Live WWE SmackDown Updates, Results, & Reactions

Tonight’s episode of SmackDown featured a tag team match pitting Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio of The Judgment Day against Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar of the newly-formed LWO. Priest managed to get the win after using the south of heaven on Escobar, but there was also a point during the match where SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley got involved on behalf of Dom. That’s when Zelina Vega went on the defense, using a hurricanrana to ward her off.

Rhea then chased Zelina through the crowd and into the backstage area, which, according to Zelina in an interview from WWE.com, was the intention all along.

“Listen, it feels really good to have the Champ wrapped around my finger. Yeah, we’re good. I’m making sure I’m being elusive but effective. I wanted her away from you guys and that’s exactly what I did. She’s gone.”

Santos Escobar and Rey agree that this developing feud between the two factions is just getting started, and stealing one victory won’t slow down LWO’s momentum.

“Just remember one thing, Judgment Day, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio – tradition, heritage, and culture. Lucha libre, we know every trick in the book! You got one over on us tonight.”

Well, ladies and gents, we’re on the tail end of another episode of SmackDown. Though we don’t have too many details on what next Friday has waiting for us, two things have been confirmed that show whet the appetites of the WWE Universe. One is the return of the Royal Rumble winner and former Intercontinental Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura! You can see the current lineup below:

• LA Knight vs. Xavier Woods
• Shinsuke Nakamura makes his return to SmackDown

The major news stories keep coming, this time with one emerging from tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown! Triple H appeared in the middle of the show and announced that the WWE draft is coming back in just “a few weeks,” which seemed to delight fans both in attendance and online. It was also emphasized that this will be “bigger than it has ever been before” because every WWE superstar will be eligible to go to a new home.

Not long ago, it was reported that Triple H had approved a new World Championship belt, which might be a perfect way to increase interest in the upcoming WWE Draft. Can you imagine Roman Reigns being drafted to Raw and being awarded a singular Undisputed Title, or how about the Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn being crowned with the WWE Tag Team Championships instead of a belt for each brand?

No further information has been revealed at this time, but we will keep you updated with each new development. Who do you think will be traded in the 2023 WWE Draft?

You can read more about this story here.

This past Monday’s Raw was met with a lot of outrage, even inspiring upset fans to start a “Worst Raw” hashtag to trend on Twitter. Reports that followed the show indicated that Vince McMahon had a lot more influence on the script than what was expected, but according to a new report from PWInsider, things weren’t carried out the same way tonight at SmackDown.

Vince was actually not at the show this evening. In fact, he reviewed the creative plans from a remote location and only made minor changes to the script. It’s believed Vince’s influence was only at an extreme on Monday because he was in the building, which will vary going forward.

You can read more about this story here.

Following his cheap victory, Jey Uso watches on as Solo Sikoa single-handedly beats down Sami Zayn. He attempts another Samoan spike but Jey holds him back and says he wants to do it his way. Jey superkicks him square in the jaw and sends Solo out to grab a steel chair.

Riddle comes out of nowhere for the save. He knees Solo and Jey to the face! Sikoa gets hit with Riddles’ flurry of abdomen shots, followed by a clothesline that sends him out of the ring. SmackDown goes off the air this week with Riddle and Sami standing tall in the ring as The Bloodline heads up the ramp.

We return from the break with Jey Uso on the top rope, preparing to strike. Sami meets him up there and they connect with right hands back and forth. Sami with an exploder superplex off the top! What a toss! They slowly make it to their feet, and when they do, they trade strikes and kicks. Jey with an enziguri, but his follow-up in the corner is reversed. Sami comes off the top rope but it’s turned into a superkick right into his grill for a two count.

Jey yells in Sami’s face asking him how many times they have to do this. Zayn uses his signature exploder suplex in the corner and prepares for the Helluva kick. Jey avoids it with a roll up for his own two count. Sami comes back with the blue thunder bomb and yet another two! Quite the sequence there! Sami barely makes it to the top rope, getting hit with an enziguri for his effort. Jey climbs to where Sami is, but their reversals lead to both men simply falling off to the apron. Solo Sikoa uses the Samoan Spike and Jey Uso uses a finishing jump kick for the three count.

We see an ad showing that Xavier Woods and LA Knight is official for next week’s SmackDown!

