WrestleMania weekend is here but before we get to The Grandest Stage of them All - the final Friday Night SmackDown before WM comes at us. On the show for tonight, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jacob Fatu & Drew McIntyre are scheduled to appear, Tiffany Stratton battles Jordynne Grace in a No. 1 Contenders Match for Giulia's Women's United States Championship, The Wyatt Sicks collide with MFT in an Eight Man Tag Team Street Fight, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss take on Bayley & Lyra Valkyria, The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal returns and more!
Check back for live results when the show airs tonight at 8/7 C.
SmackDown begins with a recap of WrestleMania's history. Wrestlers like CM Punk, The Usos, Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Jade Cargill, Dominik Mysterio, Liv Morgan, Roman Reigns, Gunther, Stephanie Vaquer, Chelsea Green, Je'Von Evans and a bunch of celebrities and fans all weigh in on their favorite WrestleMania is and what WrestleMania means to them.
We cut to the arena, Jade Cargill with B-Fab & Michin, Rhea Ripley, Sami Zayn, Trick Williams, Lyra Valkyria & Bayley, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss and Randy Orton & Pat McAfee are all shown arriving to the venue or backstage. Nick Aldis approaches McAfee and Orton and gives McAfee a contract to sign and talks about a meeting they have scheduled. McAfee says he'll read over the contract and sign it after - Orton let's them deal with the contract and he says he's going out to the ring to speak his mind and leaves. McAfee signs the contract and asks Aldis to park his truck.
At ringside, Randy Orton comes out and heads to the ring. Orton grabs a mic and stands in the ring for a bit. Orton says he'll be the first to admit that he doesn't need Pat McAfee, but the truth is, he wants McAfee. He says McAfee is a straight shooter and isn't a yes man, and tells Orton what Orton needs to hear. Orton says all he needed to hear was to just be him. Orton talks about how things would have been different had he still been facing Drew McIntyre as originally planned. Orton says Cody Rhodes interjected himself into this whole thing and beat McIntyre. He says he didn't want to fight his friend and then Rhodes gives him permission to be him. He can't believe Rhodes feels he needed to give him permission when all Rhodes has done is take, take and take. Orton talks about when Rhodes took on Roman Reigns and how Rhodes called Seth Rollins for back up. He didn't even call Orton, and when Rhodes was being attacked by Solo Sikoa, Orton showed up like a friend and got beaten up. Again, all Rhodes does is take, take, take. Orton talks about Rhodes battling Kevin Owens and when Owens turned on Rhodes, Orton showed up and took Rhodes' side and Owens injured him and put Orton on the shelves. All Rhodes does is take, take and take. Orton says McAfee has helped him more than Rhodes. Orton says Rhodes has hurt his legacy and tomorrow Orton will repair his legacy and he'll do it with the three most dangerous letters in sports entertainment - RKO. Orton drops the mic and leaves the ring.
We cut backstage and Pat McAfee is in his truck and Nick Aldis waits outside the truck. Randy Orton gets in the truck and McAfee says Orton's a real champion and then speed out of the parking lot.
Match 1: MFT (Tama Tonga, Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga, JC Mateo) w/Tonga Loa -vs- The Wyatt Sick6 (Uncle Howdy, Dexter Lumis, Erick Rowan & Joe Gacy) w/Nikki Cross
Everyone starts fighting right at the bell. Talla Tonga is left in the ring with Wyatt Sick6 and Rowan knocks him out of the ring. Lumis and Gacy take out Tama Tonga and JC Mateo. Tonga Loa trips up Rowan allowing Talla Tonga to clothesline Rowan to the floor outside the ring. Talla Tonga uses the steel steps to take out Lumis, Gacy and Rowan and we cut to a commercial break.
We're back, Sikoa beats Howdy with a kendo stick. Tama Tonga punches and kicks Howdy in the corner. Lumis and Gacy get in the ring. Gacy takes out Tonga and he and Lumis take out JC Mateo and then Solo Sikoa. Gacy kicks Talla Tonga out of the ring. Gacy and Lumis double team Tama Tonga and try for a pin. Mateo gets in and takes out Gacy and slams down Lumis. Mateo kicks Howdy in the corner and then goes back to Lumis. Howdy strikes Mateo and Talla Tonga gets in the ring and hits a Samoan Drop on Howdy. Talla Tonga does the same to Lumis and then hits Gacy with a Samoan Drop as well. Rowan gets in the ring and Tonga tries to slam him but Rowan kicks him out of the ring and hits a suicide dive on Tonga outside through the ropes. Rowan tosses some chairs and kendo sticks in the ring. Gacy helps him and we have trash cans in the ring too. Rowan and Howdy strike Sikoa with garbage cans and Rowan splash onto Sikoa with a garbage can on him and we get another commercial.
Back to the match, Sikoa sets a chair in the ring and slams Howdy's head into the chair. Sikoa sits on the chair with a kendo stick and smacks Howdy's ass with the stick and then strikes him hard with the kendo stick. Sikoa drives the chair into Howdy in the corner. Sikoa hits a running hip attack on Howdy. Sikoa tells Howdy the lantern is his and then goes back to punch and kick Howdy. Everyone else fights outside the ring and in the ring Sikoa runs at Howdy again but Howdy gets out of the way and strikes Sikoa with a chair. Howdy takes out Tama Tonga and Mateo with a chair. Howdy slams down Sikoa onto a chair. Nikki Cross hits a top rope cross body on Tonga Loa. Talla Tonga kicks Howdy as he tries for Sister Abigail on Sikoa. Sikoa stands on Tonga's shoulders and hits a splash on Howdy. Lumis and Gacy break the pin and then gets chokeslammed by Talla Tonga. Rowan hits Tonga with a chair and they both fly over the ring when Tonga clotheslines Rowan. Tama Tonga takes down Howdy and goes for cutthroat but Sikoa runs in and hits a Solo Spike and pins Howdy.
Winners: MFT
After the match, Tonga stares at Sikoa and Sikoa stares back. Sikoa points at a fallen Howdy as if he's trying to get Tonga on the same page as him. Tonga looks pissed.
R-Truth and Damian Priest walk backstage and talk about The New Day and Truth tells Priest that Asuka cursed them. Truth gets Priest all confused about who is in the New Day.
We cut to a clip from earlier today where The Miz & Maryse renew their vows with Kit Wilson as the officiate. Danhausen shows up and curses The Miz & Maryse. The Miz and Danhausen fight and Maryse gets pushed into their renewal cake.
