On Tuesday, April 21, 2015, WWE taped the April 23 edition of “Smackdown,” the final piece of WWE programming before “Extreme Rules.”
Below are April 23 “Smackdown” spoilers from Providence, Rhode Island courtesy of Twitter user @PredictWWE:
The show kicked off with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Rollins previewed his first title defense at “Extreme Rules” against Randy Orton, then proceeding to target Kane. Kane, still distraught over having to lay down for Rollins a few weeks back on “Monday Night Raw,” told Rollins he should be the one to lay down for him. The on-screen WWE Director of Operations then ordered J&J Security to leave, and a referee to make his way ringside.
1) Seth Rollins vs. Kane ends in a no contest- Upon the bell ringing, the Providence crowd chanted “Lay down, Seth” towards the champion. Seth began to kneel, appearing to obey Kane’s orders. However, Kane was just pulling his leg. Instead, Kane announced that Seth Rollins will be facing Dean Ambrose right now.
2) Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose fails to start- As Ambrose made his way to the ring, his “Extreme Rules” opponent, Luke Harper, ambushed him. Harper and Rollins took aim at Ambrose, with Kane even getting in on the action. To a big pop, Roman Reigns made the save. The show’s main event was then set. Seth Rollins and Luke Harper will face Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns in tag team action.
3) Neville and Dolph Ziggler def. Sheamus and Bad News Barrett- Before the match, Sheamus cut a promo on WWE’s newest main roster star, Neville. The rising star got the win for his team, hitting the “Red Arrow” on Barrett, while Sheamus and Ziggler brawled outside the ring.
4) Naomi def. Natalya- Naomi, who will face Divas Champion Nikki Bella at “Extreme Rules,” made quick work of Natalya with the “Rear View.”
On the titantron, a video promo of The Prime Time Players targeting “boring” WWE Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Tyson Kidd was displayed.
5) Ryback def. Rusev via disqualification- Before the match, Lana cut a promo, as Rusev looked on with a chain and Russian flag in hand. Despite Rusev controlling most of the match, Ryback was able to sustain some offense towards the latter stages. Though, his comeback was thwarted when the two big men went outside the ring. There, Rusev used his chain to strike Ryback, causing the disqualification. Just like he did to John Cena on “Monday Night Raw,” Rusev put Ryback in “The Accolade,” while using the chain.
A backstage segment between Luke Harper and J&J Security aired. It saw J&J disrupt Harper’s preparation for the main event match.
6) Kofi Kingston (w/ Big E and Xavier Woods) def. Cesaro (w/ Tyson Kidd and Natalya)- Thunderous “New Day sucks” chants echoed throughout the Providence crowd. In the end, Kingston hit “Trouble in Paradise” on Cesaro for the victory. Though, Cesaro was distracted when he saw Tyson Kidd receiving a belly-to-belly from Big E outside the ring.
7) Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose def. Seth Rollins and Luke Harper (w/ J&J Security)- For the match, Kane was ringside. Overall, the match was a good back-and-forth one, containing a lot of near finishes. There were loud “we want Roman” chants pouring down, with the crowd exploding when Reigns got a hot tag. As the match closed, Rollins was outside the ring and in danger of being counted out. Kane slid Rollins back in to beat the count, but he was met by a spear from Reigns. The show closed with Reigns and Ambrose, the babyfaces, celebrating.