SmackDown Live Takeaways: Post-Mania Debuts And Feuds (April 10, 2018)

There was a lot of mixed emotions by fans watching SmackDown Live last night, as WWE seemingly failed to capitalize on the atmosphere surrounding the post-WrestleMania 34 crowd for the show.

If you didn’t catch the takeaways from Raw this week, this will focus on the main points in storyline and matches from the show, and may not particularly be in order.

• Shane McMahon opened SmackDown, introducing Paige as the new GM for the brand after he accepted Daniel Bryan’s request to resume in-ring competition. Paige made AJ Styles vs. Bryan official for the main event.
• Naomi and Natalya faced off in a match, with the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal predictably winning as a way to further promote her character.

Naomi vs. Natalya: SmackDown LIVE, April 10, 2018

• The Usos and The New Day fought to become the number one contenders for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at the Greatest Royal Rumble, The Usos were victorious, as the Bludgeon Brothers came out to glare at their future challengers.
• Charlotte Flair came out to cut a promo on defeating Asuka. She praised the ‘Empress of Tomorrow’ and asked who she would make magic with next. This led to the debut of The Iconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay). They had some harsh things to say to Flair before a brawl erupted. As The Iconics left, Carmella came down to the ring and cashed in her Money in the Bank contract, winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Charlotte responds with grace after losing the Women's Title: SmackDown Exclusive, April 10, 2..

• Randy Orton defeated Bobby Roode and Rusev to become the number one contender for the United States Championship. He will face Jinder Mahal at Backlash. This is also a throwback to Backlash last year when these two competitors faced for Orton’s WWE Championship.
• Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted the finish of the match between Styles and Bryan in the main event. He attacked both men, mainly targeting Styles. He left the ring to end the show. He is playing a heel now, claiming he doesn’t understand english.

Which segment was your favorite last night? Do you feel upset The Iconics were the only NXT call-ups and there were no returns?

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