WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 15

The Intercontinental Championship was at stake Friday night on WWE SmackDown as Ricochet defended against Jinder Mahal in one of only two matches announced ahead of the broadcast.

What happened when The One and Only defended his prize against The Modern Day Maharaja? Did Drew McIntyre finally deal a crushing blow to Sami Zayn? And what did RK-Bro have in mind when the Raw Tag Team Champions made a special appearance on the blue brand?

Find out now with this recap of the April 15 episode. 

• Intercontinental Championship Match: Ricochet vs. Jinder Mahal
• Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

A red-hot promo segment kicked off Friday's show as RK-Bro popped the crowd, only for The Usos to interrupt. A verbal confrontation between the Raw and SmackDown tag team champions featured some extraordinary work from a fired-up Randy Orton and a typically fluid promo from Jimmy and Jey Uso before culminating with the latter accepting RK-Bro's challenge for a championship unification match.

Orton brought so much energy here, clearly motivated by the crowd, and the segment was elevated as a result. The Viper is having blast during this run, and it is evident every time he appears on-screen. His chemistry with Riddle is as strong as any on either roster, and the impending match against the SmackDown tag champions should be hella fun.

Do not be surprised if the cheap shot dealt by The Usos to Riddle leads to a match later in the show because, well, that is usually the direction WWE Creative takes us in these situations.

Grade 

B+

Top Moments

• "Grasshoppers...smoking grass-hoppers!" Pat McAfee said as Riddle kicked off his flip-flops and revealed VR insects—a wink-wink, nudge-nudge moment. 
• Riddle discussing the history of Worcester as he understood it, via Snapple lid, was fun stuff.
• "...but you two are assh--es," Orton said of The Usos in a fired-up promo.

The feud between the teams of Sasha Banks and Naomi and Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan continued with a singles showdown between Naomi and Ripley, each accompanied by their respective partners.

A good, competitive match saw the former repeatedly escape the grasp of her larger, stronger opponent before Ripley was able to catch her with the Riptide for the win.

These two teams have exhibited some strong in-ring chemistry since WrestleMania, in both tag team and singles bouts, and their championship clash on Monday is one fans have waited an extra week to witness. The punishing onslaught of Ripley and Naomi's elusiveness and athleticism meshed well.

Hopefully, that dynamic rears its head on Raw and the much-anticipated showdown lives up to lofty expectations.

The only negative? It did not further the storyline in any measurable way. It was another instance of teams trading victories, with neither really gaining an advantage or advancing their feud. That adversely affects the effectiveness of a match that, based solely on the action, would have graded higher.

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• McAfee's excitement over the announcement of Riddle vs. Jimmy Uso "five days before April 20" continued his nudging of the audience.
• A hell of a clothesline from Ripley turned the tide in her favor entering the commercial break.
• Naomi repeatedly countered out of the Riptide, making Ripley's eventual execution of the move that much more effective.
• Happy Corbin referred to Madcap Moss as a lackey, a "hanger-on" and looked forward to him "falling on his face" and becoming the laughing stock of the blue brand.
• "Imagine how bad your personality must be for people to like you better as a bum," Moss said in rebuttal of his former partner.

Madcap Moss made his first in-ring appearance since his split from Happy Corbin a week ago, defeating Humberto in what amounted to little more than a showcase for the newly babyface competitor. The crowd appeared to be into him, and he showed great intensity while rolling over the heel, which is a good omen for his push.

Even with that, it is imperative that WWE strips him of the jester gimmick. He has to lose the shorts, get rid of the suspenders and become his own man if he has any chance of living up to the potential he has shown since the dawn of 2022.

He is too talented to be held back by a gimmick that he outgrew a while ago.

Drew Gulak hosted an interview segment with SmackDown women's champion Charlotte Flair that did little to drum up more excitement for The Queen's match with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania Backlash and plenty to devalue one of the most talented in-ring technicians in sports entertainment.

Flair's attack on Gulak, her Figure Eight and the interviewer's humiliating screaming of "I quit!" failed to put the champion over as a threat to tap out anyone.

