Smackdown Live Review 03/19/2019

SmackDown Live Review: March 19th, 2019

Live from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana

We have an awesome night ahead of you folks from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis! This includes Kofi Kingston running a gauntlet to cement a spot at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship against The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro), Samoa Joe, Randy Orton, and Erick Rowan. Also, The Miz will respond to Shane McMahon’s promo last week as well as the boiling point between AJ Styles and Randy Orton. Plus, The Boss N Hug Connection makes an appearance on SmackDown Live!

In-Ring Segment: The Miz
The Miz kicks the night off with an appearance, heading to the ring and ready to address the WWE Universe in Indiana about his match against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania. The Indianapolis crowd is hot for this week’s episode. Miz refers to the titantron to show a replay of Shane McMahon’s promo last week. He then states that his family means the world to him, which has got him laser focus on the road to WrestleMania for ten plus years. Miz admits that his friendship with Shane was only to make his father proud. He was warned by officials backstage that McMahon was no good business. Miz states that Shane is not the Best in the World, but the Worst. Miz also exemplifies that he may own the WWE with the McMahon Family, but he sure does not own The Miz. He then goes onto say that throughout his career, he has able to persevere on his own. He then tells the WWE Universe that he is a proven success story, earning his father’s love and the fans’ respect. A huge “you deserve it” chant echoes around the arena. After acknowledging that fact, The Miz ends by saying Shane will earn an ass whopping at WrestleMania!
My Thoughts:
The Miz just defined what it means to be passionate about what you do! Just the way he presented himself in that entire promo that he is one of the absolute best on that microphone. You can tell that he really put a lot within this as he mentions his family and the hard work he has put forth for thirteen years. Honestly, it’s amazing to see Miz come full circle, especially at this point in his decorative career.  This match against Shane McMahon will be a testament for the WWE veteran. Seeing Miz display such heart in one singular promo makes me proud to be a wrestling fan because it relates to my passion for professional wrestling, going back to watching No Way Out 2004 when Eddie Guerrero won the WWE title from Brock Lesnar!

Match #1: Tag Team Match – Bayley and Sasha Banks (The Boss N Hug Connection) vs. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay (The IIconics)
The IIconics cut a promo pre-match on The Boss N Hug Connection, claiming that Sasha and Bayley have saved the best competition for last.
Billie Kay and Bayley start the match as soon as the bell rings. After a lock up, Peyton Royce is tagged in. Royce tries to take out Sasha but is unsuccessful. Bayley takes advantage and gets the upper hand. Sasha Banks is tagged in and the Boss N Hug Connection hit an assisted dropkick maneuver on Peyton. Bille Kay is tagged in to take control. However, out of nowhere, Lacey Evans appears as a distraction to everyone in the ring. Bayley does not seem to faulter as she irish-whips Kay but Royce makes the secretive tag into the bout. Peyton Royce takes the dominant hand to take us into commercial break.  Coming back, Peyton Royce locks Bayley into a rope assisted triangle. Byalyey manages to kick Royce off of her which leads to Billie Kay coming back in. Bayley manages to tag in Sasha. Banks makes the comeback and attempts a pin but Kay breaks it up. Royce attempts to hit a roll up but is unsuccessful. Billie Kay takes out Bayley on the outside and helps Peyton pin Sasha by holding her boots down for the upset victory.
Result: The IIconics via pinfall (assisted)
My Thoughts:
THE IICONICS WIN!!!! Seriously, what a great moment? I am personally excited to see how this rivalry goes from here. The IIconics are such a talented and gifted duo. I also loved the new bout between two completely different teams. This was not one team overcoming the odds due to height or size, but it was definitely the underdog team not highlighted enough overcoming the champs. What does this mean for WrestleMania? Well, I believe that we might see a special fatal four way championship match for the First Ever Women’s Titles which includes Phoenix, Natalya, the IIconics, and possibly an NXT tag team! I am excited to see how the Women’s Tag Team Division will be highlighted and showcased on the granddaddy of them all.

