WWE: Smackdown
April 14, 2016
San Diego, CA
Valley View Casino Center

The current WWE champions are as follows:
WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns (4/3/2016)
WWE Intercontinental Champion: The Miz (4/4/2016)
WWE United States Champion: Kalisto (1/24/2016)
WWE Tag Team Champions: The New Day (8/23/2015)
WWE Women’s Champion: Charlotte (4/3/2016)

Your hosts are Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, and Jerry Lawler.

Maryse introduces her hubby and the IC champion the Miz to begin another edition of MizTV. His guest tonight is the only woman worthy of being called his wife. Ladies and gents, the love of Miz’s life: MARYSE. Miz wants to know what it’s like being married to him? In a word, perfection. Champion, movie star, an A-lister, and role model to all children all around the world. Miz says Maryse is his muse, makes him a better man every day, and he wants to give her the world; red carpets, film premieres, and holidays with Leo in St. Barts. Maryse says this is the year Miz will be named the sexiest man alive. They start making out when Zack Ryder interrupts. This is all making him violently ill. Maryse tells him he’s just mad that Miz killed his WrestleMania moment in just 24 hours. Ryder wants to know how she feels about being married to someone who wears more makeup than her. While Miz says his five minutes are over, Ryder says he’ll regain the IC title one day. In the meantime, he looks forward to Cesaro beat him for the belt. If Miz is too scared to face Cesaro, Ryder is more than willing to face him right here right now. The crowd wants it. Miz is down for the fight, but Ryder already has a match against…Baron Corbin. CIAO.

• Baron Corbin vs. Zack Ryder
  

So Ryder is back to being enhancement talent for the debuting Baron Corbin. Good grief. Corbin avoids the Broski Boot and delivers the END OF DAYS to Ryder for the win. (3:11) When Corbin looks for some extracurricular activities, Dolph Ziggler heads down and runs Corbin out of here. ¾*

Elsewhere, Renee Young talks with Kevin Owens. She asks him about some insight into Sami Zayn’s match tonight with Chris Jericho. He doesn’t offer much insight. He just might get involved in the match tonight. Instead of asking him, he thinks maybe Renee should be asking Sami Zayn if he has any insight on what’s coming tonight.

• Paige vs. Emma
  

I actually like Emma’s new look. I never got her old look to begin with, but as you know I’m not a big NXT watcher. Anyways, right now Emma is tired of being overlooked in WWE. There’s a little bit of fight in the corner going on here. Emma stretches Paige’s neck over the top rope and delivers a butterfly suplex for two. Paige escapes a full nelson and hits Emma with a couple knee strikes for another nearfall. Over in the corner, Emma trips up Paige causing her to crash and burn on the top turnbuckle. Emma rolls up Paige for the win. (3:17) IT’S EMMA’S TIME NOW. *

FLASHBACK TO RAW: Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows showed up destroying the Usos. They might have just become the top babyface team now doing that.

RAW REBOUND: All things involving Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt.

• #1 Contenders Tag Team Tournament Match: Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Ascension
  

Nothing says your tag division is on fire quite like a #1 contenders tournament. Ya know, I’m a millennial just like him and I do not feel like I relate to this Enzo Amore douche at all. Hey Enzo and Cass, meet your destiny in the Ascension. This looks like the last TV match for Konnor since he’s now on a 60 day suspension. That doesn’t bode well for anything Viktor will be doing either between now and the middle of June. Being the smaller of the two, Amore gets the crap beat out of him for most of this match setting up the hot tag to Cass. The EAST RIVER CROSSING leads to the ROCKET LAUNCHER on Viktor for the win. (4:33) So Enzo and Cass move ahead to the semifinals. *½

JoJo meets with AJ Styles backstage. Referring to his match at Payback against WWE world champ Roman Reigns, AJ says he doesn’t let go when he sinks
his teeth into an opportunity. Alberto Del Rio (YES!) walks by to try and kill AJ’s confidence. Del Rio doesn’t care who AJ Styles is and says he’ll find out if the hype is real here tonight. He says they don’t even have to compete because he can see the hype isn’t real. He can smell it! Wow. Del Rio doesn’t think Styles belongs here. AJ says he doesn’t belong here flapping his gums. He belongs in the ring and he’ll prove that to Del Rio – NEXT.