Sure, Gulak has not been utilized consistently since his 2020 push with Daniel Bryan, but this one-off was a massively disappointing role for the Philadelphia native, who should be competing somewhere every week in hellish pro wrestling matches.

Grade

C

Top Moments

• "...still has the stupid suspenders on but he is physically impressive," McAfee said of Moss following a strong shoulder tackle to his opponent.
• "No more dumb jokes, just Madcap being a boss!" said McAfee.
• Angel and Humberto teased dissension backstage following another loss.
• McAfee's reaction to Gulak asking Flair about her tapping out at WrestleMania was priceless.
• "I am a submission master. I have been submitting opposition for over a decade," Flair said while hyping her upcoming title defense against Rousey.

For the second time in as many weeks, Sami Zayn ran away through the audience, avoiding a loss to Drew McIntyre in a short, concise match.

The Scottish Warrior beat up on Zayn before The Great Liberator took off through the crowd, not at all interested in suffering another major loss after his WrestleMania defeat at the hands of Johnny Knoxville.

The feud itself features two of the best wrestlers on the roster, so it would be nice to see them deliver up to their potential. But Zayn is one of the best heels in the business, and his slimy, sneaky, cowardly ways make for fun television. McIntyre as the ass-kicking babyface is a great foil and the perfect character to pair with him.

Saving the actual match for a premium live event, where there is more time, is probably for the best, and having the heel repeatedly run from his opponent only creates a greater desire in fans to see The Scottish Warrior get his hands on his foe.

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Zayn denounced the idea that he ran from McIntyre a week ago and, instead, chalked up his early exit to his status as a "master strategist" in a solid pre-match promo.
• Zayn then proceeded to bail out of the ring at the sound of the bell.
• Adam Pearce informed the former Intercontinental champion that he will battle McIntyre next week in a Lumberjack match, designed to prevent him from running away.

There was really no reason to hype Intercontinental champion Ricochet vs. Jinder Mahal after all as The One and Only rolled to victory with a lightning-quick victory over The Modern Day Maharaja.

Despite the fact that Ricochet's latest title defense only lasted a handful of minutes, and nothing about the match suggested Mahal can look forward to an expanded role on Friday nights, not everything about the segment disappointed.

The high-flying babyface is still early in his run as Intercontinental champion, and showcase matches like this, which help him re-establish credibility with an audience who spent two years watching him lose, are key. This was one of those matches, and it will only help Ricochet in the long run—as long as WWE Creative can resist the urge to switch the title or redirect its focus elsewhere.

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• McAfee referenced former WCW and WWE Cruiserweight champion Billy Kidman when discussing Ricochet's shooting star press finisher, to which Michael Cole responded by knocking the many times Kidman struggled with balance on the top rope.
• Backstage, Sheamus and Ridge Holland lost a riled-up Butch, only to find him attacking New Day and inciting a brawl.
• Lacey Evans continued her comeback with another emotional story from her past.
• Natalya and Shayna Baszler encountered Raquel Rodriguez, with the former backhandedly welcoming her to the show.

RK-Bro sent a message loudly and clearly to The Usos by way of Riddle's victory over Jimmy in the night's main event.

A strong back-and-forth match of high quality, it really escalated (and elevated) late with Riddle's comeback and Orton's attack on Jey at ringside. The Viper drove The Right Hand Man on to the commentary team, then watched as The Original Bro countered a pop-up Samoan Drop into the RKO for the win.

On a night when WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns was nowhere to be found, Orton and Riddle's presence on the show was absolutely and unequivocally important. They did not disappoint, sending fans home satisfied and setting up a high-stakes, main event-worthy showdown with The Usos at WrestleMania Backlash.

Grade

B+

Top Moments

• Uso taunted Orton by driving Riddle into the steel steps in a nice bit of heel work from the SmackDown tag champion.
• Orton was ON FIRE throughout, very animated on the outside while watching the ebbs and flows of his tag team partner's performance.
• Orton's side suplex on the commentary table is vicious every time, regardless of whether said table actually breaks.
• The Viper jumping in the ring, fired up, before the referee counted three was great and reflective of the frenetic energy the third-generation star brought to the show from start to finish.