WWE Champion AJ Styles def. Rusev by Disqualification (Non-title)I was surprised when Styles said nothing about Shinsuke Nakamura's actions at WrestleMania 34 on last week's show, but at least he addressed him here. Although I expected a new SmackDown Live star to interrupt Styles, Rusev might have been even better, because it put him in a prominent spot for a change. Granted, he was on the verge of tapping out to Styles in under 30 seconds, but at least he wasn't an afterthought for a change. This segment set up the main event tag team match for later on in the night. United States Champion Jeff Hardy def. Shelton Benjamin (Non-title)I couldn't believe that so many people thought Seth Rollins was headed to SmackDown with the Intercontinental Championship in the Superstar Shake-up. I figured it was obvious Hardy would be bound for the blue brand considering it was no coincidence he won the United States title on Monday's Raw. SmackDown was his home in 2008-2009, so I like him being back on the brand nearly a decade later as a singles star. This was a pretty good match between him and Benjamin, who will likely be a stepping stone for the younger talent now that Chad Gable has been moved to Raw.
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Karl Anderson def. Curt HawkinsAs soon as I heard Anderson and Luke Gallows' entrance music hit at the start of the Main Event taping, I immediately felt bad for them. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Thankfully, they have since moved over to SmackDown Live in the Superstar Shake-up. Here's hoping the change in scenery does wonders for them, though Finn Balor not going to Tuesday nights with them is interesting. At any rate, this was a pretty basic bout where the crowd was solidly behind Anderson and it was decent enough. Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado def. TJP and Ariya DaivariAs well-wrestled as these matches with the Cruiserweights are on Main Event, I feel like we've seen every possible combination of the Lucha House Party against the meaningless heels of the division. It's beyond obvious the babyfaces are going to win every time, and knowing this, I left for a few minutes during the match to check my phone. I don't think I missed much. What I did see was fine, yet nothing worth going out of your way to see.
Jeff Hardy def. Jinder Mahal to Win the United States ChampionshipKicking the night off with a notable draft pick is logical, and although I feared for the worst when it was revealed to be Mahal, the move actually makes sense considering he has already feuded with most of the SmackDown Live roster (and specifically Randy Orton, thank the lord). While I may not be his biggest fan, I can tell you from being in attendance for this show that his heat was nuclear, next to Roman Reigns'. That said, the fans popped big for Hardy emerging as his challenger and then popped even bigger for the title change, which most people did not see coming. It was a good match that the crowd was into from start to finish. For those saying this automatically means Seth Rollins is SmackDown bound, I wouldn't be so sure. I can see Jeff being shipped to the blue brand, which is where he became world champion a few times during his last run with the company in 2008-2009. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks Ended in a No ContestI liked the idea of continuing the show's momentum with another big matchup, even if we've seen it countless times in the past. However, it wasn't the hottest encounter, and part of that might have been due to how they're both still babyfaces. I hoped we would see a heel turn here one way or another, but it looks like they'll remain babyfaces for the foreseeable future now that The Riott Squad is on Raw. Ruby Riott is the only one of the three that has any real potential in my opinion, but I guess they're being kept together in case the rumored women's tag team titles come to fruition later this year.
Eli Drake Revealed Scott Steiner as His Tag Team PartnerAfter Steiner's poor performance at that IMPACT vs. Lucha Underground event last week, I can't I'm optimistic about him being involved in this storyline from an in-ring standpoint. That said, him and Drake are a great pairing because they're similar in a lot of ways on the mic and I actually enjoyed their exchange with LAX here. It was one of those segments I probably shouldn't have liked but I did anyway. Basically, it was a fun train wreck. Moose def. Sami Callihan by DisqualificationMoose has been established as a close friend of Eddie Edwards, and Callihan cost him his Feast or Fired briefcase last week, so that was the reasoning behind this bout. They worked very well together and produced an enjoyable outing. I was glad it wasn't riddled with interference, either, and even the non-finish didn't bother me because it protected both men. In addition to Edwards, Tommy Dreamer surfaced afterward and set the stage for a six-man tag team match with House of Hardcore rules for Redemption. Dreamer's involvement is pretty random, but oh well.
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