SmackDown on Fox Episode #77
SmackDown Episode # 1,126
Orlando, FL – The Thunderdome (Tropicana Field)
3/19/21
The show opens with us going right into the Thunderdome as the announcers hype up tonight’s main event which will see Edge have his first match on SmackDown in over 10 years as he will take on Jey Uso and the winner will be the special guest enforcer in the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania.
We then cut to the gorilla position where Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair are still arguing over what happened last week, but Sasha blames that on Reginald which upsets Bianca even more as she is tired of hearing about Reginald. Bianca tells Sasha that agreeing to face Nia with the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line was a big mistake and she isn’t going to come out and make the save for Sasha this week. Sasha says she wouldn’t ask Bianca to come out and save her in the first place.
We get our entrances for the first match of the night and then go to the ring for our first match of the night.
Match #1: Sasha Banks © vs Nia Jax w/ Shayna Baszler (SmackDown Women’s Championship)
Nia pie faces Sasha and Sasha responds with a big right hand and then slides under the bottom ropes where she drives a shoulder into Nia’s midsection and then nails her with a knee to the face. Sasha catches Nia with her legs and drives her face-first into the turnbuckle and then she stomps a mudhole into her and follows that up with a running double knee attack. Sasha tries to lock in the Bank Statement, but Nia quickly rolls out of it and then drops Sasha with a back elbow. Nia hits Sasha with an avalanche in the corner and then press slams her into the middle of the ring for a 2 count.
Nia hits Sasha with another slam to the mat and follows that up with a running elbow for yet another 2 count. Nia shoves Sasha into the ropes and takes her down with a body attack and then she hits her with a Samoan drop but somehow Sasha is still able to kick out at the count of 2. Bianca Belair marches down to the ring as Sasha rolls out to the floor and she gives Sasha a pep talk as we go to a commercial break.
We come back to Sasha fighting her way back to her feet as she nails Nia with a couple of back elbows and then looks to whip her into the corner, but Nia blocks and sends Sasha into the corner where she jumps up and looks to catch Nia with her legs again, but this time Nia counters it into a side slam for a 2 count. Nia stomps on the leg of Sasha and then puts her in a stretch muffler which she uses to sling Sasha face-first into the middle turnbuckle which gets another 2 count. Nia locks in a modified STF but when Sasha starts to fight out of it she releases the hold and locks her back in the stretch muffler, Nia walks around the ring with Sasha until Sasha powers herself up and goes for the sunset flip which Nia looks to block by sitting down but Sasha is able to move out of the way. Sasha hits Nia with a Meteora to the back of the head and goes for the cover, but Nia kicks out once again.
Sasha looks to pull Nia to her feet, but Nia blocks it and throws Sasha out to the floor, Sasha rolls back into the ring and tries to lock in the Bank Statement but Nia gets to her feet with Sasha on her back and then tries to transition into a Samoan drop only for Sasha to elbow her in the side of the head and then she hits Nia with a satellite DDT. Sasha locks on the Bank Statement and as this is happening Shayna and Bianca roll into the ring, while the referee is restraining Bianca, Shayna goes for a kick to Sasha but ends up kicking Nia by accident. Bianca throws Shayna out of the ring and then Sasha pins Nia with a jackknife to pick up the win.
Winner: Sasha Banks via Pinfall Match Rating: **¼
This was a fine match, in fact, it was better than I was expecting as that spot where Nia slammed Sasha into the turnbuckle while she had her in the stretch muffler was nice. It does suck that the women’s champion needs all of this interference in order to pick up the win but that is WWE overbooking for you.
We get a recap video of the contract signing last week and what led up to tonight’s main event.
We then go to an interview with Edge who talks about how it feels surreal yet right at the same time to be back wrestling on SmackDown seeing as he has had some of his greatest career moments on the show and also the worst moment of his career when he had to relinquish his World Heavyweight Championship in 2011 and then retire. Edge said he inserted himself in the Reigns vs Bryan match because he feels like Bryan deserves a fair shot at Fastlane and without him at ringside he doesn’t feel like Bryan will get that fair shot. Edge says he forgives Bryan for hitting him with the Busaiku Knee last week because he would’ve done the same thing.
