SmackDown Results: Logan Paul to Face Cody Rhodes, Title for Title

May 10, 2024 John Kleinchester NEWS, Show Reports
Photo Courtesy: WWE

May 10, 2024
Mohegan Sun Arena – Wilkes-Barre, PA

By: John Kleinchester

 

 

Results

  • Queen of the Ring 1st Round Match: Nia Jax over Naomi via Annihilator in 10:16
  • King of the Ring 1st Round Match: Carmelo Hayes over Baron Corbin via Roll-Up in 6:30
  • Queen of the Ring 1st Round Match: Jade Cargill over Piper Niven via Jaded in 5:16
  • Queen of the Ring 1st Round Match: Bianca Belair over Candice LeRae via KOD in 2:55
  • King of the Ring 1st Round Match: Tama Tonga over Angelo Dawkins via Flatliner in 2:10
  • King of the Ring 1st Round Match: Randy Orton over AJ Styles via RKO in 17:06 (Recommended) 

 

The Logan Paul Levesque Era

SmackDown kicked off with a recap of the events of Backlash in Lyon, France. After that, Nick Aldis welcomed us to the show and then introduced the WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. Aldis congratulated his “old friend” Rhodes on his win against AJ at Backlash but said they must now turn their attention to the King and Queen of the Ring Premium Live Event and revealed his next challenger as United States Champion Logan Paul. 

Paul came out and touted a Champion vs. Champion main event match at King and Queen of the Ring. Rhodes salivated at the chance to hold two WWE titles and Logan Paul interrupted, announcing he is the longest reigning champion in the company. Paul went on to say that while Rhodes won the 2023 Royal Rumble, everyone remembers his mid-air collision with Ricochet. He then mentioned WrestleMania and how Prime and IShowSpeed were the best part of the show. Rhodes retorted by saying if he won the United States title, that would make him a Grand Slam Champion. 

AJ Styles 

Kayla Braxton interviewed AJ Styles backstage and Styles said he had Cody Rhodes beat at Backlash but he was distracted by the “crowd singalongs” and he will win the King of the Ring tournament to earn himself another title shot. 

 

QOTR: Naomi vs. Nia Jax

The first match of the evening was Naomi taking on Nia Jax in the first round of the Queen of the Ring tournament. Early in the match, a QR code briefly flashed on screen. Jax dominated a good portion of the match until Naomi was able to mount a comeback hitting Nia with a split-legged moonsault followed by a hurricanrana from the second rope. Naomi continued the assault until Jax was able to catch Naomi and hit The Annihilator for the win. Jax goes on to face the winner of Jade Cargill and Piper Niven. 

Later in the night, Naomi tweeted a family tree with Nia Jax crossed out. 

KOTR: Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes, Sponsored by The Iron Claw

Byron Saxton interviewed Baron Corbin backstage and welcomed him back to the blue brand. Corbin said he was happy to be back and this time as himself. Carmelo Hayes interrupted and asked when he got drafted and that he must have missed it. Hayes said that Corbin should have pulled out of the tournament like Lashley did. 

This led directly into the first round King of the Ring matchup between the two aforementioned competitors which was sponsored by The Iron Claw on Max. It was noted that Corbin was a former King of the Ring winner and Wade Barrett said that the tournament had lost its luster prior to when he won it back in 2015. Hayes started off the match acting cocky and Corbin quickly gained the advantage.

Hayes then stole the win by reversing The End of Days into a roll-up for the victory. Hayes will go on to face either AJ Styles or Randy Orton. 

Bayley

Bayley was interviewed backstage and was asked if she had a favorite in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Bayley mentioned Jade Cargill by name but was swiftly interrupted by Chelsea Green & Piper Niven who complained about Bayley not mentioning Niven and Chelsea said Piper is about to eliminated Jade in the first round of the tournament. 

Orton & Styles, Orton & Tanga

Randy Orton was interviewed backstage and he said that he’s accomplished a lot in WWE but he’s never been King of the Ring.  He then turned his attention to Tama Tonga and The Bloodline taking out his partner Kevin Owens last week. Orton said he knows that Tonga is on the other side of the bracket but he’s got a feeling that they’re going to meet, and when they do it won’t be an RKO “outta nowhere”, he’ll make sure he sees it coming. 