Before he makes his way down to the ring, Zayn says that Kevin was right and The Bloodline is more dangerous than ever before. But they aren’t the only ones who can be problem solvers, and he’s going to solve the problem of Jey Uso tonight. Zayn makes his way down to the ring with his title belts wrapped around his waist.

The bell sounds and this one gets started! They lock up in the middle of the ring, with Sami pushing Jey into the corner. Jey pushes him off and then they tie up again, this time with Jey powering him into the corner. Another lock up pulls Sami into a headlock. Off the ropes, Jey connects with a running shoulder tackle, but shortly after, Jey with a flying forearm to regain control. Sami uses a running lariat to knock Jey over the top rope. As Sami prepares to go for his signature swanton to the outside, Solo Sikoa makes his way down to the ring.

Backstage, Sami Zayn walks up to Jey Uso. Sami says there is one thing he needs to tell Jey, and that’s there’s one simple way for this to end. Everything he told Jey would happen has happen. Now that The Bloodline is falling apart, it’s Jey’s chance to finally end things. Sami tells him he’ll beat him every single week if he has to but that’s not what he wants to do.

We hear a loud disturbance nearby and Sami rushes to the scene. A large crate has fallen on Kevin’s leg! It appeared to be Solo Sikoa. They are calling for medical attention as the main event between Jey Uso and Sami Zayn is about to begin.

“The King of Strong Style” Shinsuke Nakamura is coming back next week!

Back from the break, Judgment Day is back in control as Damian Priest has Santos grounded in the middle of the ring. The crowd rallies behind him, bringing him back up to his feet, but the momentum is immediately shut down again. Dom tags in and clenches in a front-facing headlock, but Santos uses a big back body drop to send him away. Rey is tagged back in!

Rey hits Dom with a head scissors, but he’s then halted by a michonoku driver for another two count. Dom tries for a sunset flip but it’s reversed into a basement dropkicked followed by a springboard moonsault for another two. Rey climbs to his feet and calls for the 619, but at the last second, Rhea Ripley moves Dom out of the way. Zelina Vega comes after Rhea, using a leg scissors off the apron. Rhea chases after Zelina as the match continues inside the ring.

Dominik gets sent into the ropes and is hit with the 619, but Priest is the legal one! Escobar was trying to follow up the 619, but Priest uses the South of Heaven for the three count. The LFO still chase them out of the ring as they regather.

Looks like Sami Zayn speaking with Jey Uso is next!

Back from commercial, Rey and Dominik look like they’re going to start things out but he tags Damian in instead. Priest with clubby blows and shots to Rey’s midsection, backing him up into the turnbuckles. Rey gets tossed into Judgment Day’s corner, where Dom tags back in and starts chipping away more at Rey. He gives Rey a hard Irish whip into the corner, followed by some mounted punches.

Rey finally starts gaining the reversal on Dom and then tags in Santos Escobar. Santos with tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Dom. He then assists Rey in hitting a leg scissors that sends Damian out of the ring; they then hit simultaneous suicide dives to their respective opponents. We’re headed to another break!

Damian Priest watches the replays of Bad Bunny getting attacked and tells him that Dominik is his brother. He does hope Bad Bunny can forgive him for making him do what he did to him. Rey Mysterio and Legado del Fantasma/LWO are coming out next for the tag team match!

Following Triple H’s surprise announcement about the return of the WWE Draft, Rhea Ripley is introduced. When she gets there, she makes her way down to the ring with her fellow Judgment Day members close to her side, posing with the SD Women’s Title. Ripley says night one of ‘Mania will mark a night in history that will change the game forever because she defeated Charlotte Flair.

Rhea tells everyone to, “Rise for Mami.” She says that she’s the biggest star and the most feared woman in all of the WWE locker room! Finn Balor grabs the microphone and asks what kind of sicko like Edge needs to split someone wide open to get a win. Even though Finn got 14 staples to his head, he points out that he’s still there while Edge is nowhere to be found.

Dominik tries to talk but the crowd gives him so much heat that you can’t even hear what he’s trying to say at first. The crowd is relentless! They do NOT like Dom right now. He says he pulled his punches and held back at WrestleMania, which is why he lost. Dom says Rey and his whole family can go to hell, and so can Bad Bunny! We then see replays of both WrestleMania and Raw last Monday, where Bad Bunny got involved.

Returning from the commercial, Triple H makes his entrance as the crowd becomes electric!

