WWE: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria Set for 4/17 WWE SmackDown Show, CM Punk on His Original “Pipe Bomb” Promo Being “Misunderstood And Misrepresented”, Triple H on Criticisms of WWE’s Creative Decisions Ahead Of WrestleMania 42

Apr 17, 2026

WWE announced one new match for the card of tonight’s WWE SmackDown show at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

This new match announced was a tag team match of Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria.

Before they see each other at #WrestleMania in a Fatal 4-Way Match, @AlexaBliss_WWE & @MsCharlotteWWE look to solve their issues with @itsBayleyWWE & @Real_Valkyria in tag team action TONIGHT on #SmackDown!

📍: Las Vegas
🎟️: https://t.co/KQ3Cm5D2Jg
📺: 8 ET/7 CT on @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/gKTnF9jluJ
— WWE (@WWE) April 17, 2026

Current card for April 17th WWE SmackDown show:

WWE Women’s United States Championship – Tiffany Stratton vs. Giulia (c)
Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Eight-Man Tag Team Street Fight match – Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan, & Uncle Howdy) vs. The MFTs (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, JC Mateo, & Talla Tonga)
Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to address Pat McAfee and Randy Orton
Jacob Fatu to address Drew McIntyre

CM Punk Comments on His Original “Pipe Bomb” Promo Being “Misunderstood And Misrepresented”

A recent episode of the All The Smoke podcast featured Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Punk’s thoughts about how his original “pipe bomb” promo in 2011 has been misunderstood and misrepresented by others.

“I was told to air my grievances. I was leaving. I think my contract was up the 17th of July. I was pretty burnt out and they were actively trying to get me to re-sign. My headspace was, ‘I think I just need some time off.’ I just had my first surgery, that was not fun, I didn’t get to take a break. I just wanted some downtime. I was told to air my grievances. [Do you really want that?] That’s exactly what I said. I was met with, [Vince McMahon voice] ‘Why would I ask you to air your grievances if I don’t want you to?’ ‘This is a controlled environment.’ ‘Let me approve it.’ I don’t think it’s a secret, I thought I was the best, so I had to figure out how to do this, make it good, but also make it real. I know he wouldn’t have approved anything I wanted to say. This became a, I’m leaving anyway, what the fuck are they going to do, fire me? I’m also responsible and professional, so I’m not going to swear or get us kicked off USA Network or say anything that is low-hanging fruit or edgy to be edgy. A lot of the times, we fall into that hole. I’ve done it. I try not to. It happens sometimes.
Sometimes, your instincts are off. My instincts were dead on for that Pipe Bomb promo where I was so full of piss and vinnegar and I had such a chip on my shoulder. It’s really about knowing what buttons to press. Say three things that are irrefutably true, and then one thing you can wildly lie about. Everyone will be confused and won’t know. I wove this masterpiece of a painting where I’m in and out, I’m toeing the line. I bring it back to yell at the fans because they start cheering. Really, what I had to do was two promos. I had to write the one that was going to get approved, and I had to go out there and know this is the instance where it’s much better to ask forgiveness than permission. You can’t always do that, and many people have tried post-Pipebomb, and many people have failed. It’s easy to point, ‘He did it.’ You don’t really understand what I did. To this day, I think that promo is so misunderstood and misrepresented. It stands alone in history as that’s the promo.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

Triple H Comments on Criticisms of WWE’s Creative Decisions Ahead Of WrestleMania 42

Friday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take show featured WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Levesque’s thoughts about the upcoming Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42 and teased Pat McAfee’s involvement in it.

“There’s something on the horizon for this, for sure. You know, when you run your mouth as much as Pat does, eventually somebody is going to try to shut it. Really, as a WWE fan, what I’m really looking forward to is that moment — mentor-student, Cody Rhodes-Randy Orton, locking up over that WWE Championship. It’s just a moment that transcends a couple of generations to me, and that’s what’s really cool about it.”

Levesque also gave his thoughts about if he feels the pressure from the criticisms from fans about WWE’s creative decisions for the build for WrestleMania 42 and McAfee’s involvement for the show.

“It’s always pressure, but the thing is — talk is good, right? People are talking. And that’s a good thing. Love him or hate him, Pat makes people talk. I think that’s what is important here, is people are talking. This is going to be an amazing show. This will be incredible, and it will deliver on all levels.”

Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com