Edge says he feels like Jey Uso could become one of the greatest in the business but not as long as he walks in the shadows of Roman Reigns because as long as he follows that shadow the more he is going to keep running into trouble and tonight Edge is that trouble.
Seth Rollins makes his way to the ring as we go to a commercial break.
We come back to the announcers informing us about the hosts of WrestleMania which will be Titus O’Neil and Hulk Hogan
Why? I feel like I have to ask that at least once every week when I do these reviews. I feel like either of these on their own would make a lot of sense but having both of them host is just a ploy by WWE to try and get some good PR for Hogan. WWE wants it to seem like since Titus is agreeing to work with Hogan on WrestleMania then all is forgiven for what Hogan did and while that may or may not be true for Titus there is for sure still a lot of fans and other guys in the locker room who don’t want Hogan around. I find it distasteful that they still bring Hogan out after what he did and the fact that he takes away even the slighting bit of time away from the current talent (especially the African American talent who are currently dominating in WWE unlike ever before) is just wrong. I feel so bad for Titus if this is a case of WWE forcing him to work with Hogan rather than Titus volunteering to do so.
We come back to Nia and Shayna arguing in the back where Nia tells Shayna if she costs them the tag titles like she just cost her that match then she is coming after her. Nia asks Shayna what she is going to do about what happened tonight and Shayna tells her she is going to get a match against Bianca and give her the nastiest beating of her life.
We go to the ring as its time for another Seth Rollins promo
Rollins goes back to when he returned a few weeks ago and how the rest of the roster treated him and says that came out there not because they liked him but because they respect him and he respected their decision to be idiots when they walked out on him. Rollins says that Cesaro took the disrespect toward him too far and that is because Cesaro is jealous of him and all the things he has done including being a WrestleMania main eventer. Rollins says he is a fighter and not a failure which is something that Cesaro can’t say after what we saw last week and this leads to Rollins throwing to a video of his beatdown on Cesaro last week.
Rollins starts mocking Cesaro and asks Cesaro what is keeping him down and as he asks this he does some very over-the-top movements in the ring as he runs around the ring reaching for an imaginary brass ring. Rollins then looks into the camera and gets very serious as he tells Cesaro he will never disrespect or embarrass him ever again because he is Seth Freakin’ Rollins and Cesaro is the biggest waste of potential in the history of the WWE.
Shinsuke Nakamura comes to the ring and tells Rollins to shut up. Nakamura then ducks an attack from Rollins and hits him with a spinning wheel kick and then sets up for the Kinshasa, but Rollins bails out to the floor. Nakamura tells Rollins to “Come On” and when Rollins runs back into the ring he is taken down with an STO and then hits him with the Kinshasa to end the segment.
Up until Nakamura came out I didn’t care for this segment as the promo wasn’t doing anything for me especially when he started mocking Cesaro and was doing the overacting which made Rollins look like a complete goof. We would be informed later in the night that Seth Rollins will face Shinsuke Nakamura at Fastlane in a match that has the potential to steal the show as they had a really good match at Survivor Series a few years ago that was really good but nobody remembers it since it had zero stakes attached to it. I’m glad to see they didn’t rush the Cesaro vs Rollins match as that means it will most likely happen at WrestleMania which is great since it will give Cesaro his first big-time singles match at WrestleMania which is overdue.
We go to the announcers who tell us that Eric Bischoff will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
The Street Profits make their way to the ring as they are in action after the commercial break.
We come back from the break and the SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode have joined commentary for the next match.