He starts by telling the fans their reaction to him will never get old. “Welcome to SmackDown!” he says. Hunter says there’s nothing quite in the world like WrestleMania because it’s a place where athletes lay it all on the line. Hearts are broken, and dreams are fulfilled, and ‘Mania 39 exceeded all expectations. Triple H starts touting some of the records WWE broke this past weekend as the crowd applause in delight.

On digital platforms, Hunter says they’ve received nearly 1 billion views alone. But now that WrestleMania is over, they look forward to the future. “Are you ready?!” he asks. Triple H says that the WWE Draft will return in a few short weeks! It will be bigger than ever before, he says, because every star will be under consideration. When it is all said and done, it will change the game.

Read more about this story here.

Backstage, we see LA Knight confronting Madcap Moss and Xavier Woods as they play video games. LA Knight is ticked off that he didn’t get a spot on the ‘Mania card, which inspires Xavier to tell him to stop complaining and then maybe he would get on ‘Mania. Xavier tells him he’s going to beat him once again, which LA Knight denies while breaking a PS5 controller.

Triple H is next!!!

We see Shotzi and Natalya making their entrance as we come back from commercial. Raquel and Nattie are the first two in the match, but Shotzi quickly tags in as they start battling for the advantage. Natalya uses some leg scissors to send Raquel out of the ring; she then pulls down the middle rope so Shotzi can hit Raquel with a suicide dive. Following a two count, Shotzi follows up with a knee and an attempt at a head scissors. Raquel keeps her up with her strength can carries her over to the corner to Liv.

Liv and Raquel with a tandem senton off the ropes. They get a close two count, but Nattie comes in and breaks it up. Liv tries for the Oblivion on Natalya but she is avoided. Nattie with a release German suplex and a discus clothesline for a two count. Raquel tries to help but is attacked by Shotzi! Nattie tags her partner back in and they hit that unique sliced bread no. 2 attack. They go for a hart attack but Raquel assists Liv in getting a tornado DDT on Shotzi. Oblivion on Shotzi for the 3 count! Liv and Raquel win!

We go backstage to see Kevin Owens staring at his pair of Tag Team Championship belts. Sami says he’s stared at his titles, too. Owens tells him that this singles match between he and Jey Uso is a big deal tonight because it could be a way to finally end their rivalry with The Bloodline. Sami Zayn says that something is off right now, and he feels like he needs to go speak to Jey.

Owens is in disbelief. Sami says that they did what they set out to do and won at ‘Mania, but now, he feels some sense of obligation to talk to him. Kevin doesn’t understand and thinks Jey will be more volatile now. Owens says it’s outright a bad idea. Sami agrees, but he says that he just has to.

Next up, Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan vs. Natalya & Shotzi!

We come back from commercial and Ivark makes his entrance to the ring with Valhalla. Apparently, their partners are banned from ringside tonight.

Ricochet gains the advantage early on, dropkicking Ivar out of the ring and then hitting another one on the apron. Ricochet tries for a suicide dive but he’s caught and rammed into the ring apron. He’s then splashed right at the base of the apron! Ouch. Back inside the squared circle, Ivar with elbows to the side of Ricochet’s head. He then props Ricochet on the top rope but he’s fought off, allowing Ricochet to attempt a sunset flip. Ivar picks him up off the mat but still gets nailed with a running knee.

Ivar hits a knee and goes for a springboard splash, but no, he’s met with a dropkick in the air. Ricochet tries to pick him up but isn’t able to do it. Ivar with a spinning kick for a close two count. Following up, Ivar climbs up to the top rope; but he took to long – Ricochet meets him up high. Ivar knocks Ricochet to the apron bit he springboards back up and uses a hurricanrana off the top rope! Ricochet with a shooting star press for the 3 count!

We go to commercial, but it’s a high-flyer vs. powerhouse up next!

When commentary mentions the attack from Lesnar, Wade Barrett says that WWE officials explained Brock was frustrated his WrestleMania 39 match was first and Rhodes was main eventing.

Backstage, speaking with Kayla Braxton, Paul Heyman says that he is here to talk about The Tribal Chief and The Bloodline, who headlined both nights of WrestleMania. Jey Uso walks up, asking where Jimmy might be. Heyman tells Jey that Roman asked Jimmy to stay home so that Jey can take down Sami Zayn all by himself. Heyman says that doing it all by himself and solving the Zayn problem will cement his place on the island of relevancy. Jey seems very conflicted but still says, “Yeet.”

