WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Jade Cargill takes out Damage CTRL ahead of WrestleMania 40

SmackDown's newest superstar got her hands dirty

Jade Cargill might just be WrestleMania bound. Cargill made her official debut as a WWE SmackDown superstar on Friday night. It did not take her long to find friends or foes.

WWE took their time preparing Cargill for the main roster since signing her in September 2023. She made her in-ring debut at the Royal Rumble but finally seems prepared for weekly programming. Cargill looked like a main event star upon her debut as a SmackDown superstar and was immediately inserted into a storyline with Damage CTRL.

The blue brand also found two representatives for the undisputed tag team title six-pack ladder match, teased new matches for WrestleMania 40 and more.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Cargill is a bolt of energy as women's division takes center stage

SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis rolled out the blue carpet and the fans cheered loudly for his newest acquisition. Cargill made an entrance fitting of a main event player in her debut as a SmackDown superstar. She hit the ramp basking in blue lasers. The lighting paired with smoke and confetti created the illusion of a storm cloud. Cargill cut a solid if standard promo but the magic was in her aura.

Earlier in the show, Iyo Sky narrated a vignette targeting her WrestleMania opponent Bayley. Once the director called wrap, Bayley bulldozed the set and attacked Sky. The camera cut from a cinematic close-up of Sky to secondary shots and a security camera as producers tried to intervene. It was a brilliant segment showcasing WWE's emphasis on trying new production tricks.

The Damage CTRL drama unfolded elsewhere on SmackDown too. Bianca Belair apologized to Naomi for her stubbornness over the last few weeks. Naomi thanked Belair for trying to rescue her from Damage CTRL last week and the friends promised to fight the faction together.

Belair def. Dakota Kai via pinfall after hitting Kai with KOD. Kai held her own in the match but got derailed after smashing her surgically repaired knee into the corner post. The Kabuki Warriors attacked Belair post-match and Naomi's efforts to rescue her friend failed. Fortunately for the fan favorites, Cargill made the surprise save. Cargill laid out the entirety of Damage CTRL singlehandedly. Cargill, Belair and Naomi stood together in the ring to close out SmackDown.

A small but significant story beat involved The Bloodline. The group's special counsel Paul Heyman claimed that Roman Reigns ordered The Rock to attack Cody Rhodes after Raw on Monday. It was only a sentence but reinforced the family hierarchy with Reigns on top as Tribal Chief.

I have mixed feelings about this week's show. It was great to see so much attention dedicated to the women's division; however, it was odd seeing so little of the Bloodline eight days from WrestleMania. Maybe it was wise to take the foot off the gas but the show could have used something more substantial regarding its two main events. Fortunately, WWE used the additional air space to add layers to much of WrestleMania's undercard matches. Cargill was a bolt of energy to everything involving Damage CTRL. It's great those storylines were given much-needed attention as were many other feuds detailed in the recap below. Grade: B+

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

• Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) def. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton via pinfall after Logan Paul knocked out Owens with brass knuckles. Orton and Owens chased down Paul post-match.
  

• A-Town Down (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) def. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) via pinfall after Theory snatched a roll-up. A-Town Down qualified for the tag team title match at WrestleMania 40. Street Profits were distracted by Karrion Kross and Scarlett attacking Bobby Lashley and B-Fab backstage. The Final Testament attacked Street Profits and Lashley post-match as well.
• Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee challenged Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar to a match at WrestleMania 40. LWO got the better of a brawl with Legado del Fantasma and Dominik.
  
• There was tension between Judgement Day about their individual ambitions. The meeting was sparked by Dominik not informing his allies about renewing the rivalry with Rey. Damian Priest teased cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania 40.
• New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) def. Legado del Fantasma (Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo) via pinfall after hitting a double-burning hammer. New Catch Republic qualified for the tag team title match at WrestleMania 40.
  
• The Bloodline announced Solo Sikoa vs. Jey Uso for SmackDown next week. Roman Reigns ordered the match to prevent Jey from making it to his WrestleMania match with Jimmy Uso.
  
• LA Knight, dressed as a security guard, blindsided a paranoid AJ Styles. Styles took a beating before fleeing through the crowd.