 

QOTR: Jade Cargill vs. Piper Niven

Next up was one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Jade Cargill taking on Piper Niven accompanied by Chelsea Green. Early in the match, Cargill caught Niven square in the nose with a kick and things continued to be a bit clunky throughout. At one point, Chelsea Green tried to get involved and Cargill decked her right out of her shoes. Jade then hit a pump kick and  Jaded for the win. Jade goes on to face Nix Jax next week. As Jade walked to the back, her tag team partner Bianca Belair came out for her match and the two briefly celebrated.

Shinsuke is Coming

A promo package aired with Shinsuke Nakamura saying that Strong Style is coming to SmackDown and it will never be the same again.

 

QOTR: Bianca Belair vs. Candice LeRae

Next was our second match in the first round of the Queen of the Ring tournament with Bianca Belair taking on Candice LeRae with Indi Hartwell who attacked Belair’s knee behind the referee’s back early on. This led to Bianca tweaking her knee further and LeRae putting a full focus on it. LeRae was caught on the top rope and Belair caught her with the KOD for the victory in under three minutes. Belair goes on to face the winner of Michin vs. Tiffany Stratton.

The Bloodline

Backstage, Paul Heyman asked for a moment of Solo Sikoa’s time and Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa backed away. The crowd chanted “We Want Roman” and Sikoa complained about being drafted in the third round instead of number one. Sikoa then accused Heyman of taking money out of his pocket and then asked about his interaction with Jey Uso last week. Sikoa then said that he has spoken to Roman Reigns and until he comes back, he’s in charge and Paul will be Solo’s wise man. Sikoa then hugged Heyman and gave a look to Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa. 

Andrade

A brief video promoted Andrade coming to SmackDown soon.

 

KOTR: Angelo Dawkins vs. Tama Tonga

Subbing in for an injured Bobby Lashley was Angelo Dawkins taking on Tama Tonga in another first round matchup in the King of the Ring tournament. Tama Tonga was out with Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, and Tanga Loa and debuted his new entrance and theme.

The lower third chyron listed him as “Tonga Loa” though and it was either an understandable typo or possibly a change for Loa. This match lasted just over two minutes as The Bloodline got involved on the outside, leading Montez Ford to attack them and be taken out by the Samoan Spike from Sikoa. This distraction led to Tonga hitting a Flatliner for the win. After the match, Solo gave Dawkins a Spike as well. 

Blair Davenport, Also Coming Soon

The Progressive Match Flo was yet another promo package to show off former NXT Superstar Blair Davenport, who was also coming soon to SmackDown. 

 

KOTR: AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

The main event of the evening was AJ Styles taking on Randy Orton in the first round of the King of the Ring tournament. Early in the match, AJ Styles clipped Orton’s leg and Orton began selling his knee as Styles attempted to focus on it, locking on the Calf Crusher. Styles stopped an RKO attempt and hit Orton with a Phenomenal Forearm. Orton grabbed the rope to stop the pin but was actually an inch or two too far from it which Orton covered well. Styles then set up for the Styles Clash which Orton quickly reversed into an RKO for the win. Randy Orton will go on to face Carmelo Hayes next week. 

Final Thoughts

Tonight was chock full of quick advancement of storylines which should come as no surprise with King/Queen of the Ring just two weeks away. Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul is an interesting direction with Cody potentially absorbing the United States title as well. Solo Sikoa stating that he had spoken to Reigns and he gave him control of The Bloodline is an interesting wrinkle, albeit likely untrue. The Orton/Styles main event was the best match of the night as the crowd attempted to mimic the Lyon, France crowd singing along to Orton’s theme. 

 

Announced for SmackDown Next Week from Jacksonville, FL:

  • Cody Rhodes / Logan Paul Contract Signing
  • Queen of the Ring Quarterfinal Match: Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax
  • Queen of the Ring Quarterfinal Match: Bianca Belair vs. Michin or Tiffany Stratton
  • King of the Ring Quarterfinal Match: Randy Orton vs Carmelo Hayes
  • King of the Ring Quarterfinal Match: Knight or Escobar vs Tama Tonga
About John Kleinchester 204 Articles
New Jersey born and raised. Wrestling fan since Lex slammed Yokozuna on the deck of the USS Intrepid. Favorite Wrestler of all time is Owen "The Rocket" Hart.
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