Paul says to Solo, “He solves the Sami Zayn problem tonight, or you solve our problems tonight.” Is The Bloodline about to fall apart?!

Next, we will get a recap of what happened on this Monday’s Raw between Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes. For those who missed it, the two were scheduled to team together to face Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa in a tag team match, but at the last second, Brock turned on Cody and proceeded to destroy him as Raw went off the air.

We return from the commercial with Gunther wrenching back on Butch with a seated chin lock. Butch eventually gets to his feet but Gunther regains control immediately, giving a cheap shot to Sheamus. Butch pulls Gunther’s fingers apart to escape, then reverses Vinci who just tagged in. Kaiser and Holland tag in immediately after, with Holland hitting an underhook belly to belly, a running clothesline in the corner, and an Alabama slam for a close two count.

Imperium does a triple quick tag to team up on Holland in their corner of the ring. Holland slowly gets back up and starts fighting off all 3 men, but no, a chop, a running dropkick, and a powerbomb from Gunther gives Imperium another 2. Gunther tosses Butch out of one side of the ring and then he turns his focus to a Boston crab on Holland. Sheamus makes it to the apron and finally gets a hot tag!

Sheamus and Gunther trade rights. Off the ropes, Sheamus with a clothesline, followed by a running powerslam. Guess what’s next? Ten beats of the Bodhran! Sheamus misses the brogue kick and gets hit by Gunther with a German suplex, followed by a kick. Sheamus reverses Gunther into the white noise for another close two count. Man, this one is close! Both teams start brawling over the place. Vinci and Sheamus, both legal, clash inside the ring. Vinci off the ropes but eats a direct knee to the face! Sheamus hypes the crowd up and nails the brogue kick for an emphatic 3 count. Brawling Brutes win!!

This one is bound to be a good one, folks! And based on the card Cole and Graves are running through, it appears we will get more action tonight compared to Monday. Giovanni Vinci and Butch start the match out, trading hold for hold. Butch with a hard clothesline to knock Vinci down, following it up with a running forearm in the corner. Ridge Holland tags in, hitting Vinci with European uppercuts. Vinci comes back though with a springboard crossbody. He then tags in Ludwig Kaiser, who stays on the attack until getting hit with a ripcord forearm. Butch tags in and faces Vinci, who just tagged back in.

Butch uses his signature finger manipulations and then stomps on Vinci’s hand. Gunther and Sheamus argue on the opposite side of the ring, allowing Impreium to team up on Butch in the corner and nail a hard brainbuster. Butch kicks out at two as we go to a commercial break!

As Monday’s Raw started, we saw the recap video from WrestleMania 39, hosted by Kevin Hart!

Michael Cole and Wade Barrett welcome us to Friday Night SmackDown in Portland, Oregon, and first out, it’s The Brawling Brutes!

Grab your snacks and beverages because we’ve only got 10 minutes to go until a new episode of SmackDown! You can see the current lineup below:

• Aftermath of WrestleMania
• Triple H makes a special appearance
• Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar vs. Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest
• Imperium vs. The Brawling Brutes in a six-man tag team match
• New SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley claims her throne at the top of SmackDown
• New Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn appear

Natalya has made a memorable legacy for herself in professional wrestling, which is an accomplishment that shouldn’t be overlooked, considering she comes from the legendary Hart family. Spending her life in the industry, Natalya has witnessed many performers coming and going from her home country of Canada. Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Natalya reflected on some of her favorite wrestlers that came from “The Great White North” and even named her Mount Rushmore of Canadian talent.

Her choices? She mostly kept it in the family with #1, Bret Hart, #2, Stu Hart, and #3, Owen Hart. But her last choice was a Hall of Famer that has excelled without having “Hart” attached to his name: Edge.

“31-time champion in WWE! His longevity – he’s in his late 40s. He looks phenomenal. He makes you forget about his age; every time he performs, you go, ‘Wow, he’s still got it!’”

Who’s on your Canadian Mount Rushmore? @NatbyNature 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/zJI37G3KZN

— Chris Van Vliet (@ChrisVanVliet) April 7, 2023

Heading into tonight’s AEW programming, Founder and President Tony Khan took to social media to reveal that Skye Blue has graduated from free agent status and earned herself a contract with All Elite Wrestling!