Match #2: The Street Profits vs Rey & Dominik Mysterio
Ford takes Dominik down with a waistlock but Dominik spins out of it and grabs control of the arm but Ford spins out of that and we get some more chain wrestling until both men kip-up and are at a standstill. Ford and Dominik shake hands and Ford catches him with a kick to the gut, Ford tries for a back suplex but Dominik lands on his feet and makes a blind tag to Rey and then reverses a whip into the ropes and drops down so that Rey can catch Ford with a dropkick. Ford blocks a whip into the ropes and then he sends Rey into the ropes but gets kicked when he ducks his head and then Rey slides between his legs which allows Dawkins to tag himself in and then Dawkins flips Ford onto Rey which gets a 2 count.
Dawkins hits Rey with the spinning splash in the corner and then tags Ford back into the match and he tries to whip Dawkins into Rey, but Rey moves out of the way sending Dawkins crashing into the corner. Rey hits Ford with a headscissors that sends him into the middle rope and then tags in Dominik who takes Dawkins down with a diving hurricanrana. Dominik runs off the ropes looking for the 619 on Ford, but before he can attempt that he is dropped with a clothesline from Ford and then he hits Dominik with a back suplex which he turns into a chokeslam for a 2 count. Ford tags in Dawkins who lifts Dominik in an electric chair but Rey slides through the legs of Dawkins and knocks Ford off the top rope. Dominik hits Ford with a hurricanrana out of the electric chair position and hooks the legs to pick up the win.
Winners: Rey & Dominik Mysterio via Pinfall Match Rating: **
After the match, Alpha Academy makes their way to the ring and Gable gets on the mic talking about how that match shouldn’t put the Mysterios in line for a title match since they have already embarrassed them in the past. Alpha Academy then turns their attention to the Street Profits which ends up being a mistake as the Mysterios attack them from behind and send them out of the ring and then Dominik takes them both out with a springboard crossbody to the outside and that sends us to another commercial break.
We come back and go right back to the ring for our next match of the night.
Match #3: Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs Alpha Academy
The Street Profits have joined Ziggler and Roode on commentary.
The match is already in progress as Rey fights to escape Gable’s grasp on his arm but Gable sends him into the corner and then Gable sets him up top where he attempts a superplex, but Rey blocks and hits Gable with a headbutt that sends him back down to the mat and then Rey comes off the top with a seated senton. Rey sends Gable into the middle rope with a headscissors and then hits him with the 619 while Dominik knocks Otis off the apron. Rey goes up top but Otis crotches him and then Gable tags in Otis. Gable hits Rey with a vertical suplex and Otis follows that up with a falling headbutt.
Otis picks Rey up and hits him with several slams and then he sends Rey into the corner sternum first. Otis puts Rey in a bear hug until Rey starts to bite him in order to get out of the hold and then Rey runs off the ropes but Otis catches him and slams him back down to the mat. Otis goes for another falling headbutt but this time Rey is able to get out of the way and then he hits Otis with a basement dropkick before both men are able to make a tag to their partners. Dominik comes in on fire as he hits Gable with a clothesline and a running hurricanrana and then he tries for the body scissors, but Gable tries to block it so Dominik turns it into a pinning combination for a 2 count.
Dominik charges toward Gable but gets launched into the air and lands on the middle turnbuckle where he comes off with a tornado DDT for a 2 count when Otis breaks up the pin. Rey knocks Otis to the floor and then goes out after him only to be sent into the barricade moments later. Dominik sends Gable into the ropes with a bodyscissors and tries for another 619, but this time Gable catches him and hits him with the Chaos Theory while Otis makes a blind tag. Otis comes off the ropes with a big splash to pick up the win.
Winners: Alpha Academy via Pinfall Match Rating: **¼
These two tag matches were good and I think it’s pretty clear after tonight that we are getting a 4-way match at WrestleMania for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, while I do wish we were getting a traditional tag match I am not too upset about it being a 4-way as I would be if it were a singles title being defended in a multi-man match. It’s just nice to see four established teams going for the titles rather than some makeshift team that was put together at the last minute like we are getting on Raw with Styles teaming with Omos against New Day.
