WWE SmackDown advertised The Rock returning “home” to the FedEx Forum, one week after SmackDown was No. 1 across all of television on the strength of Rock’s appearance in Texas. SmackDown also advertised Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee and the LWO vs. Legado del Fantasma in a qualifying match for WrestleMania 40’s six-tea Ladder Match. SmackDown’s main event featured Bayley vs. Dakota Kai.
Last week’s broadcast of SmackDown garnered a viewership of 2.493 million, the biggest viewership on all of television.
WWE SmackDown Results | March 15, 2024
- Legado del Fantasma def. LWO | WrestleMania 40 Tag Team Title Qualifier
- Randy Orton def. Grayson Waller
- Santos Escobar def. Dragon Lee
- New Catch Republic def. Pretty Deadly | WrestleMania 40 Tag Team Title Qualifier
- Bayley def. Dakota Kai
WWE SmackDown Ratings
- March 8, 2024 | 2.493 million
- March 1, 2024 | 2.348 million
- February 23, 2024 | 2.272 million
- February 16, 2024 | 2.555 million
- February 9, 2024 | 2.578 million
WWE SmackDown Ticket Sales
- WWE SmackDown Venue: FedEx Forum (Memphis, Tenn.)
- WWE SmackDown Tickets Distributed: 12,122
- Available Tickets: 0
Mercedes Mone (Sasha Banks) Is All Elite | PWB
WWE SmackDown Winners And Grades
The Rock Returns With Hollywood Rock Theme
WWE keeps discussing how the Rock-Roman Rhodes-Rollins tag team match will be on Night 1, and how Rhodes vs. Reigns will take place on Night 2. Rollins has said he will face McIntyre on Night 2, but I have a feeling The Rock will use his stroke to make Rollins face McIntyre after their match.
Fans chanted “Rocky,” despite his Hollywood Rock theme as he returned “home” to Memphis, Tenn.
Rock said usually he torches every city he’s in, but tonight it’s different. Babyface Rock even made a “Flex Cavana” reference, which the crowd picked up on.
Rock kissed up to the crowd by saying he has come “home,” and name-dropping Elvis Presley.
Rock was joined by two local musicians whom he seemed to mistake for Grammy nominated band War and Treaty.
A Cody Rhodes reference was booed. Rock also referenced his famed fanny pack, Mama Rhodes, Stardust, the Cody Crybabies and Cody being mistake as part of his musical rendition.
Rock’s Ja Morant diss was booed heavily in Tennessee as he said Rollins was just as big of an embarrassment as Morant when he waves a gun.
Rock continued to call himself The Final Boss, which will inevitably play into his feud with Roman Reigns.
Rock cut a similar promo on Cory Rhodes crying as he did during his social media promo earlier in the day.
Fans chanted “whoop that trick!” as Rock pulled out his heavyweight belt and threatened to beat Rhodes. Rock then said he’d give the belt to Mama Rhodes (Michelle) and sing “what can I say, except your welcome…if you smell what The Final Boss is cooking.”
The Rock Concert Grade: A
Legado Del Fantasma Def. LWO
Neither team received an entrance after Rock’s opening segment went long. SmackDown’s ratings fell off a cliff in the second hour last time Rock opened the show. AEW Dynamite’s viewership dropped after Mercedes Mone debuted in the opening segment, the same pattern will likely play out with SmackDown this week.
Corey Graves talked up Joaquin Wilde going viral, which suggests they will be a perfect fit for WrestleMania’s six-team Ladder Match.
Though these two teams have been working together for what seems like forever they have developed great chemistry, which is the most important aspect of Lucha Libre.
Legado del Fantasma vs. LWO Grade: B+
LA Knight Challenges AJ Styles At WrestleMania 40
LA Knight Challenged AJ Styles in a backstage promo where he walked out to the crowd to issue the challenge. LA Knight said X doesn’t mark the spots, LA Knight spots the mark.
AJ Styles attacked LA Knight with a steel chair following Knight’s spirited promo, and was booed vociferously, Styles accepted Knight’s challenge.
LA Knight Challenging AJ Styles Grade: B
Randy Orton Def. Grayson Waller
Backstage, Logan Paul demanded a punishment for Randy Orton after Orton interrupted “the biggest announcement in WWE history,” and RKO’d his business partner. Aldis answered by suggesting Paul ask Orton for the apology in person.
Logan Paul appeared on commentary for this match, likely looking to get Orton’s apology in person.
Logan Paul stepped to Randy Orton, leading to an awkward rolling reverse STO.
Orton beat Waller with relative ease, and as Paul, Waller and Austin Theory attacked Orton, Kevin Owens made the save. Orton almost RKO’d Owens thinking he was an opp. Orton and Owens then teamed up for a Stunner into an RKO.
At the end of the segment, Nick Aldis booked Paul in a WrestleMania match against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.
Randy Orton vs. Grayson Waller Grade: C+
Santos Escobar Def. Dragon Lee
Santos Escobar and Dragon Lee also demonstrated a lot of Lucha chemistry to one another, but to way less heat with the crowd beginning to tire.
Dragon Lee hit a running hurricanrana on Angel into Humberto that didn’t get what it deserved. The momentary distraction led to a win by Escobar with a Phantom Driver.
Carlito made the save for Lee, but Legado del Fantasma still outnumbered him. Rey Mysterio then appeared to even the odds, setting up a potential WrestleMania match against Santos Escobar.
Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee Grade: B
New Catch Republic Def. Pretty Deadly
I was rooting for Pretty Deadly to win this match, if nothing else, in hopes of seeing the pageantry of their WrestleMania entrance and outfits.
This was basically an NXT UK match, continuing a theme of matching international styles throughout this tag team tournament.
Wade Barrett said Pretty Deadly was so pretty, they didn’t need to edit their Instagram pics, a nod to Kate Middleton.
This match didn’t get much heat either as the Memphis crowd seemed to have spent all their energy in the first hour.
Tyler Bate willed the crowd back into this match with a helicopter spin on Elton Prince.
Sadly, New Catch Republic won with a Burning Hammer.
Pretty Deadly vs. New Catch Republic Grade: B
Bayley Def. Dakota Kai By Disqualification
Next week, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns will go face-to-face on SmackDown.
WWE tried to combat The inevitable “Rock dropoff” effect by building up its main event of Bayley vs. Dakota Kai throughout the night.
Bayley’s current theme music just doesn’t fit her as a babyface.
Dakota Kai took a great bump after taking a stunner over the second rope.
Bayley fended off Asuka and Kairi, and the referee didn’t call for the DQ until Iyo Sky attacked her.
Naomi made the save for Bayley, leading to chants of “EST,” which an increasingly cynical Bianca Belair did not answer.
Iyo Sky hit a scary moonsault on Bayley as Damage CTRL held her in the air. Shortly after, SmackDown went off the air.
Bayley vs. Dakota Kai Grade: B-
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