Blue’s most recent match in AEW was a victory over Angelica Risk during the March 24, 2023, AEW Dark: Elevation tapings. She was featured on Dynamite just two days before that, suffering a loss to Toni Storm in singles action.

Congratulations, Skye Blue!

As noted, AEW Rampage airs tonight at its standard time of 10 pm EST, and afterward, AEW will present Battle of the Belts VI at 11 pm EST.

Some great news for Easter Weekend: One of @AEW's rising homegrown stars@Skyebyee is officially All Elite!

Wishing everyone the best on Good Friday!

Don't miss a great night of wrestling TONIGHT live on TNT starting
10pm ET/9pm CT after Furious 7!#AEWRampage#BattleOfTheBelts pic.twitter.com/MZAskjADv4

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) April 7, 2023

This week was one of the biggest in WWE history when it was announced that Endeavor entertainment group, owners of UFC, were merging the two companies together to create a new entity. Dana White, President of Ultimate Fighting Championship, sees nothing but growth in WWE’s future now that Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel can provide the company with his own expertise. Speaking with The Pat McAfee show, White praised Ari for how he purchases companies but still keeps most higher-ups in the same positions as before.

How it affects WWE is I think there is a lot of value that Ari can add on the business side whether it’s licensing, sponsorship, and the list goes on and on, he’ll help grow those different areas of their business. They’re valued at $9 billion, watch and see what they are in five years.

You can read more about this story here.

Each year, the Squared Circle Expo brings some of pro wrestling’s biggest stars to the Midwest of the United States, and this year is no different! Certain stars like WWE Hall of Famers Kurt Angle and Lita, and top AEW stars like Jon Molxey, will be present either Friday, Saturday, or both to sign autographs and meet fans.

One star exclusively appearing today, Friday, April 7, is AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and, boy, what a turnout for the arrogant loudmouth. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful provided a video from the signing showing the line to MJF extending throughout the convention area and into the halls of the hotel.

This is @The_MJF's Squared Circle Expo Line pic.twitter.com/ciyxuMZXJq

— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) April 7, 2023

Not only do we have an episode of WWE SmackDown to look forward to this evening, but there are also two hours of AEW content coming our way after the blue brand finishes up. Tonight’s AEW Rampage comes on at its standard time of 10 pm EST, and afterward, AEW will present Battle of the Belts VI, headlined by an ROH World Tag Team Title match between reigning champs Lucha Bros. vs. Powerhouse Hobbs & QT Marshall. The full cards are available below:

AEW Rampage:

• Anna Jay vs. Julia Hart
• Hook vs. Ethan Page
• The Acclaimed & The Jericho Appreciation Society team up
• Darby Allin vs. Lee Moriarty
• Swerve Strickland makes an announcement
• Jade Cargill and Taya Valkyrie face-to-face

Battle of the Belts VI:

• International Championship match: Orange Cassidy (c) Vs. Dralistico
• TBS Championship match: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Billy Starks
• ROH Tag Team Championship match: Lucha Bros. (c) vs. Powerhouse Hobbs & QT Marshall

It's Friday, you know what that means:
Friday Night #AEWRampage LIVE on @TNTdrama TONIGHT,
immediately followed by #BattleOfTheBelts, with some of AEW's most popular stars fighting live on TNT tonight!

Thank you all, and I promise you a fun night of LIVE wrestling on TNT tonight pic.twitter.com/jfjJB82Vs0

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) April 7, 2023

A large portion of the WWE Universe was left heartbroken after the WrestleMania main event last weekend. Roman Reigns continued his impressive 940+ day reign with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship by defeating arguably his most difficult challenge yet: Cody Rhodes. But with help from The Bloodline, Roman, yet again, found a way to pull out the victory and retain his title.

In a new update from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the plan for the main event of WrestleMania was reportedly always going to be Roman defeating Cody. Though it was a secret until the day of the show, WWE always intended to have “The Tribal Chief” continue as the head of the table.

You can read more about this story here.

Legendary pro wrestler Jake “The Snake” Roberts has grown up his entire life around professional wrestling, from his father to his siblings to his own impactful career. And with such a history in the business, he’s also got many intriguing stories to tell, including one he opened up about on the most recent edition of The Snake Pit.