We cut to the back where Sami Zayn is talking with his documentary crew when Kevin Owens walks up and Zayn asks KO if he thought about being in the doc and KO says he still isn’t sure if he wants to be in it. Zayn continues to try and talk KO into it and says he has even been in contact with Logan Paul and says this documentary is going to be huge.
KO then asks Zayn if he has ever considered the fact that he could be twisting reality into whatever he needs it to be so that it fits his narrative. KO says he has known Zayn for a long time and he has never heard Zayn admit to being at fault for anything that has happened to him. This really fires Zayn up as he screams that it isn’t his fault and then starts ranting about what “they” have done to him. KO asks Zayn who “they” are but Zayn won’t answer that question. Zayn asks KO to come to ringside for his match so that he can see if anything fishy happens and KO agrees to this. Zayn says if KO doesn’t see anything suspicious then he will drop the entire thing.
Daniel Bryan makes his way to the ring and we go to a commercial.
We come back from the commercial break and it’s time to hear from Daniel Bryan.
Bryan hypes up the main event match of Edge vs Jey Uso and how the winner becomes the special guest enforcer on Sunday. Bryan talks about how predictable it will be if Jey Uso wins the match tonight as he will do whatever it takes to make sure Reigns walks out with the title on Sunday, but if Reigns was the champion he says he is then he wouldn’t need that help from Uso. Bryan says that Edge has always been the Ultimate Opportunist and he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants and right now Edge wants to face Reigns one-on-one at WrestleMania.
Bryan says he understands why Edge wants to face Reigns instead of him at WrestleMania and that is because Edge thinks he can beat Reigns at WrestleMania, however, the difference between Edge and himself is that Edge thinks he can beat Reigns whereas Bryan knows he can beat Reigns and he’ll prove it at Fastlane when he does to Reigns what he did to Uso which is to make him tap out.
Roman Reigns makes his way out to the top of the ramp with Paul Heyman right by his side.
Reigns finds it amusing that Bryan thinks he is going to make him tap out. Reigns said he is fine with Bryan misrepresenting himself but he will not stand for Bryan telling lies about him. Reigns says that Bryan has a better chance of shooting lightning out of his ass or growing wings like a bird to fly away because nobody has ever made him tap out. Reigns said he would rather lose an arm than tap out and he’d rather die in that ring than tap out to someone like Daniel Bryan.
Bryan says that dying over tapping out is pretty drastic. Bryan says that Reigns may talk about lies he has told but when Reigns talks about being the “Head of the Table” that is a lie and a delusion. Bryan says that everyone thinks they are invincible until they are not, they think they are unbeatable until they lose, and everyone thinks they can’t be made to tap out until they do. Bryan says he isn’t going to just make Reigns quit he is going to break Reigns of his beliefs and delusions. Bryan hopes that Reigns doesn’t die, but whether Reigns taps out or not he is going to beat him for the Universal Championship at Fastlane.
I really enjoyed this segment as it did a great job of adding some last-minute hype to the Universal Championship match on Sunday. I like how the match on Sunday now has two stories going into it as part of the intrigue is seeing what impact the special guest enforcer has on the match and the other story is if Bryan can make Reigns tap out for the first time in his career. Now that it looks like they are indeed saving Cesaro vs Rollins for WrestleMania it makes it pretty obvious that we are getting some kind of messy finish at Fastlane to set up a triple threat at WrestleMania, seeing as there are no other top-level names for Bryan to face at WrestleMania unless they throw in John Cena at the very last minute but I don’t see that happening.
We then cut to what I thought was one of the best moments of the night as we go to a video package that you would think is to hype up the upcoming Sami Zayn vs King Corbin match, but you would be wrong as this video package completely mocks the match as it calls it the least anticipated match in SmackDown history. The narrator labels Zayn vs Corbin as the Irritating Force meeting the Unlikeable Object in a match that nobody asked for and then says, unfortunately, there has to be a winner but thankfully there will be a loser. This came out of nowhere but I absolutely loved it and whoever came up with the idea deserves a raise because that was pure comedic gold.
