WWE Friday Night SmackDown Review - April 30

There’s a big-fight-feel tonight, with possibly the most important match since SmackDown on FOX’s debut, which featured Brock Lesnar challenging Kofi Kingston for Kingston’s WWE Championship.

Daniel Bryan will go head to head with Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. If Bryan loses, he must leave SmackDown.

Bianca Belair In-Ring Segment

Bianca welcomes the WWE Universe to the hottest show on FOX and is quickly cut off by SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.

Less than 10 seconds into Dolph Ziggler speaking, The Street Profits interrupt.

And just as Montez Ford is about to cut his promo, Bayley cuts him off and storms to the ring.

She takes the mic from Belair and starts hysterically laughing.

Belair slaps her, and Bayley fires back. The tag teams begin to brawl as well.

Cut to commercial.

Rating: 1/5

Not a good start. I like all of these superstars, both in the ring and on the mic. So having them all cut each other off without anyone being able to finish a thought just felt like a waste of time.

Bianca Belair and The Street Profits vs. Bayley and The Dirty Dawgz - 6-Person Mixed Tag Team Match

Straight from the brawl, this match begins with Bayley and Belair trading blows.

The men get involved as Ziggler tags himself in and attempts to go after Belair before Angelo Dawkins makes the save.

Ziggler gets right back on top with a Superkick to Montez Ford from out of nowhere.

After some dominance from the tag team champions, Dawkins is able to make his way into the match, firing on all cylinders.

Highlight: Roode catches Dawkins with an O’Connor Roll, grabbing the tights in the process, but Belair whips him in the back with her braid.

Ford hits an enormous frog splash for the victory.

Rating: 3/5

This match was exactly as advertised. Everyone here got a chance to do their thing and played well off of the Montez/Bianca relationship

Backstage with Daniel Bryan

Bryan is at peace with the possibility of having to leave SmackDown. He’s confident that he can tap out Roman Reigns again and offers the first championship opportunity to Cesaro.

Rating: 3/5

It almost feels like a cowboy going out on his terms, as Bryan seems like he’s ready to win or die trying.

Backstage with Seth Rollins

Rollins is laughing about Bryan’s promo but actually predicts that Daniel Bryan is going to upset Roman Reigns in the main event.

He then challenges Cesaro to a rematch next week.

Rating: n/a

Backstage with Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler

They are indifferent to their single’s losses and are ready to show why they are the tag team champions. 

Natalya and Tamina attack them from behind, cutting their promo short.

Rating: 3/5

Mercifully short.

Natalya and Tamina vs. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax (w/ Reginald)

Tamina almost puts Nia away quickly with a superkick and a Superfly Splash, but Nia gets her knees up.

I almost got out of this with a smile on my face...but alas, the match continues.

Tamina gets beat up for the majority of this one but creates some separation with a bodyslam to Baszler.

Natalya makes the hot tag, doing some damage before falling victim to a kicking combination from Baszler.

Tamina tags back in and fights off Baszler on the top turnbuckle.

Tamina hits the Superfly Splash for the victory.

Rating: 2.5/5

Actually pleasantly surprised by this match, not as boring or meandering as their previous battles.

Backstage with The Mysterios

Dominick says his dad is like a superhero, and teaming with him makes him feel like one too.

Rey says that if they have an opportunity to become father/son tag team champions, they would be legends.

Rating: n/a

Aleister Black Vignette

Black speaking to the WWE Universe directly, tells of a man who lived on a foundation of lies.

The reality, as it is pushed to people, is not truly reality.

He says he can help us escape, but he won't.

Rating: 2.5/5

I’m unclear on what Black is talking about here, or what his motivation really is. But, this guy can sure spin his wheels on the mic.

Big E vs. Apollo Crews (c) (w/ Commander Azeez)

This match starts respectfully, trading aggressive holds and throws, both superstars show their strength and agility.

Big E gets the upper hand early, even landing a standing splash on the apron.

A brief distraction by Commander Azeez, whose presence will likely play a factor throughout, gives Crews the opening to land a huge lariat.

Highlight: Crews hits an enziguri on Big E from the apron, and follows it up with a moonsault to the floor.

Big E kicks out of a frog splash and manages to hit a Big Ending on Crews.

Commander Azeez pulls Big E off of the cover and throws him into the ring post.

Big E wins via DQ.

After the match, Azeez and Crews assault Big E until Kevin Owens comes through to even the odds. The four of them brawl until Sami Zayn shows up and hits the Helluva Kick on KO.