Backstage Interview – Kayla Braxton, Dominick, and Rey Mysterio
Kayla Braxton appears backstage to introduce Rey Mysterio. Mysterio then brings out his son Dominick to make the announcement that Rey Mysterio will face Samoa Joe at WrestleMania for the United States Championship!

In-Ring Segment: The Kevin Owens Show – Kevin Owens, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch
Kevin Owens welcomes the crowd to the new and improved Kevin Owens Show by pointing out the new and improved graphics and set up. He commends Kofi Kingston and the gauntlet later on tonight. He introduces The Man Becky Lynch to the show. Lynch appears with confidence like no other. Owens then introduces Charlotte Flair. Flair appears and showboats to the audience with arrogance and a grin on her face. Both competitors meet in the ring with KO on standby. An uproar of Becky chants emerge. Owens commends that nothing is worse than stabbing your best friend in the back. With his cue cards out, Owens continues to point out what Ronda Rousey has said about both women. Owens makes the point that nobody wants to see them talk and refers to Fight Becky Fight, Fight Charlotte Fight. Both women have a standoff. Charlotte makes the statement that she will beat the holy hell out of her. Becky responds by slapping the taste out of her mouth, which leads to a brawl. Owens retreats. WWE referees come in to attempt to break up the two main eventers up. In the process, Charlotte Flair slaps a security guard. The brawl is broken up to end the segment.
My Thoughts:
First thing is first, can we all just commemorate the professionalism of Kevin Owens? I mean, I absolutely love the new look for the award-winning talk show! Owens is the true representation of what entertainment is all about. Great hosting, great chemistry with the fans, and great way to add fuel to the intense rivalry with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch! Now going into the heated exchange between Flair and Lynch – that gave me the feels of a true WrestleMania main event. How can you deny that this was the perfect segment? As a bias fan of Owens, I agreed that the action talked louder than the exchange of words. The brawl may not have been something new but the intensity drew me in!

Backstage Interview: AJ Styles and Kayla Braxton
Kayla Braxton interviews AJ Styles and confirms that their match at WrestleMania is official. Styles states that Randy Orton has many advantages but he will tear the house down come April 7^th. He even commends Kofi Kingston and his gauntlet match later in the night.

In-Ring Segment: The New Daniel Bryan, Erick Rowan
Before the impacted gauntlet match, The New Daniel Bryan is in the ring, claiming that Kofi Kingston being in this gauntlet is injustice. Bryan continues to go on by relating of being the underdog. He goes on by saying that he has been a hand-chosen asset that did not earn anything. Even after Elimination Chamber, he states that Kofi is just a B+ player, stating is not good enough. A huge Kofi chant emerges from the rafters. Bryan shuts down the chants by saying that he is unworthy of facing him. The New day interrupts the rant and Kofi appears to start the gauntlet.