We cut to a commercial break and when we come back it’s time for the next match of the night as both participants are already in the ring and Kevin Owens is on commentary.
Match #4: Sami Zayn vs King Corbin
Zayn nails Corbin with a kick and then applies a side headlock only to be slammed to the mat. Zayn walks over to the corner and sticks his head through the ropes so that Corbin is forced to back up and then he lands a cheap kick to the gut and scrubs his face across the top rope. Zayn hits Corbin from behind knocking him down onto the middle rope where he chokes him, Corbin gets back to his feet and is hit with a couple of jabs from Zayn but then he ducks a clothesline and delivers one of his own to Zayn. Corbin nails Zayn with some mounted punches and when Zayn gets back to his feet he hits him with a clothesline in the corner.
Zayn does what he has to in order to avoid Corbin including using the referee as a shield and that allows Zayn to get in an eye poke. Corbin charges toward Zayn in the corner but Zayn sidesteps and Corbin goes shoulder-first into the ring post. Zayn rolls Corbin up in a schoolboy and tries to use the ropes for leverage but the referee catches him and admonishes Zayn. Zayn puts the boots to Corbin and then argues with the referee some more before going over to take the turnbuckle pad off and when the referee sees this happening he walks over to stop Zayn which distracts him and when Zayn turns around he is hit with the End of Days which gives Corbin the win.
Winner: King Corbin via Pinfall Match Rating: *½
After the match, Zayn rolls to the outside and argues with the referee some more and then he asks KO if he saw what he was talking about and KO says all he saw was the referee doing his job and making the right calls. KO tells Zayn that sometimes things just don’t go your way and you have to brush it off and move on. Zayn continues to scream at KO and then walks off, KO turns around in his chair to face the announcers so that he can talk to them when out of nowhere Zayn takes KO’s head off with a Helluva Kick from behind. Zayn yells at KO to open his eyes and says he isn’t crazy and KO is blind.
I was wondering what Zayn and KO were going to do at WrestleMania and I guess when all else fails just put them against each other as you are always guaranteed to have a really good match and an intriguing story anytime these two are feuding with each other and I also feel like enough times has passed since the last time they feuded with each other. This chapter of their feud is going to be quite interesting as for the first time the roles are reversed as Zayn is now the heel and KO is the babyface, so it will be fun to see how this feud works with them playing opposite roles than what they have in the past when they feuded against each other.
We see a split-screen of Big E and Apollo Crews who are getting mic’d up for their interview which is coming up after the commercial break.
We come back from the commercial and get a recap video of what happened last week when Crews attacked Big E with the steel steps once again.
We then go to the split-screen for our interview and they are asked if they will ever be able to settle their differences now that their feud has become personal. Big E laughs at the thought of being able to settle their differences as he says that’s over because he is no longer looking for reconciliation he is looking for vengeance. Big E says that Crews has two days until Fastlane and in that time he better appreciate what he has now because the near future for Apollo Crews looks dark and bleak. Big E says that at Fastlane he is going to retain his Intercontinental Championship and Crews is going to get everything he deserves.
Crews tells Big E that he would think twice before he talks to Nigerian royalty with such disrespect as he is treading very dangerous ground with what he is saying. Crews brings up a Nigerian proverb that his great grandfather (who was the king of the Tiv people) always used to tell people who threatened him which is “If you fill your mouth with razors, you spit blood”. Crews says that at Fastlane he is going to crack Big E’s face and Big E will see the Nigerian warrior within him and he will finally have what he deserves and his ancestors will watch as he stands over Big E’s body as the new Intercontinental Champion.
Big E rips off his mic as he doesn’t want to wait until Sunday and Crews takes his mic off as well. Big E appears from the dugout and then jumps on his own personalized golf cart as he goes to find Crews who is on the other side of the building. We cut to Crews who is walking the halls looking for Big E, but when he sees him pull up he starts to beg off but Big E isn’t slowing down and we get a brawl in the backstage area which Big E gets the best of as he beats down Crews and sends him into the wall multiple times before the brawl gets broken up. Crews hops in Big E’s golf cart and speeds away as Big E is being held back.
