defeat Naomi in a non-title match tonight, she’ll get a championship match next week. Charlotte then attacked Naomi and posed with the belt, but Naomi retaliated and ran Charlotte off.
1. Six-Pack Challenge: Jinder Mahal defeated Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper and Mojo Rawley. This was to determine the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship at Backlash. Sami went for the Helluva Kick, but the Bollywood Boyz appeared and grabbed his legs. This allowed Jinder to hit a cobra clutch slam and pin Zayn.
— After the match, Mahal cut a promo about how great he is, and that he doesn’t care if people don’t like him. Randy Orton came out and congratulated Mahal, but said his prize won’t be the WWE Championship, it will just be an RKO. But Orton has a match with Bray Wyatt to worry about first. He said he doesn’t know what a House of Horrors match is, but he’ll burn it down all the same. Wyatt appeared on the video screen and was spooky in Orton’s direction.
2. Charlotte Flair defeated Naomi. This was a non-title match. Carmella, Natalya, and Tamina watched the match backstage, as they were all upset about Charlotte potentially getting a title shot. Charlotte won by pinfall after hitting the Natural Selection.
3. The Shining Stars defeated American Alpha. Primo kicked Jason Jordan in the face behind the referee’s back, allowing Epico to complete a sunset flip for the pin.
4. Face of America United States Championship Open Challenge: Kevin Owens (c) defeated Gary Gandy. Gandy was a local talent from Kentucky. Owens won in short order with the pop-up powerbomb.
5. AJ Styles defeated Baron Corbin. Kevin Owens sat in on commentary for this match. The fight spilled to the outside and Corbin backdropped Styles into Owens. Styles recovered, evaded an End of Days, and delivered a Phenomenal Forearm off the ring steps that knocked Corbin into the crowd. Styles then made it back into the ring to win by countout.
