5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (3 April - Results & Review)
1. Some Solid US Title Setup
Trick Williams stealing Sami Zayn’s celebration pyro worked, and so did Carmelo Hayes demanding a rematch for the United States Title after the sketchy way he lost it last week. Initially, Sami didn’t want to commit and fancied running it back after ‘Mania, but then he realised that Trick’s interference is why he’s standing there with the belt.
Most still believe there’s a double turn incoming for Trick and Zayn in Las Vegas, which will be good for both men, but having Hayes interject here was the right call. He couldn’t afford to become the forgotten man and let things slide without asking questions, especially considering his history with Williams on NXT. It was pleasing to see Melo come out and get his title shot.
Zayn getting sneaky to defeat Melo later on in the main event (by ignoring the ref’s call to check over Carmelo’s injured leg) worked too, because it sold his desperation over his whole ‘I must go to ‘Mania’ story. It’d be nice to see Hayes in there as a wild card in Vegas, but it might not happen - WWE may view a Triple Threat as too messy, and think it'd muddy the waters on a possible double turn for Sami and Trick.
Fair enough, if so, but it should bum weekly SmackDown hardcores out if Hayes misses the big dance completely. Even Lil Yachty will be there, for crying out loud! Las Vegas should belong to Williams, then Zayn can go off in a fresh direction as a heel, but it was at least nice to see Carmelo get some attention after dropping the belt.
What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out Every WWE Release Of 2021 - Where Are They Now? (Five Years Later) and WWE 2K26: 20 Best Legends CAWs You Must Download Immediately!