Smackdown Review 02/07/2020

Its the Wrestling Classic aka Justin Dhillon back here for this weeks review of Smackdown. The big news for this week is that Goldberg is making an appearance on Smackdown to let us know “Who’s Next?!” Also, this week there will be a fatal four way between Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Dana Brooke and Naomi. Although we’re on the road to Wrestlemania there is still the “Super Showdown” and “Elimination Chamber” events to get through. As of right now the WWE are building towards the Saudi show so lets see how we do tonight.

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Live from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. – There was an video package hyping up Goldberg announcing “Who’s Next?!” before the regular intro.

Michael Cole and Corey Graves are our announce team for the evening.

The Dirt Sheet Returns
The Miz makes his way out first but stops and waits for John Morrison to make his way out. The #1 contenders head to the ring together for the return of The Dirt Sheet segment as Greg Hamilton does the introductions. Morrison and Miz take their seats in the middle of the ring. They plug their Super ShowDown match with SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day. They then lead us to their new blockbuster – “Once Upon on The Dirt Sheet.” The video package begins with a movie-like rating of A, for Awesome. The comedy video features The Miz’s dad. WWE Producer Lance Storm and John Laurinaitis also make cameos. It ends with “Coming Soon at Super ShowDown… New Tag Team Champions!” We go back to the ring. Miz says that might have been Oscar worthy, but it’s definitely worthy of the tag team titles. Morrison says everyone was booing them weeks ago but now that they have a blockbuster movie, everyone wants to hang with the cool kids. Some fans boo them. They go on until the music interrupts and out come the champions, Kofi Kingston and Big E of The New Day. They come out with tubs of popcorn instead of pancakes. They say the trailer was amazing, it had it all. They walk down the ramp and Big E shares some of his popcorn with fans in the front row. Kofi jokes about being Miz’s favorite WWE Superstar, more liked than his own son. They go on about the trailer and Big E says it’s hilarious that Miz and Morrison think they will take the titles at Super ShowDown. Big E says that’s Richard Pryor-level comedy. The New Day is in the ring now, laughing at the #1 contenders. Miz goes on about how they have dominated The New Day over the past few weeks. They mock Big E and Kofi. The music interrupts and out comes The Usos – Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso. The Usos aren’t thrilled with Miz and Morrison saying they beat them. They welcome everyone to The Uso Penitentiary but they’re interrupted by Dolph Ziggler’s music. Miz and Morrison take advantage of the distraction and attack The New Day from behind, beating them down. The Usos rush the ring and send the #1 contenders retreating. Ziggler heads to the ring with his partner Robert Roode. We go to commercial.
My Thoughts
It was great to see the return of the dirt sheet. I missed their little parody videos such as this “Once Upon the Dirt Sheet” trailer playing off of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” I really enjoyed the appearances on Mr.Miz, Johnny Laurinaitis and Lance Storm. The Miz and Morrison are heels but I feel like if they continue doing creative stuff like this that it’s going to be really hard to boo them. The New Day’s insults and jokes we’re hitting with the San Jose crowd like I think they expected but they were still good. The Usos came out to a pop that really showcases who the most popular team on Smackdown really is. The tag division on Smackdown is stacked!

The Usos def. Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler
In a competitive tag team match, The Usos picked up the victory after Jimmy hits a big Uso Splash on Roode for the win.
My Thoughts
This was a solid tag team match. I’m beginning to think with the amount of solid tag teams on Smackdown that maybe Roode and Ziggler will split soon to focus on singles competition again. The Usos keep their momentum and hopefully this was the blow off to their feud. – The announcers hype Goldberg’s appearance some more. Who’s next? Still to come. Also, a look back at King Baron Corbin’s dog food bath last week.

– WrestleMania 36 promo. We’re 58 days away.

– Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are backstage talking about tonight’s Fatal 4 Way for a future title shot. Bliss teases that she has something “twisted” up her sleeve.

– Cole shows us last week’s main event where Roman Reigns defeated King Corbin and after the match Corbin had dog food dumped all over him by Reigns and The Usos. Following that we see King Corbin storm the production truck in the back. He’s furious over the video being shown. Corbin takes the production worker out and throws him down a set of steps, to the ground in the parking lot. WWE Producers and referees rush over to help the referee and back Corbin off. Corbin is all smiles as Adam Pearce tells him he went too far.

Elias
Elias is in the ring with his guitar now. Elias plays for a minute and asks who has his back in the match with Cesaro tonight. He then asks who wants to walk with him. Elias starts performing his latest song, called “Third Time’s a Charm” as the crowd starts clapping. Elias is quickly interrupted by the music as Cesaro comes out with Sami Zayn. Zayn speaks from the stage as the crowd boos him. Sami tells the fans to shut their mouths. Sami tells Elias it doesn’t feel good to be interrupted because Elias did the same to him last week. Elias says it’s been a miracle for the past 2 years if he doesn’t get interrupted. Sami goes on ranting at Elias and the fans, and says Elias is going to pay tonight in the ring with Cesaro, and he brought it on himself. Cesaro and Sami march to the ring as we go back to commercial.
My Thoughts
Elias has gotten better on the guitar it seems like and Sami was once again great on a mic. Of course this was to lead to a match to follow up on last weeks brawl.