Sami Zayn grabs the Intercontinental Championship, before reluctantly handing it over to Apollo Crews. Commander Azeez hits the Nigerian Nail on Zayn.

Rating: 4/5

Outside of Fastlane, these two have not had a single negative interaction. This match was no different, keeping me on the edge of my seat up until the finish. Even the post-match shenanigans were entertaining and surprising.

Backstage with Paul Heyman

Paul Heyman is sick of talking about Daniel Bryan. He doesn’t think he should even be here, despite his now Hall-of-Fame career. Heyman begins to furiously list the accolades and credits of Daniel Bryan, shouting “YES!” after almost every one of his sentences.

Paul Heyman works himself into a frenzy, before finally saying that Daniel Bryan will not survive the onslaught of the Tribal Chief.

Rating: 5/5

Paul Heyman is like King Midas, in that everything he says is gold. His word choice, cadence and delivery...they are unmatched.

Main Event: Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns (c) - Universal Championship

If Bryan loses, he is barred from Friday Night SmackDown

Daniel Bryan makes his way to the ring and awaits the champion.

The Head of the Table, The Tribal Chief, the Universal Champion Roman Reigns makes his way to the ring, flanked by Paul Heyman. He is presented like a supervillain, with new music and all.

Bryan comes out hot, looking to rally early. He nearly locks in the YES! Lock, but Roman escapes.

He hits a running knee off the apron to the floor, as we head into commercial.

(Note: I think WWE would have benefitted to go commercial-free for the remainder of this match, given the stakes.)

When we return, it’s still Bryan in control. He’s doing damage to the shoulder and arm, looking to neutralize the power game of the champion.

Roman hits a massive clothesline on Bryan, turning him inside out.

Roman boasts his remaining strength, hitting a series of emphatic snap suplexes.

Bryan eats a ton of offense but is still fighting back in this one. He gets Roman up to the top rope and goes for a hurricanrana.

Reigns blocks it and hits a powerbomb off the second rope.

After attempting a superplex, Bryan is able to squeak out, hitting a back suplex of his own, off the top rope no less.

YES! Kicks, hitting Roman everywhere. He goes for the big one, but it’s reversed into a Samoan Drop. Bryan kicks out.

Roman goes for the Superman Punch, Bryan kicks Roman in the arm.

He goes back to work on the arm of The Tribal Chief, Roman escapes to the outside.

Highlight: Daniel Bryan hits a suicide dive, but Roman catches him and hits an overhead belly-to-belly on the floor. He goes for the spear, he misses and goes through the barricade.

Bryan rolls Reigns back into the ring and hits a diving headbutt. Reigns does not quit.

Roman reverses the running knee by landing the Superman Punch. Bryan stays alive.

Bryan hits the knee, Roman gets his foot on the bottom rope.

This match continues.

A flip switches for Bryan and he begins to stomp at the head of Reigns. He locks in the crossface, but Roman turns it into a pinning predicament. They both get up, Roman hits a spear, but Bryan refuses to die.

As the two exhausted superstars make their way to their feet, Roman goes for the guillotine lock, which Bryan reverses into a cross arm breaker, then transitions once again to the YES! Lock.

Bryan’s got it locked in, dead center of the ring.

Reigns pries his way out and goes for the ground and pound attack on the challenger. He picks up Bryan and hits yet another powerbomb, then continues the ground and pound.

He picks up the dead weight of Bryan and hits a third powerbomb.

Bryan locks in the guillotine, this time with the good arm.

Daniel Bryan passes out. Universal Championship retained.

After the match, Roman Reigns brings a pair of chairs to the ring, looking to set up the conchairto. Cesaro comes to the aide of Bryan, temporarily preventing disaster by unloading a barrage of uppercuts on the champion. 

Jey Uso jumps Cesaro from behind, taking him out with a superkick and trying him into the ring ropes.

Roman Reigns hits the conchairto on Daniel Bryan.

Close

Rating: 5/5

What a fight between these two living legends. This match was the perfect combination of psychology, action and showmanship. This is everything professional wrestling is supposed to be.

Overall

For the first time in my review series, I’m not going to grade this show overall. Sure, this SmackDown was not much different from previous episodes. Same feuds, plenty of rematches. But I am absolutely blown away by the main event. As a wrestler, all you can do is dream about having a match like Bryan and Reigns did.