Summary

WWE loaded the April 3 episode of SmackDown with several WrestleMania 42 angles, and the biggest one centered on Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and the reveal that Pat McAfee had been Orton's mystery phone contact.

Orton opened the show in St. Louis by warning Rhodes that he had awakened the killer in him. Rhodes came out to fight, but the segment turned when McAfee ran in, hit Rhodes with a low blow and left alongside Orton. That paid off the mystery WWE had been building after Randy Orton teased that the person on the phone would appear in St. Louis.

Elsewhere on the show, Uncle Howdy beat Tama Tonga, Aleister Black defeated Matt Cardona, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss won a tag match over Lyra Valkyria and Bayley, Damian Priest and R-Truth retained the WWE Tag Team Championships, and Sami Zayn closed the night by beating Carmelo Hayes before taking a post-match attack from Trick Williams.

Results

Rhea Ripley defeated Michin.

Uncle Howdy defeated Tama Tonga.

Aleister Black defeated Matt Cardona.

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss defeated Lyra Valkyria and Bayley.

Damian Priest and R-Truth retained the WWE Tag Team Championships against The Miz and Kit Wilson.

Sami Zayn retained the WWE United States Championship against Carmelo Hayes.

Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Sami Zayn all got major final-week movement

Rhodes and Orton now head toward WrestleMania 42 with McAfee directly attached to the feud, which gives Orton another ally on television and raises the stakes around every face-to-face segment. WWE had already framed this SmackDown as a loaded stop on the road to WrestleMania 42 in its preview for the April 3 card, and the reveal gave that hype a concrete payoff.

The United States Championship story also left the show with sharper focus. Zayn beat Hayes, but Trick Williams standing tall at the end kept the attention on the WrestleMania title match rather than the successful defense itself.

Other WrestleMania 42 threads from SmackDown

The rest of the episode kept several other programs moving before WrestleMania weekend. Uncle Howdy regained the lantern after Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa fell apart, while Drew McIntyre continued to target Jacob Fatu in a promo about their unsanctioned match.

On the women's side, Ripley beat Michin before IYO SKY made the save during the aftermath, and Flair and Bliss picked up a win over Valkyria and Bayley before Lash Legend and Nia Jax attacked both teams.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.