These WWE SmackDown results are from the April 3, 2026, episode from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. With just two weeks remaining until WrestleMania 42, the storylines were exploding, or imploding, depending on how you look at it.
WWE SmackDown opened with “The Viper” Randy Orton’s in-ring promo. No matter how hard he tries, the crowd won’t boo him. He’d steal Universal WWE Champion, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes’ catchphrase, and told his hometown crowd he didn’t like the city, yet received only cheers. Rhodes’ music hit, and it was shockingly mostly boos, including when he had control over Orton in the corner.
The surprises didn’t end there, as Pat McAfee shocked Rhodes with a low-blow, allowing Orton to regain control. McAfee explained that he has turned The Viper loose, and he’d save the business from the boredom of the current Undisputed WWE Champion.
The first match of the evening was Michin, with B-Fab, both of whom recently teamed with WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill, to take on her WrestleMania opponent, Rhea Ripley. The outfits of the number one contender continue to get smaller and further away from respectable wrestling; at least she actually can wrestle, unlike the champion.
Ripley won via submission, but was jumped by the heel trio post-match. Luckily, for her sake, Iyo Sky came to the rescue.
Uncle Howdy and Tama Tonga continued this played-out rivalry in a singles match. Solo Sikoa tried to help Tonga, but ended up costing him the match. There have been hints of a split, and the crack is becoming more obvious in the MFTs.
Trick Williams, accompanied by Lil Yachty, came to promote his upcoming title match with WWE United States Champion Sami Zayn at WrestleMania. It didn’t take long for Zayn to appear, shortly followed by former US Champion Carmelo Hayes. This segment was drawn out too long, with three guys explaining why they’re the best champ. The result was a title match announced for later in the night, and the winner of those two will face Williams at WrestleMania.
Aleister Black versus Matt Cardona was next. Both men had moments to shine, but it was a straightforward, single-finisher end to the match, with Black victorious after hitting his Black Mask.
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss took on Bayley and Lyra Valkyria in tag action. The teams lacked chemistry, with multiple instances of one talent waiting in spot for the other. Bliss picked up the victory, only for the current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend), to attack all four of them to end the segment.
Damian Priest and R-Truth defended the WWE Tag Team Championship against The Miz and Kit Wilson. This comedic match went too far beyond believability, into a joke. Danhausen interrupted the match, only to accidentally curse the referee, who then couldn’t make a three-count for Miz. The assistance led to victory for Priest and Truth.
Rhodes stormed the ring for an angry promo; well, he tried. He stated that he’s finally hearing the voices and has what it takes to get to the dark place needed to defeat Orton. The WWE Universe didn’t buy it.
Zayn and Hayes had their title match in the next segment, but it had little to do with the challenger. The finish was an odd decision for the United States Champion.
Hayes was being checked by the referee when Zayn executed a blindside, Hellueva Kick. They’ve been trying to ramp up the impression that the champ is more dangerous than ever, but it’s coming across as disingenuous.
WrestleMania 42 is just two weeks away. Stay tuned to Stadium Rant for all WWE SmackDown results.
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