Big E was great during this which should come as no surprise as he excels at everything he is given and these past two weeks have shown that Big E is just as great at doing serious hate-filled promos as he is goofy promos just in case anyone forgot. I thought Crews’ part of the promo was good in terms of content but it would’ve been even better if it was done in his regular voice and not the horrible made-up Nigerian accent. I love that Big E had his own golf cart he could use to hunt down Crews and I loved that they used the fact that they are in a baseball stadium rather than just having another beatdown around the ringside area which we have seen a thousand times.
Bianca Belair makes her way to the ring and we go to a commercial break.
We come back and get the entrances for both Shayna Baszler and Sasha Banks and while they make their entrances the announcers run down the card for Fastlane.
Match #5: Bianca Belair w/ Sasha Banks vs Shayna Baszler w/ Nia Jax
As soon as the bell rings Sasha walks to the back leaving Bianca on her own.
Bianca ducks a kick from Shayna and takes her down with a shoulder block as she keeps her eye on Sasha who is walking to the back. Bianca goes to slam Shayna but she slides out the back and sends Bianca into the ropes where she takes her down with a rolling chop block and then she hits her with a kick. Shayna hits Bianca with some clubbing blows before she throws Bianca to the outside where she lands at the feet of Nia, but Nia has a disgusted look on her face and walks off. Shayna drags Bianca back into the ring and then tries to plead with Nia who is walking to the back and when she turns around Bianca hits her with a spinebuster and goes for a pin only to get a 2 count. Natalya and Tamina hit the ring to attack both women as the match ends in a no contest.
Winner: N/A via No Contest Match Rating: ¼ *
After the match, Natalya and Tamina send Shayna over the announce table, and then Natalya goes after Bianca with forearms but she starts to fight back until Tamina hits her with a superkick and follows that up with a swinging sidewalk slam.
Why was this match even needed? Now it seems like we have a match happening in two days whether neither team gets along and a team that nobody wants to see challenge for the titles presumably waiting to face the winners at WrestleMania, wow what a great way to book the women’s tag division WWE this is sure to bring interest to the division.
We got our final video package of Edge’s career highlights on SmackDown which we had seen throughout the night.
Edge makes his way to the ring as our main event is coming up after the commercial break.
Match #6: Edge vs Jey Uso
Daniel Bryan is on commentary for this match.
We get a lockup and Edge takes Uso over and tries to get a surprise pin but Uso is able to kick out. We get a second lockup and Uso grabs a side headlock but Edge steps on the back of Uso’s calf to force Uso down to his knees which breaks the hold and then Edge locks on a headlock of his own only to be shot into the ropes where he takes Uso down with a shoulder block. Edge sees an opportunity to lock in a crossface but Uso quickly escapes and gets to the ropes for safety. Edge fires away with forearms and then he sends Uso into the ropes and he follows him in so that he can catch him with a kitchen sink and then he takes Uso down with a big knee lift. Uso gets up to his knees and Edge catches him with a running knee to the arm.
Edge wraps Uso’s arm in the ropes and then drops a knee onto it. Edge pulls Uso to his feet and looks to lock in a crossface chickenwing, but Uso elbows him in the gut which causes Edge to roll out to the floor selling his midsection. Uso goes out to the floor after Edge but gets hit with a back elbow and then he tries to smash Uso’s face into the announce table but Uso blocks it and nails Edge with a shot to the midsection and then he shoves Edge into the steps. Uso slides back into the ring and then he hits Edge with a tope suicida which sends Edge gut-first into the announce table and that sends us to a commercial break.