Elias def. Cesaro w/ Sami Zayn
In a solid match, Elias defeated Cesaro after hitting the big flying elbow.
My Thoughts
This was a good match between two of Smackdown’s bright stars. I understand what they’re doing trying to establish Elias as a top face but I really wish it wasn’t at the expense of Cesaro. There are too many superstars and only so many who can be in important spots but I do wish Cesaro was doing something more important.

– Charlotte Flair is announced for WWE Backstage.

– We see Goldberg backstage getting mic’d up. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Cole plugs the XFL launch this weekend.

– We see Goldberg backstage again.

King Corbin Segment
King Baron Corbin comes out to the stage with a mic and he’s still pissed. Corbin says his crown makes him king and everyone needs to bow down and listen to what the king has to say. Corbin says Roman Reigns lost last week just like you’re sorry San Francisco 49ers lost to his Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Corbin goes on about how Reigns can’t do anything without The Usos. He asks when The Usos will realize they’re carrying dead weight. Corbin says if Reigns is as tough as he says he is, they would’ve fought one-on-one at the Royal Rumble instead of getting help. Corbin says then he would’ve won their Falls Count Anywhere match, then the Royal Rumble main event, and he would be the one headlining WrestleMania 36. Corbin says as our king, he demands one more match with Reigns. Corbin, speaking from the bottom of the ramp now, says he’s the king of SmackDown and this show is going nowhere until he gets Reigns in the ring. Fans continue to boo him. Corbin taunts a fan at ringside, who is wearing a Reigns t-shirt. This could be a plant. Reigns takes a drink from the guy and pours it over his head. Corbin asks for another drink from a fan to pour over this same guy but the music hits and out comes Reigns to a pop. Reigns runs down the ramp and nails a Superman Punch on Corbin. Reigns sends Corbin into the barrier and then the steel ring steps, and again. Reigns with a Drive By. Reigns brings Corbin into the ring but Corbin immediately retreats to the floor. Fans boo as Corbin scrambles through the crowd and out of the arena. Reigns takes the mic in the ring and calls Corbin back but he’s not coming. Reigns calls him a coward. Reigns says if the coward wants one more match, he can have it. Reigns tells Corbin to have “his boys” stay at home because they’re going to do it in a Steel Cage. Fans pop as Reigns drops the mic. Reigns exits the ring and greets fans at ringside, including the fan he made the save for.
My Thoughts
The feud that never ends continues as Roman will now face Corbin in a cage. To me this is a way better blow off than Corbin getting dog food poured all over him. Corbin messing with the planted fan was fun though.

Who’s Next for Goldberg
WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg joins us from his home in Texas, live via satellite. He is not backstage tonight, according to the announcers. Michael Cole welcomes him. Goldberg thanks Cole and says he’s going to get right to the point, and won’t waste our time. Goldberg watched the recent Royal Rumble event and said it was inspiring, and it gave him that itch again. Goldberg says his usual suspect WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is busy with Ricochet at the event, but what about the WWE Universal Title? Goldberg talks about his previous reign not going like he expected and it sounds like he’s about to challenge WWE Universal Champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, but we’re interrupted by a special “Breaking News” edition of Firefly Fun House. Wyatt The Newscaster gives us the news and mentions William Goldberg. Wyatt says “He” accepts, meaning The Fiend. We get a word from Mercy The Buzzard, who says it’ll be a cold day in hell before the title changes. Wyatt The Newscaster sends us back to Goldberg. Goldberg is in no mood for the jokes and games. Wyatt is about to offer some advice but Goldberg says the only thing he will be taking is the title. Goldberg has one message – The Fiend, you’re next. Goldberg walks away from the set. Wyatt gets serious and says that wasn’t very nice. He’s still got that angry look on when he says, let me in. Wyatt starts smiling again and waves goodbye to everyone, including Goldberg, as the Fun House music plays.
My Thoughts
Goldberg will be facing the Fiend at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. I don’t see this match going longer than ten minutes but definitely be a fun watch. The Fiend will get a huge win over a legend of the caliber of Goldberg and continue his reign as champion. I loved the creativity behind this weeks “Firefly Funhouse.”

