The brewing rivalry between commissioner Shane McMahon and GM Daniel Bryan continues, and Kevin Owens takes on Sami Zayn in a show-stealing main event.
Shane McMahon confronts Daniel Bryan
Shane states that he disagrees with the choice Daniel Bryan made to give Owens and Zayn another opportunity for AJ Styles’ title. He accuses Bryan of living vicariously through Sami and Kevin and questions why, in the “Land of Opportunity”, Bryan continues to give main event opportunities to the same two people.
AJ Styles interrupts, angry that management is obsessing over Kevin and Sami and making decisions based on them. He asks Shane and Daniel to stay out of the main event tonight, claiming that he will make it to Wrestlemania as WWE Champion.
It seems that heat between Bryan and McMahon is close to reaching a boiling point. By pointing out that Daniel wants nothing more than to wrestle again, Shane has exposed any biases Bryan feels toward Owens and Zayn, leaving Bryan a little bit vulnerable. Will we see a culmination of this arguing at Mania?
Liv Morgan vs. Charlotte
Winner: Charlotte
As the match kicks off, Charlotte beats Liv Morgan into the corner. Morgan gains the advantage for a moment, but falls again to Charlotte’s brutal kicks. Distracted by Sarah Logan, Charlotte eliminates her from the apron, causing Ruby Riott to pull her teammate out of the ring. Riott and Logan are ejected from ringside, allowing Charlotte to lock Morgan into the Figure 8 leglock and earning Charlotte the victory.
After the match, Charlotte tells the announcers “one down, two to go”, emphasizing her goal to take out each member of the Riott Squad. After several months of the Riott Squad competing on the main roster, it is clear that they are booked to only work well as a team—they’re okay in singles matches and can hold their own, but aren’t successful without their teammates. Hopefully, Charlotte working with these women in the next few weeks can elevate them as well.
Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) vs. local competitors
Winners: Harper and Rowan
Obviously, Rowan and Harper quickly decimate the enhancement talent, eliminating the team with the double crucifix bomb. It shouldn’t be long until the Bludgeon Brothers challenge for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships, they pass the Usos on the ramp and the two teams stare one another down.
The Usos tell fans what being locked down is all about
In another great promo from Jimmy and Jey, stating that being locked down isn’t being in a physical prison, but a state of mind. They make no sense, but so much sense at the same time. They say that 2017 was the year of the come-up for the Usos, detailing their transition from colorful, okay babyfaces to serious competitors and Smackdown Tag Team Champions.
Daniel Bryan reveals the first Smackdown Top 10 List
The list is as follows:
10. Tye Dillinger
9. Randy Orton
8. Becky Lynch
7. The Usos
6. The New Day
5. Bobby Roode
4. Naomi
3. Shinsuke Nakamura
2. Charlotte
1. AJ Styles
While it’s unclear what the Top 10 List will imply for the Smackdown Live roster, its good to see names like Tye Dillinger, Becky Lynch, and Naomi on the minds of superstars backstage (or creative.) If these people stay on the list, they’re bound to have more opportunities on the show. It would’ve been cool to see Breezango on this list, as they’re a popular team among the fans but they aren’t getting much TV time.
Bobby Roode vs. Rusev
US Championship Match
Winner: Bobby Roode
In the beginning few minutes of the match, Rusev controls Roode as he shouts “Rusev Day” in his face repeatedly. After Rusev has the advantage for most of the match, Bobby has a John Cena-like burst of momentum, nailing Rusev with a clothesline off the top rope. Aiden English tries to stop Roode from implementing a Glorious DDT, yelling “not on Rusev Day!” On the apron.
Capitalizing on the interference, Rusev gets a two-count with a Matchka kick. Roode finds his way out of the Accolade before it is locked in and nails Rusev with a Glorious DDT, earning him the victory. Not long after, Randy Orton appears and gives the US Champion an RKO out of nowhere. Orton mocks Roode’s glorious hand gestures before giving RKOs to both members of Rusev Day.
Both men performed very well in this match. This was the most serious opportunity for Rusev since he has teamed with Aiden English, and both men were able to balance seriousness and their funny gimmick. It makes sense for Roode to keep the title right now, and Rusev can thrive without it.
Bringing Randy Orton in to seemingly challenge Roode next for the US Championship was a great move in my opinion. Orton has been absent for a couple weeks now, and nobody really cared that he was gone because he wasn’t a part of anything meaningful. Putting him against Bobby Roode, if done correctly, could really help Roode look strong against a serious WWE veteran. It’s unclear who would be babyface and who would be heel, but that’s something that can be figured out, as both men perform well as heels and babyfaces.
Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable vs. Konnor and Viktor (The Ascension)
Winner: Benjamin and Gable
Before the match, Benjamin and Gable complain that they came to add prestige to the tag division but were met with Breezango and the Ascension. Again, they’re whining and complaining.
At the start of the match, Konnor takes down Benjamin and scares Gable off the apron, possibly being the first time in months (possibly years) that someone was genuinely afraid of the Ascension. Gable uses the top rope to hurt Konnor’s leg while the referee is distracted, earning the advantage for him and Shelton as Chad tags in and they double team their opponent.
Gable attacks Konnor’s leg, but when he decides to talk to Viktor, Konnor turns the match around and gives him a flapjack. Konnor tags in Viktor, who has a burst of adrenaline, dropping both Gable and Benjamin. Gable tags Benjamin and they double team Victor to get the three count.
The Ascension actually looked pretty good in this bout. After talking up how much better they are than all the other teams, Benjamin and Gable cowered in fear to Konnor and Viktor throughout the match. If this feud continues, the Ascension could finally become a legitimate team.
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Match
Winner: N/A (DQ)
Sami Zayn stated before the match that he was ready to step out from KO’s shadow. He points out that they’ve had to face each other many times before, and both of them will stop at nothing for this opportunity.
After a couple minutes of back and forth, Sami has seemingly had enough and is ready to release some of the aggression he has built up over the past few weeks (or years) of being in Kevin’s shadow. He beats Owens up in the middle of the ring several times, and each time Owens rolls out of the ring.
The best friends share kicks in the center of the ring, and Owens gives Zayn a neckbreaker, and goes for a cannonball that is ultimately reversed as Sami delivers a Tornado DDT that earns a close two-count. When both men are in the top rope exchanging blows, Owens knocks Zayn off to deliver a senton, which Zayn counters by kneeing Owens in the back. Zayn dives through the turnbuckles and delivers an insane DDT to his best friend onto the mat.
When KO takes control in the center of the ring, he talks down to Zayn, yelling “I’m the one who wins the titles”. Zayn fights back and gives Owens a Blue Thunderbomb. Another close 2-count. The action spills out toward the announce table, and Sami Zayn starts talking down to AJ Styles. Sick of it, AJ explodes and attacks both Zayn and Owens. This leads to a DQ, prompting Daniel Bryan to declare that the Fastlane main event will be a triple threat match for the WWE Championship.
I don’t think it’s possible for Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to have a bad match. It was no doubt that they’re both fantastic in the ring, but after a while, I think fans forget how talented Zayn is until matches like this. Whether it’s being in the shadow of Kevin Owens or just being underutilized on the Smackdown roster in general, we rarely get a glimpse of Sami Zayn’s show-stealing potential. While the end of the match was spoiled by AJ Styles’ interference, WWE can now build to the bigger, possibly even better match that is Kevin vs. Sami vs. AJ at Fastlane.
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