Smackdown Live Review 03/12/2019

SmackDown Live Review: March 12th, 2019

Live from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio

Heading into this show, just two days after a hellacious Fastlane pay-per-view Sunday night, here is what we know. Shane McMahon addresses to the WWE Universe his actions regarding betraying The Miz, Kofi Kingston not going down, and R-Truth earning another United States Title opportunity against Samoa Joe. An action packed night ahead of us as we get ready for SmackDown Live!

In-Ring Segment: Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon kicks things off as he heads to the ring with an uproar of boos from the Dayton audience after his actions from Fastlane against The Miz and his father with the Best in the World trophy. McMahon invites ring announcer, Greg Hamilton in the ring to announce Shane as the Best in the World. Shane then threatens Hamilton to try it again with more enthusiasm. After announcing it twice in a row, Shane then kicks out Hamilton. He then addresses that he sick and tired of being WWE’s helping hand. McMahon points out how much he does behind the scenes and states that he put an end to his babyface run at Fastlane. He claims that he is doing things for himself, making an example of The Miz in front of his father. He then calls out The Miz and makes a match for WrestleMania, where he will beat him continuously, thus leaving the ring with his head held high.
My Thoughts:
Shane McMahon as a heel feels like The New Daniel Bryan’s run currently. It feels organic to see Shane get major heat as a villain authority figure! I love this change of adding another heel in the McMahon Family as it establishes them as the real heel bosses of the WWE. The highlight of this in-ring promo was Shane’s ability to denounce the crowd as his adrenaline rush for each and every show.

Match #1: 8-Man Tag Team Match: Aleister Black, Ricochet,  The Hardy Boyz vs. The Bar and Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura
Aleister Black and Shinsuke Nakamura start things off with a battle of vicious kicks between the two athletes. Ricochet is tagged in and starts to get the ball rolling, hitting a tremendous moonsault. Matt Hardy is tagged in and, in the process, Sheamus is tagged in. It is not long where The Hardy Boyz get the crowd on their feet and hit a double team move. Cesaro is tagged in and dominates Jeff Hardy. Rusev continues the onslaught, which inspires The Bar to attack an already weakened Hardy in the corner, keep in mind, not making the tag. The Bulgarian Brute takes control of The Charismatic Enigma with a ruthless hair whip slam. After a series of tags, the heel team starts to decimate Jeff. However, Jeff finds an opening and gives Ricochet the hot tag. The comeback begins and it seems the NXT upstart is getting control but in an attempt to hit his vintage Springboard Elbow maneuver, he is stopped by Rusev who throws a mean forearm to send him to the outside. This takes us to commercial break.After a slight intermission, Ricochet sends Cesaro to the outside but quickly comes back into the ring with an assist from his Bar brethren Sheamus. Ricochet makes the hot tag to Matt Hardy. The Hardy Boyz hit a huge double team move. Chaos erupts in the ring as there is multiple strikes left and right. After all the chaos, Jeff Hardy is able to hit a twist of fate on Cesaro and a Swanton Bomb but is broken up. A brawl occurs with each and every team, which the referee calls a no contest. The New Day appear and take everyone out. This is a breaking point for the three men as they send a message to Vince McMahon for later tonight.
Result: No Contest
My Thoughts
HOLY HELL!! That match was more insane than I thought it would go originally. I mean, let’s be honest, Aleister Black and Ricochet are gifted as a tag team but they deserve to be on their own as singles stars, showcasing what NXT is all about instead of being compared to teams such as The New Day, The Bar, and (the worst one of them all) Shinsuke and Rusev. Aside from my rants about where Team Blue’s tag team division is going from here, I loved the chaos it created. Sure, the disqualification finish was kinda rubbish but it was great to see The Hardys show that they still got it in this day and age with high velocity as well as Ricochet and Aleister kicking ass as usual! Before I end this thought, I got to give kudos to The New Day for truly making an impact in this occurrence. They proved that there has to be something more relevant in this tag team division other than Aleister and Ricochet.

The Usos Exclusive
The Usos appear going downstairs to cut a promo calling out every tag team on SmackDown Live to face the Smack Down Tag Team Champions at any time on the road to WrestleMania.

In-Ring Segment: Randy Orton, AJ Styles
Randy Orton appears in the ring, stating that he has something to get off his chest. Orton then reflects his accomplishments at a young age starting in 2002 while AJ Styles was on the shelves as a nobody. He even makes a TNA reference to “suntanning with Dixie Carter”. He then ends his claim by saying that SmackDown was not the house that AJ built, but that he built from the ground up! AJ Styles appears to confront Orton and his narcotic statements. Styles responds by saying that he is flattered that Orton studied his work. Styles mockingly taunts Orton by saying that he would never make it in the independent wrestling scene. He then goes on to call out Bob Orton by giving Randy help into getting into the business. Orton states that no one has never helped him to main event 15 WrestleManias. Styles responds by saying he will not be the next victim. Orton says that in his house, he then says that “the rent is due bitch”. Styles then finishes the promo by proposing a match at this year’s WrestleMania but Orton walks away to end the segment.
My Thoughts:
I don’t know if this is just me but I loved every single thing about that dialogue from both Styles and Orton! The references to both of their respective careers was absolutely amazing. My personal favorite was the reference to Dixie Carter and TNA, a company who have struggled to make waves since 2014.