Match #2: Kofi Kingston vs. The Bar, Erick Rowan, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton (The New Daniel Bryan added last minute)- Gauntlet Match
The match begins with Kofi Kingston taking on Sheamus, one half of the Bar. The two athletes lock up, but you have to realize that Kingston is not backing down. A shot of Xavier Woods and Big E backstage in support. Sheamus then gets Kofi into a headlock to gain momentum. Kingston manages to get an arm wrench in but The Celtic Warrior reverses. Kofi answers back with an arm lock. Kofi manages to throe Sheamus over the top rope and hits a springboard plancha to show the momentum. However, as soon as he enters back into the ring, Sheamus meets him in the middle and stops him with a huge knee. Sheamus then hits the ten beats of Bodhran. Kofi, with every ounce in his body, tries to fight back. After an assist from Cesaro at ringside, Sheamus gains the upperhand. He hits a humungous clothesline on an already weakened Kofi Kingston to take us into commercial. Coming back, Kofi Kingston throws vicious chops to the Celtic Warrior and hits a huge boom drop. He points at the WrestleMania sign. He attempts a Trouble in Paradise but is reversed into an attempted submission maneuver. Sheamus then hits an Irish Curse backbreaker. He then locks into a second attempted Clover Leaf. Kofi reverses it into a pinfall rollup but is only good for two. Sheamus then hits a huge knee strike that knocks the wind out of Kofi. Sheamus sets up for the Brogue Kick but Kofi hits the Trouble in Paradise to gain the first victory.
Cesaro, coming in fresh, hits Kofi with a fury of uppercuts into the corner turnbuckle. The transitioning is amazing as Cesaro locks in a vicious ankle stretch. Kingston attempts to comeback and tries to hit him with a springboard crossbody. Nonetheless, it is the Swiss Cyborg who catches him mid-air and hits a gutwrench suplex to take us into commercial number two!  Coming back, Cesaro applies an abdominal stretch to Kofi and hits a Cesaro Swing. He then goes back to a Cloverleaf submission, trying to break The New Day member. Amazingly, Cesaro transitions into a spectacular suplex. The Swiss Superman goes for the Liontamer and then a Neutralizer. Kofi Kingston then hits a S.O.S to put away Cesaro!
Rowan appears with a devious moniker, heading into the ring. He knocks down Kingston and starts the rampage on the already weakened Kingston. He throws him into the outside and hits a humungous crossbody on Kofi. He then throws Kofi into the barricade. Rowan then hits Kofi with a steel chair to get himself disqualified. Although he has lost, Rowan does not care as he applies a bear hug and throws Kofi into the timekeeper area. Rowan hits Kofi with an Iron Claw Chokeslam through the announce table.
Samoa Joe is next into the gauntlet and witnesses an already beaten up Kofi Kingston at ringside to take us into commercial break number three. Joe applies a headlock and starts to hammer down on Kingston with his vintage strikes to the corner. He then teases Kofi by making him look at the WrestleMania sign in arrogance. However, Kofi comes back but only for a short minute as Joe hits an enziguri in the corner for an unsuccessful pinfall. Joe then hits a huge clothesline for yet another unsuccessful pinfall. He applies the cobra clutch submission to weaken him. Kofi fights out of it and counters a Coquina Clutch attempt. Joe hits an uranage and applies another head crank headlock. Kofi somehow finds the will to hang on and reverses a muscle buster for the 1-2-3 upset. Post-match – Samoa Joe chokes out Kingston in the coquina clutch and leaves him laying out cold.
An arrogant Randy Orton makes his entrance and, as the last man in the gauntlet, is ready to end the match in his favor. After the intermission, Randy Orton is on the outside torturing Kofi Kingston next to the barricade. Kingston then finds the will to throw Orton into the steel steps for a breather. Orton comes back and starts to work on Kofi with strong strikes and kicks. The Viper applies a headlock on Kofi while a roar of Kofi chants come out. Kofi comes back and takes him down. Orton reverses a dropkick and starts to hammer Kingston with brutal foot stomps. He inflicts more punishment by hitting vintage turnbuckle strikes. Then, out of nowhere, hits a Trouble in Paradise which sends Orton rolling onto ringside for another commercial break. Coming back after fifty plus minutes of this gauntlet, both Orton and Kofi fight on top of the turnbuckle. Kofi hits a crossbody but Orton reverses it into a unsuccessful pinfall.  Orton then sets up for the RKO, stalking Kofi who is struggling to stand. Kofi upsets Orton by rolling him up for the three count victory! The New Day appear to celebrate to commemorate an outstanding performance, accomplishing the impossible! Vince McMahon appears afterwards to congratulate Kofi. He announces that there is one more competitor in the gauntlet. The New Daniel Bryan appears to be the official final challenger.
The match begins and starts hammering Kofi with multiple Yes Kicks. Kofi attempts to comeback but Bryan puts a stop to this.  Bryan puts Kofi into a tree of woe and kicks him yet again. Bryan hits a belly to back superplex. The WWE champion locks in a labelle lock which Kofi puts his bottom foot onto the rope. After that, Bryan gets heated and starts to hit Kingston with a fury of kicks, which is reversed into a botched SOS, which is only good for a two count. Bryan hits multiple dropkicks to the corner and yet again, Kofi tries to roll the champion up. Bryan then viciously stomps on the weakened Kingston. He then mocks the WWE Universe with Yes Chants and hits him with a Knee Strike to end the match. This puts a fatal end to Kofi Kingston’s dream to going to WrestleMania.
Result: Kofi Kingston pins Sheamus
Kofi Kingston pins Cesaro
 Kofi Kingston wins via disqualification over Erick Rowan
Kofi Kingston pins Samoa Joe
             Kofi Kingston pins Randy Orton
The New Daniel Bryan pins Kofi Kingston
My Thoughts:
I have seen a lot of gauntlet matches recently, one featuring Seth Rollins’s phenomenal work rate and the other featuring Kofi himself, proving to the world why he is truly a living legend. However, this gauntlet match was quite different than both of those combined. This was something special! This was not only special competition wise but storytelling wise. For example, the story that Kofi told as notably, the underdog with the odds stacked against him, fighting for what he loves and deserves, a shot at the WWE Championship at WrestleMania! The way that Kofi eliminated each opponent, other than Rowan who disqualified himself, was incredible! The man was put through an announce table and choked out, yet he still found the power to fight for what he wanted and prevailed. I will be honest, although he did not get the win for a chance at the world title, he did win the respect of the entire world, myself included! Kudos to Kingston for always putting on a show. But do not fear, this does not mean Kofi is out of WrestleMania. I really believe that we will see him in the WWE championship picture at WrestleMania SOONER RATHER THAN LATER!