• AJ Styles vs. Alberto Del Rio
  

Being in San Diego, more than likely the crowd will side with ADR. Headlocks and shoulderblocks to start with Del Rio in total control. AJ comes back with the leapfrog-dropdown-dropkick move. Del Rio bails out and runs into a knee from the apron. Back inside, Del Rio fires back with a mule kick and snapmares him over for a dropkick to the neck. Back on the floor, ADR throws Styles into the barricade. In the ring, Del Rio delivers a flying double sledge for two. Styles avoids a corner charge and snap suplexes Del Rio for two. Off a corner charge, Del Rio backdrops Styles to the apron and enziguri kicks him to the floor. As Styles staggers up, Del Rio dropkicks him through the ropes half way up the aisle as we go to commercial. When we come back, Styles mounts his comeback with his signature strike combo and the jumping forearm smash. The corner clothesline sets up the Ushikoroshi for 1-2-NO! Del Rio flips out of a pumphandle and lands the Backstabber. Styles ducks the low superkick and drills Del Rio with the Pele Kick. Cover, 1-2-NO! Styles gets caught up top and brought down with the Reverse Superplex for 1-2-NO! Styles avoids the tree of woe double stomp and knees Del Rio back to set up the Phenomenal Forearm. Del Rio ducks and shoots for the Cross Armbreaker, but Styles counters into the Oklahoma roll for the win. (10:23 shown) Yes. Nice match here with both guys on an even keel. ***¼

Elsewhere, Goldust breaks the news to R-Truth that they won’t be teaming tonight in the tag team tournament. This seems to have a ton to do with what happened with Dr. Phil on Raw. Goldust’s new partner is Fandango. They start dancing and R-Truth finds this to be pretty awkward. Imagine 1996 Goldust and 2016 Fandango. Gross, huh?

• #1 Contenders Tag Team Tournament Match: The Vaudevillians vs. Goldust & Fandango
  

Goldust gets owned leading to a hot tag to Fandango. He atomic drops Gotch and delivers an enziguri kick and spinning heel kick to wipe him out. English and Goldust go to the floor where Goldust gets pushed back into the barricade. That leaves Fandango all alone for the Whirling Dervish finisher in 2:02. ¾*

FLASHBACK TO RAW: Dean Ambrose took over Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel segment and gave him Dirty Deeds.

Back to the show, JoJo is standing by with Chris Jericho. He calls Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles, and Sami Zayn all amateurs who don’t know the meaning of respect. Jericho calls himself the greatest wrestler of all-time because he beat the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night right here in San Diego. He’s like Haley’s comet – a talent like him comes around every 76 years. Sami Zayn is a talent who comes around every two weeks. He’s going to teach Zayn a lesson. Tonight, “Zayn is going to feel the pain”. Teehee. Jericho says he’s the best at what he does. Do you understand the words that are coming out of his mouth?

Primo and Epico Colon are coming back? Yeah, that’ll put butt in the seats.

• Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn
  

Zayn shows off his armdragging abilities and sends Jericho on the run as Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose interrupt this match with their presence. Ambrose hands out fliers that say Ambrose Asylum. You know if he were really cool, he’d have them drop from the ceiling like the nWo used to do. He joins our commentators while Owens just stands around ringside. When Jericho gets knocked to the floor, Ambrose hands him one of his fliers. Jericho gets mad and throws it back at him. Commercials! When we come back, now Owens is on commentary as well. Zayn fights out of a chinlock while Jericho seems really distracted by Ambrose. Flying body press by Zayn gets two. Jericho fires back with the butterfly backbreaker for two. Rope walk tornado DDT by Zayn scores another nearfall. Half Nelson Suplex is countered to the Walls of Jericho, but Zayn reverses. Jericho comes back with the face slam, but the Lionsault hits knees. Helluva Kick is avoided for the WALLS OF JERICHO. Of course, Zayn makes the ropes. Jericho shoves away a springboard and kicks Zayn through the ropes into the announce table. Instead of worrying about Zayn, Jericho starts assaulting Ambrose and throws him into the barricade. When he returns to Zayn, he takes a backdrop onto Owens. Back inside, Jericho starts slapping Zayn around only to take an exploder suplex into the corner. Owens runs into the ring and stops the Helluva Kick for the DQ. (11:41 shown) I think we all saw that coming. Ambrose saves the day for Zayn and sends Jericho on the run. Owens breaks up Dirty Deeds and sets up for a powerbomb, but Zayn drills Owens with a HELLUVA KICK. The good guys stand tall in the ring as close out Smackdown for the night. The match was pretty distracted with all that was going on with Ambrose and Owens. **½

Until next time, so long for now.