Match #2: Asuka vs. Sonya Deville
The bell rings and the two lock up. Asuka attempts an acnkle lock but Sonya Deville comes back with serious kicks to the face. However, The Empress of Tomorrow comes back and starts a series of lethal kicks. Asuka attempts a high-flying maneuver but is stopped by a huge spear by Deville. Asuka hits a knee right to the face of Sonya which sends her to the outside. On the outside, Mandy Rose pulls onto the ring apron, which catches Deville’s feet. This leads Asuka to apply the Asuka lock on Deville for the submission victory. Post-match, Mandy Rose leaves Sonya Deville high and dry.
Result: Asuka via submission
My Thoughts:
I was actually disappointed in this match as I was hoping for Sonya Deville to somehow prevail and win. Now I get that having Mandy Rose at ringside was going to cause some problems but I wanted to be proven wrong and see an unforeseen upset. This Fire and Desire faction needs to end soon so that we can see a highlight of the woman who was a true standout in the 2015 Class of Tough Enough! Maybe we might see a shift change come WrestleMania but as of now, I do not see a bright future from the woman formerly known as the Jersey Devil.

The IIconics Exclusive:
The IIconics appear as they congragulate The Boss N Hug Connection on their successful title defense at Fastlane against Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka. Nonetheless, it has come to their attention that they have not seen the first ever Women’s Tag Team Champions on SmackDown, even though they claimed that they would appear on all three brands. They end their message by stating that whenever they defend their tag team titles next, it will be ICONIC!

In-Ring Segment: Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair 
After a replay of Fastlane and Raw last night is shown, Becky Lynch appears in the ring and states that she is back on her own two feet as well as the main event of WrestleMania. Becky claims that she was the one to pick Ronda Rousey, saying that she had to earn her way into that not once but twice. She then asks the WWE Universe how hard is it to play mind games with someone who has no brain. She then states that she will make history and take the title at WrestleMania. Charlotte Flair appears and congratulates Becky on making her main event. Flair states that she has been hot for four years on the main roster. Flair says that she will make Ronda and Becky relevant again in the main event. Becky responds by saying that Flair is a plastic dope, saying that she has held the women’s division back for all these years. She ends the segment by saying that WrestleMania needs The Man.
My Thoughts:
The night keeps on rolling in hot! As a biased Becky Lynch fan, it was bittersweet to see The Man off the crutches and back at one hundred percent. Let me breeze the air and say that I know that the injury was kayfabe but it was awesome nonetheless. Seeing Charlotte out there was quite unique considering the fans hate on her for being a clingy antagonist. Despite that, I loved how the Queen established herself as the top heel in the Women’s Division. The convergence between two of WWE’s hottest commodities gave me the feel for Mania being only weeks away. I really think that this match has to be the true main event of WrestleMania considering how much great storytelling there is and the character development is tremendous!

The New Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan Impromptu Interview
The New Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan are interviewed by Kayla Braxton, asking why they were in The McMahon Family’s office. Bryan responds by announcing that he and Rowan will be in tag team action against Mustafa Ali and Kevin Owens later tonight.

Match #3: Rey Mysterio and R-Truth (with Carmella) vs. Samoa Joe and Andrade (with Zelina Vega)
Andrade and R-Truth engage in combat to start the match. Truth picks up steam. He tags in Mysterio for a cool assisted huricannrana move. Mysterio sets up Andrade for a 619 West Coast Pop but Samoa Joe invariantly tags himself in and sends Mysterio flying in the air with a slam. He sends Rey onto the outside and starts his attack for a commercial break. Coming back, we see Samoa Joe apply a crossface submission on Mysterio, which leads to Truth breaking it up. Andrade is tagged in and hits a Three Amigos maneuver but Rey responds with a Canadian Destroyer to give him an opening. While crawling for a tag, Rey is being held by Zelina, preventing him from tagging in. Carmella breaks it up. Truth is tagged in but gets stopped by Samoa Joe. Mysterio then helps him out by hitting a 619 on both Joe and Andrade. Joe attempts to stop Rey but Rey rolls him up and pins the United States Champion for the win. Post-match. Joe attacks R-Truth and Andrade with a furious series of uranages.
Result: Rey Mysterio and R-Truth via pinfall
My Thoughts
As much as I hate the gimmicky R-Truth, I loved the upset win for Rey Mysterio! Finally, we see him in potentially a United States Championship match, being his first singles title match since his return to WWE. I am so happy to witness Mysterio get to the championship picture instead of a kickoff match on the grandest stage of them all! Now, I am not saying being on the pre-show is bad but the main show is way more memorable in my opinion. Furthermore, I loved the dominance that was shown by the United States Champion, Samoa Joe! This might be the start of something special for Mania as seeing two legends go at it will definitely steal the show and you might not know it now, but will soon!