We come back to Uso putting the boots to Edge as he targets the ribs and kidney area. Edge gets back to his feet and tries to make a comeback but Uso stops him with a big right hand and then he hits Edge with a front suplex that hangs Edge up on the top rope and then Uso knocks Edge to the floor with a running elbow. Uso throws Edge back into the ring and then Uso slides Edge across the ring sending him rib-first into the ring post. Uso goes out and stretches Edge in a bow and arrow causing his ribs to be further damaged by the ring post and by this point Edge is gasping for air.
Uso talks some trash to Edge as he goes to pick him up, but Edge breaks loose and tries to make a comeback as he hits Uso with several forearms but when he goes to whip Uso into the ropes he is unable to do so due to the injured ribs and then Uso catches him with a spinning kick to the ribs. Uso goes up top looking for something but Edge dodges and then both men collide into each other as they both go for a crossbody. Both men slowly get to their feet and when they do Edge drops Uso with a big boot and then he hammerlocks the arm of Uso and sends him shoulder-first into the ring post. Edge goes up to the middle rope and connects with a diving knee to the injured shoulder of Uso which gets him a 2 count.
Edge slowly tries to get Uso to his feet, but Uso connects with a lunging headbutt to the midsection and then he shoves Edge into the ropes where he hits him with a Samoan drop for a very close 2 count. Uso gets to his feet and slowly makes his way up to the top which gives Edge time to get to his feet and cut Uso off and then he hits Uso with a hurricanrana off the top for another 2 count. Edge slowly gets to his feet and catches the leg of Uso off a superkick attempt and he hits Uso with the Edgecution DDT. Edge slowly crawls over to the corner looking for the Spear, but Uso catches him with the superkick and then he goes up top where he hits the Uso Splash but his injured shoulder makes him slow to make the cover and once he finally covers Edge he is able to kick out at 2.
Uso goes to pick up Edge only for Edge to hit him with an arm wringer that takes Uso down for a moment and when he gets back to his feet Edge hits him with the Spear and that is enough to keep Uso down for the 3 count.
Winner: Edge via Pinfall Match Rating: ***¼
After the match, Edge stares down Daniel Bryan who is still on commentary but when he turns around he is hit with a Spear from Roman Reigns. Reigns then turns his attention to Bryan who gets up from the announce table and walks toward the ring but ends up getting hit from behind by Uso who throws Bryan into the ring and when Bryan gets to his feet he walks into a Spear from Reigns. Roman Reigns stands tall as he holds up the Universal Championship as Bryan is laid out in a heap below his feet and that is how SmackDown comes to an end.
I really enjoyed the Edge vs Uso match as I thought both men did a fantastic job selling their injuries and I thought the way both men went about inflicting damage to their opponent’s injured body part was superb. I really enjoyed watching Edge in this match and it’s nice to see him back on weekly TV and even with missing some time he hasn’t lost a step which was clear to see when he hit that top rope hurricanrana which I wasn’t expecting him to pull out so I definitely popped for that. I thought the post-match was done well as Reigns stands tall after taking out both of the men who are coming after his title.
I thought this was a very well done episode of SmackDown for the most part as we got some really good final hype for Fastlane (which was desperately needed) while also starting to set up some matches for WrestleMania.
The 5 Count
Cons
- Titus O’Neil having to co-host WrestleMania with racist Hulk Hogan
- The unnecessary Shayna vs Bianca match that did nothing to help anyone.
- The tag match on Sunday consists of two teams who don’t like each other.
- Apollo Crews’ fake accent
- Seth Rollins over the top acting during his promo.
Pros
- Edge vs Jey Uso match and the superb selling shown during the match.
- The mock hype video for the Sami Zayn vs King Corbin match,
- Big E’s part of the split-screen interview
- Utilizing the fact that they are in a baseball stadium during the Big E vs Apollo Crews brawl.
- KO trying to be the voice of reason to Sami Zayn who has totally lost his mind with his conspiracy theories.
That’s it for me this week but I’ll be back next week with all of the fallout of Fastlane and then we will really get into the build for WrestleMania as it will only be 3 weeks away.