– Backstage we see Daniel Bryan in deep thought. Heath Slater walks in and brings up what we just saw with The Fiend and Goldberg. Slater says he has been worried about Bryan and just came to check on him. Slater mentions the recent Strap Match at the Royal Rumble and says he would never let another man beat him like that. Slater goes on rambling and may be offending Bryan without realizing it. Bryan asks Slater what he thinks about the two of them meeting in the ring right now. Bryan walks off and Slater looks surprised. Slater stands up and gets it.

Daniel Bryan def. Heath Slater
In a one-sided beat down, Daniel Bryan defeated Heath Slater when Slater is knocked out from the beat down leading to the Labelle Lock.
My Thoughts
Daniel Bryan is clearly showing frustration after not being able to defeat The Fiend. It’s as if The Fiend had successfully changed Bryan even though Bryan tried so hard to not let The Fiend get the best of him. Bryan was aggressive and more violent here. It looks like Bryan’s character is going to head into a new direction here and I’m intrigued to see what happens.

Braun Strowman Interview
Renee Young is in the ring with a mic now. Renee brings Strowman out to the ring as fans cheer him on. Renee asks how it feels to hold the title knowing it’s finally his. Fans start chanting “you deserve it!” Strowman says he still gets chills when he thinks about it. He goes over some of his WWE accomplishments and says this is his greatest. The one thing he hasn’t been able to do as a WWE Superstar is hold a singles title over his head, until now. Braun raises the title and fans pop. The music interrupts and out comes Nakamura with Sami Zayn. Sami says he’s sorry to interrupt Braun’s little celebration but as everyone saw, Braun’s win was fraudulent. That’s why Sami and Nakamura are here to demand a rematch. Strowman mentions how no one wants to hear Sami talk all night, and says he will defend anywhere, including tonight in San Jose. Sami says this will happen… but not tonight, and no way in San Jose. Sami says they think unlike Strowman and they will be tactical about this. Sami says they do have resources. The Revival’s Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder suddenly attack Strowman from behind. Nakamura joins them as Strowman gets beat down in the corner some more. Braun fights them off and then turns his attention to Sami. Braun chases Sami around the ring, dropping The Revival on the way. Braun grabs Sami but he escapes Braun chases Sami in the ring but Nakamura drops him with a big knee. Nakamura drops Strowman again with a Kinshasa. Nakamura stands tall with Sami. They all stand together as Nakamura’s music plays while Strowman tries to recover.
My Thoughts
It really is great to see Braun with his first major singles title even though I still think he should have been the WWE Champion years ago. I knew the celebration wouldn’t last with the ultimate instigator Sami Zayn backstage. The Revival joining Nakamura and Cesaro under Zayn’s stable is a good fit for them. They’re great in this role as we previously seen them align themselves with Randy Orton and Shane McMahon in the past. I do however hope this leads them back to the tag team titles again.

Otis Preparing for his Date
We go to Heavy Machinery in the back. They show a video with Tucker helping Otis work out and eat at a dinner table without looking like a slob. Tucker says Otis has this under control. Otis seems to agree.
My Thoughts
This was funny stuff and I’m looking forward to see how the date plays out next week.

Sheamus def. Apollo
In a quick squash, Sheamus defeated Apollo with a Brogue Kick. After the match, Sheamus stands tall as his music hits. Sheamus looks to deliver another Brogue to Crews but Shorty G makes the save. They brawl in the ring. G dodges a Brogue Kick and they tangle some more. Sheamus avoids an ankle lock and comes right back with a Brogue to level G. Sheamus stands tall and yells out as his music starts back up.
My Thoughts
It sucks to see Apollo get squashed in such a way. I mean he did get some offence but not enough for us to take him seriously. They are continuing this feud between Sheamus and Shorty G but I just can’t get into it. I would have loved for Sheamus to move on to Ali or someone else.

#1 Contender for the Women’s Championship
Carmella def. Naomi, Alexa Bliss & Dana Brooke
 Bayley was at ringside for this match. In a competitive main event for the women, Carmella picked up the victory after hitting two big super kicks on Naomi.
After the match, Carmella’s music hits but Bayley immediately rushes the ring and puts Carmella down face-first into the mat, from behind. Bayley retreats to the stage as Carmella recovers.
My Thoughts
There is no word on when Carmella will actually get this title shot but at least she is the number one contender and I couldn’t be happier. I really believed they were going with Naomi since she had run-in with Bayley last week and was the only woman in the match to get a full entrance but they fooled me. Carmella was on a winning streak before being kept off TV for weeks so coming back and picking up the win like that wasn’t a shocker to me.

Final Thoughts
This Smackdown was action packed and full of storyline/character progression. The first match and main event were the only match that went multiple segments. Maybe Nakamura and Elias did too but my point is that the show flowed nicely. They got a lot of people on television and advanced many angles. I always say when an episode flies by it had to be good and tonight episode of Smackdown was good. Everything served a purpose and MY GIRL CARMELLA IS BACK IN A BIG WAY so there isn’t much to complain about.