Nerdly » WWE Smackdown Live: April 30th 2019

01st May2019

WWE Smackdown Live: April 30th 2019 – Results & Review

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s Smackdown Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have…well, this one isn’t very good, but there are some nice things to remark on. Do you think a duck could book the WWE better than Vince McMahon?

Match #1: Becky Lynch def. Bayley

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

For the first time ever in WWE, Becky Lynch took on Women’s Money in the Bank participant Bayley on SmackDown LIVE. Lynch looked to secure a victory against her fellow Horsewoman before her two title defenses at WWE Money in the Bank, and Bayley searched for the most significant victory of her blue brand tenure. The Hugger looked to be in rare form as the contest progressed, getting Becky Two Belts on her heels with a series of impactful strikes that had Lynch reeling. However, in the clutch, The Irish Lass Kicker countered Bayley’s flying elbow by getting her knees up, leaving Bayley vulnerable for the Dis-arm-her, which Lynch locked in to secure a hard-fought submission victory. Becky couldn’t celebrate for long though, as Charlotte Flair appeared out of nowhere and knocked The Man out of the ring with a massive kick to the face before hurling Bayley shoulder-first into the ring post and exiting the arena with a smug smile.

My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This came off really well. Normally, just having a potential contender lose to the champion could pose a problem, but it worked here because both women are among the elite of their division, which includes every woman wrestler on the planet, not just the WWE’s female athletes. These two also have a lot of chemistry together, which made this a very easy match to watch and enjoy.

Match #2: Kairi Sane & Asuka def. local competitors

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Riding off Kairi Sane’s bigtime victory over Peyton Royce last week, Paige’s tandem of The Pirate Princess & Asuka looked to score a victory against two local competitors (with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics smack-talking Team Blue’s new tandem on commentary). Asuka & Sane showed incredible rhythm as a unit (despite this being their first traditional tag team match together), looking as if they had been partners for years and putting down their opposition when Asuka set Kairi up to claim the win with a picture-perfect Insane Elbow.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This didn’t really give anyone a chance to do anything, but it looked good as it floated away in the wind.

Match #3: Roman Reigns def. The B-Team with Elias as the Special Guest Referee Enforcer

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

With the odds stacked against him yet again, Roman Reigns took on The B-Team with Elias as the Special Guest Referee Enforcer on the outside. Not deterred by going up against Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas (and Elias), Reigns fought boldly, overpowering The B-Team despite being outnumbered. Axel & Dallas briefly cornered The Big Dog, but Reigns immediately powered back. Reigns seemed to be in trouble when Elias distracted the actual referee, allowing The B-Team to double-team Reigns. Then, the official tried to separate The B-Team off of Reigns, which allowed Elias to get a cheap shot of his own in on Roman. None of this would stop Reigns, who answered with a succession of clubbing blows that staggered both opponents. The Big Dog appeared to have the match in hand when he dropped both Dallas and Axel with the Superman Punch, but Elias yanked the referee out of the ring before he could count to three. Reigns then chased Elias down with the designated referee temporarily out of commission. With Elias now technically the appointed official, he tried to slip in a fast count that would cost Roman the match, but even that was not enough to put Reigns down. Elias then instructed Axel to hold Reigns in place so he could smash him with his guitar, but Roman stopped that attack, Superman Punched Elias out of the ring and connected with another Superman Punch to Axel that led to a massive Spear for an improbable, and mightily impressive, Reigns victory.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – Well, if you ever wanted to know how much the Hindenburg/Hindenberg/screw it weighed, then you just might get your chance to find out, because this match was as boring as it gets. It was like watching a leaf paint a fence. You could probably cough-up something more interesting than this. Overall, my leg is still asleep.

Match #4: (Main Event) Finn Bálor & Ali def. Randy Orton & Andrade

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

All four of SmackDown LIVE’s entrants into the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match squared off, as Intercontinental Champion Finn Bálor & Ali teamed up to take on Randy Orton & Andrade. With all four Superstars wanting to lay waste to the competition prior to the WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view, no one was bashful in pulling out all the stops. Each Superstar shined, but in the pivotal moments, Ali and Finn held off outside interference from Zelina Vega, allowing the duo to set up Ali to connect with an awe-inspiring 450 Splash on Andrade to get the win. The loss did not sit well with Orton, who immediately hit the RKO on Finn after the match, but Ali would not allow the same fate to happen to him, fending off Orton as all four began to eye the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was so brief it makes you wonder why they even bothered booking it. The wrestling was excellent while it lasted, but why are these matches so damn short lately/all the time? Did the talented people piss off Old Man McGinty one too many times or is he just running out of pain pills? I’d rather look at Zac Efron’s hair than see one of these promising matches go too quickly ever again. Wait…no…wait…yeah, I could live with looking at Zac Efron’s hair instead of watching a good match go too short ever again. Overall, this was fun stuff that ran out Pringles long before you could even open the can.

News Of The Night:

1Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens argued and brawled in the name of their title feud.
2Jeff Hardy is injured, so The Hardys had to relinquish the Smackdown Tag Titles.
3Lars Sullivan attacked Matt Hardy and fought R-Truth at the same time.
Ali, Finn Balor, Andrade and Randy Orton are in the men’s Money In The Bank match for the Pay Per View of the same name.
Bayley, Carmella, Mandy Rose and Ember Moon are in the women’s Money In The Bank match for the Pay Per View of the same name.
Randy Orton attacked Finn Balor post-match to tease a possible title feud between the two for later.
Roman Reigns is still feuding with Shane McMahon/Elias.