Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free WWE Smackdown Live results for April 17, 2018. Night two of the Superstar Shake-up featured a big tag team match main event, and several stars from Raw joining Smackdown. Be here tomorrow for the complete Best and Worst of Smackdown Live column.
WWE Smackdown Live Results:
1. AJ Styles defeated Rusev by disqualification. Aiden English attacked Styles early in the match, causing a DQ. Daniel Bryan made the save for Styles. Afterward, Paige set up a tag team match (with a Teddy Long impersonation) for the main event.
2. United States Champion Jeff Hardy defeated Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin said he didn’t need Gable, and demanded competition. Randy Orton tried to answer the challenge, but Jeff Hardy answered instead. Hardy won with a Swanton Bomb.
– Absolution were announced as Smackdown pickups in the Superstar Shake-up.
3. Luke Harper defeated Jey Uso. After the match, the Bludgeon Brothers tried to injure the Usos and only backed down when Naomi begged them to stop.
4. Samoa Joe defeated Sin Cara. Another shake-up from Raw, Joe won by submission with a Coquina Clutch. After the match, Joe threatened to take all the opportunities and destroy everyone on Smackdown.
– A vignette for Sanity (minus Nikki Cross, at least according to the “new arrivals” graphic) aired.
– A returning Big Cass interrupted a backstage interview with Daniel Bryan and insulted him.
– Carmella held a “Mellabration” for her Smackdown Women’s Championship win. Charlotte and the IIconics interrupted, then brawled with each other. Becky Lynch jogged out to make the save.
5. Charlotte Flair defeated Billie Kay. Lynch and Peyton Royce remained at ringside. Flair won by submission with the Figure-Eight. After the match, Carmella attacked Flair with the Smackdown Women’s Championship and the IIconics teamed up to beat up Lynch. Smackdown’s newest arrival, Asuka, made the save.
– The Bar announced that they’re heading to Smackdown.
– New Day and Tye Dillinger ran into R-Truth backstage. Truth thought they were all together on Raw.
– Smackdown is also getting Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas and Zelina Vega. (Get a complete recap of the Superstar Shake-up here.)
6. AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan defeated Rusev Day by disqualification. Bryan had the match won with a running knee on Rusev, but was distracted by Shinsuke Nakamura showing up to once again low blow AJ Styles. Big Cass then attacked Bryan with a big boot, causing the official disqualification.