Roberts recalled an incident where Roman Reigns’ father, Sika, got into a legitimate fight poolside.

Some drunk comes out the pool and starts talking sh*t. And Sika wound up jumping up out of his lounge chair and chasing the guy down the street … First he reached up and backhanded the guy. You know, just give him a big backhand. And when he did blood went everywhere. Yeah, the guy’s face was just opened up. So the guy took off running, and Sika’s chasing him on asphalt and glass running down the side of the highway screaming at the guy.”

You can read more about this story here.

We’re 949 days into the legendary Undisputed WWE Universal Championship reign of Roman Reigns, and man, what a journey it has been! From his title win against Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman at Payback 2020 to his feuds with stars like Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, Brock Lesnar, and Edge – the story has been a topsy-turvy one. But one thing has always remained the same: Roman at the top of WWE.

To celebrate his near-1000-day reign, WWE has produced a highlight reel of Roman’s title defenses. You can see the full video below:

Finn Balor has always been described as an “extraordinary” man, and he proves it with his in-ring abilities, his chiseled physique, and the creativity he brings to his characters. But, perhaps more impressive than all of those attributes is his almost superhuman ability to heal up.

Balor took to his Instagram account earlier today and revealed that he was recovering from a calf tear in the weeks leading up to ‘Mania.

On March 10th Ep of Smackdown I sustained a grade 2 calf tear. Normal recovery time is estimated at 6-8 weeks. Hold my beer!
With just 3 weeks & 2 days to Wrestlemania WWE medical team ‘threw the kitchen sink at it’ & with some careful planning, long days of rehab and a lot of swear words we made it back in time with a day or two spare!

Balor didn’t quite catch a break at WrestleMania, either. During his HIAC match against Edge, Balor’s head collided with a ladder, forcing him to get 14 stitches after all was said and done.

You can read more about this story here.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Finn Bálor / PRIN❌E (@finnbalor)

Breaking news this afternoon regarding top WWE star Drew McIntyre:

“The Scottish Warrior” has reportedly been pulled from today’s scheduled meet & greets and tonight’s episode of SmackDown, according to PWInsider. There’s still no word on why this has occurred, but we will keep you updated.

The report notes that McIntyre was initially set to appear during the show this evening. Being unavailable for the autograph signing, WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther took his place.

You can read more about this story here.

Tonight marks the first SmackDown since WrestleMania 39, and the blue brand is coming on full steam to capitalize on the momentum. Several segments have been announced for the night, as well as a few matches. Perhaps most intriguing is that Triple H will make a special appearance as he did on this past Monday’s Raw.

You can see the current card below:

• Aftermath of WrestleMania
• Triple H makes a special appearance
• Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar vs. Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest
• Imperium vs. The Brawling Brutes in a six-man tag team match
• New SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley claims her throne at the top of SmackDown
• New Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn appear

This past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, FTR’s Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler won a hard-fought battle against The Gunns (Austin and Colten Gunn) for the AEW Tag Team Championships. FTR’s future in AEW was also on the line, adding to the emotion and tension of the match.

Dax has shared a new video to Twitter showing his family watching the match from home, sitting on the edge of their seats with each close pinfall attempt. When his wife and daughter witness FTR pulling out the win, they celebrate together. His daughter even ends up shedding tears for her dad! It doesn’t get much more wholesome, folks 😊

Two marks watching our match from Dynamite. The little mark cries lol pic.twitter.com/6IS2QeeGoX

— Uncle Dax FTR (@DaxFTR) April 7, 2023

Happy Friday, ladies and gents! We’ve got a new episode of SmackDown just hours away, but heading into the show tonight, we’ll be keeping you updated on the latest news stories that come out.

One interesting discovery earlier today was a leaked copy of the letter Vince McMahon wrote to WWE employees announcing the merger between UFC and WWE by Endeavor. In it, he emphasized how the transaction won’t immediately effect the day-to-day operations of most people in the company.

Both WWE and UFC will become wholly owned subsidiaries of the new company but retain our separate brands, as well as our leadership teams and headquarters.

It’s also being reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Damage CTRL (Bayley, Iyo Sky, and Dakota Kai) will be broken up moving forward. This past Monday on Raw, Kai and Sky were alone during their tag team match, as Bayley was apparently told not to go out with them.