Match #4: The New Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan vs. Kevin Owens and Mustafa Ali
The New Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens start the match by locking up, which leads to Owens knocking the WWE champion down. Bryan tags (Erick) Rowan into the match and dominates. Owens then hits a beautiful enziguiri on the big man and tags in Mustafa Ali. Ali gains some offense but is caught by Rowan with a huge body splash. Rowan tags in Bryan to start to weaken the young upstart Ali. Bryan hits a huge elbow to Ali and hits a suplex on him as well to get a quick cover, but is unsuccessful. He quickly transitions into a unique abdominal stretch to take us into commercial. Returning once again, Erick Rowan throws Ali in the corner and tags in Bryan. Bryan then goes to the top rope and hits a dragon suplex on Ali. He then transitions to the labelle lock which is broken up. Bryan continues the merciless attack and continuously disrespects Ali. Ali then comes back and hits a major missile dropkick to knock the champion down. Ali and Owens hit a double superkick on Rowan to send him ringside. Bryan takes advantage. Rowan tags in secretly and hits Ali with a ruthless iron claw slam for the win.
Result: The New Daniel Bryan and Erick rowan
My Thoughts:
Let me be the intellectual savior to the people really quick! His name is ERICK ROWAN not just Rowan. Aside from that, can we appreciate how awesome it was to see that double superkick from Ali and Owens? I think the athleticism displayed by Ali and Owens proved to be unforgettable as both put the world champion to his absolute limit. In addition to that, I loved how big of a factor Rowan was in this match. His ruthless Iron Claw finisher has paid dividend as one of WWE’s most lethal finishers! I mean, did you see Ali’s head land on the floor? The New Daniel Bryan’s momentum towards WrestleMania seems unstoppable. I have the firm belief that whomever he faces on the grandest stage of them all, he will piss a lot of people off and retain the WWE Championship. I am ready to see his hot reign as heel go from here! THE PLANET’S CHAMPION!!!

In-Ring Segment: Vince McMahon, The New Day, Erick Rowan, The Bar, The New Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Samoa Joe
Vince McMahon appears in the ring and tells the world that he will give the fans what they want and that is Kofi Kingston getting an opportunity at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. A replay is shown of Fastlane’s events. He then clarifies that the handicap match between Kofi and The Bar was a teachable moment. The New Day appears in disbelief, heading towards the ring. Big E and Xavier Woods that they are here to take a stand for Kofi Kingston. Vince McMahon responds by saying that Kofi Kingston does not deserve a damn thing. Big E responds by saying Kofi Kingston is bigger than Vince’s ego. Woods explains how Kingston deserves a match for the WWE Championship. E adds on saying it is what the people want. Vince responds by saying if he was worthy of a title match, he would have gotten one a long time ago. He then says if he wants to go to the WWE Hall of Fame, he has to rid of New Day. He tells Kofi that he is a B+ player, referring to Daniel Bryan. Kofi responds by saying that his dreams have come true for eleven years, feeling blessed. He then says that he would hope that Vince would recognize him as WWE Championship material. He says that he busts his ass, missing every single moment because of his passion for this business. Finally, he asks Vince what he needs to do to earn that opportunity. Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, The Bar, and Rowan appear. Vince McMahon announces that there will be a gauntlet match to see if Kofi earns a match at WrestleMania for the WWE title.
My Thoughts:
This was the biggest plot twist I have ever witnessed! To think that Kofi Kingston put his heart and soul into a promo that really blew me away. You can really see the passion that Kofi has for this business and the love he has being here, even if he is missing life’s greatest moments. I also wanted to point out how phenomenal Vince is as being the major boss heel, bringing fans to a brutal reality of not giving a damn about what they want. In addition, he brought something to my attention that really intrigued me, which is being held back by The New Day. I think this might set up a huge thing in the storyline where we might witness a huge heel turn which leads to the end of the illustrious faction. Without a shadow of a doubt, Kofi deserves to have a one-on-one WWE Championship match but I am curious to see how this gauntlet match will play out and to see if his momentum is brought to a sudden halt heading to New York in April.

Final Thoughts
I honestly do not know what to say other than that this episode was great! It brought me the feels of WrestleMania that I have not felt this early in Mania season since the Raw episode before WrestleMania 30 with Triple H and Daniel Bryan. I know we are just a few weeks away from the granddaddy of them all but I will be bold when I say that this proved to have excitement written all over it. If there was only one downside to this show, it was the lack of showcase for Sonya Deville! I do not like that fact that Deville has to be involved in a storyline with Rose instead of showcasing her tremendous talent as a singles star. The McMahon Family (minus Stephanie) played a colossal role as heel powers. The Dayton audience really gave it to them with the heat and The McMahons rolled with it, which was perfect. Erick Rowan established himself as a real threat in the WWE rather than Harper’s tag team partner, which I am very proud of. Seeing the coordination between Mustafa and KO demonstrated how great different tag team combinations can be despite the loss in the match. At the very sum of it, there is one thing that I have to say, this episode was absolutely beautiful. The crowd was into the show and the storytelling was subpar. I cannot wait to witness next week’s show when it comes to the road to WrestleMania, being a clear cut example of what WWE is all about!