Final Thoughts
Starting these final thoughts off, I already know that there is going to be controversy, especially with the result of the main event! With that said, I will just come out and say it, I loved every single thing about tonight’s show. In fact, I will even go out to say that that was the most phenomenal episode in a hell of a long time! Everything from the IIconics upsetting the first ever Women’s Tag Team Champions to the incredible return of the Kevin Owens Show as well as the heated exchange between Becky Lynch, who has established herself as a true hero to the WWE Universe, and Charlotte Flair, who has played off as a tremendous heel. Everything was conducted perfectly! True, we had the absence of our SmackDown Women’s Division with no sign of Asuka nor anyone who wants to be in contention for that prestigious championship. Aside from that, I really think having the Women’s Tag Team Division showcased on the blue brand was a great makeup for that. Plus, having The IIconics earn the upset was tremendous. Another thing I would love to point out is something I believe a lot of fans watching tonight must have slept on during this episode, which I am referring to the promo that was made by The New Daniel Bryan before the gauntlet had started! I mean just the amazing character development of Bryan into this corporate bad guy, even referring to Kofi as a B+ player, a term that was commonly used by Triple H over four years ago. Switching over to The Miz, what a hell of a promo. That is what you call passion ladies and gentlemen! Seriously, The Miz is a great example of what being passionate for the love of professional wrestling is all about. Finally talking about the main event gauntlet match, no other words but just WOW!! Kofi Kingston just proved to the world that in victory and defeat, he is truly one of the greatest of all time. I can say without a doubt that this was what heart is. I mean, look at the way he eliminated all five competitors, which were all by amazing roll ups, followed by one DQ! He was beaten to a pulp and still manage to go through it all. The storytelling by Mr. McMahon was amazing as the sudden addition of Bryan made #KofiMania even more possible than ever! It is episodes like these that make me truly humbled to be doing this. Whether the shows rock or suck, making these detailed analytical views brings back the love I have for this business! Who knows what the future episodes hold, however, I know deeply in my heart, that Smack Down Live is the land of opportunity – not just for the competitors but for the fans to come together and be excited for the biggest event of the year, WrestleMania 35! I am excited to see what comes next following all these great weeks of television entertainment. Can WWE step up from an incredible night tonight? I believe I can speak from every single fan, WWE and non, that the fire will keep on burning and the ball will keep on rolling! My final message to all of you is this, whether a show is awesome or not, always take time to sit back and enjoy! Do not waste your time towards complaining about how allegedly corrupt the booking and conduct is. When we are blessed with greatly constructed episodes such as tonight, be happy and adore the entertainment! The reason why we are fans of this business is because we all share the passion of watching a masterpiece, which is known as professional wrestling, that brings us together. Enjoy your Tuesday night boys and girls! See you, next week.