Smackdown Review 03/20/2020

Hello! Its The Wrestling Classic Justin here back for this weeks Smackdown review. Smackdown continues to be recorded from the performance center due to the on-going pandemic. Gronk makes his debut as it was announced he would be host of Wrestlemania. Roman Reigns and Bill Goldberg sign the contract for their big Wrestlemania match for the Universal Championship. Lets see how the third empty arena went.

The TWC Show
The show goes live first on Dash Radio on Saturdays and re-airs Thursdays and Fridays on the Dash Talk X Channel. Dash Radio – https://dashradio.com/ or download the App
– Saturdays at 3PM PST/6PM EST
Thursdays at 8AM PST/11AM EST
Fridays at 12PM PST/3PM EST

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Live from the Performance Center in Orlando, FL.

– The show opened with a really well done John Cena video package

– Michael Cole was our announce team for the evening. There was no Triple H on the commentary team tonight to my dismay.

Gronk Debut
Cole talks about WrestleMania 36 airing over two nights this year with three-time NFL Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski serving as the official host. Cole sends us to a video package looking at Gronk. Cole says there will be a party at WrestleMania 36.
Mojo Rawley is also in the ring with Cole. Cole goes to introduce Gronk but Mojo snatches the mic and tries to get Cole hyped up for the introduction of his best friend. Mojo does the introduction instead and out comes the former New England Patriot tight-end, Gronk.
Gronk dances to the ring and takes the mic. He says he’s been watching WWE since he was a kid, from the nose bleeds. He watched the early days of FCW to support his friend Mojo. He’s been at sold out WrestleMania events in front of 80,000 people, and now he’s in front of 0 people tonight but he’s still hype. Gronk mentions his WrestleMania 36 hosting gig. Mojo says he’s here to watch Gronk’s back because WWE is different from the NFL when it comes to hard hitting. They get hyped up together and celebrate with Gronk delivering chops to Mojo’s chest. The music interrupts and out comes King Baron Corbin.
Corbin congratulates Gronk on making it to WWE but says he’s setting himself up for failure by aligning himself with Mojo. Corbin goes on and says he expects Gronk to get on his knees and bow to his king. Gronk isn’t having that. Corbin goes on talking down to Gronk but the music interrupts and out comes Elias with his latest song. This just annoys Corbin but he listens. This leads to Gronk shoving Corbin back as Mojo kneels down behind him. They laugh at Corbin. Elias ends up entering the ring and attacking Corbin, tossing him out of the ring. Gronk says he can’t make matches but he proposes Elias vs. Corbin at WrestleMania 36. Gronk, Mojo and Elias celebrate as Corbin looks on from the ramp. Cole says we will have to find out what WWE officials say about Elias vs. Corbin.
My Thoughts
This will of course lead to Elias and Corbin being booked to the card which is something they have been hinting for weeks. As for the Gronk stuff, it was entertaining for sure but as a Canadian who isn’t the biggest NFL fan, it doesn’t do much for me as in making me more excited for the show or lack there of.

Daniel Bryan & Drew Gulak def. Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro
Sami Zayn joins Cole on commentary for this match. In a really competitive tag team match, Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak defeated Cesaro and Nakamura when Bryan rolled up Cesaro in the ring while Gulak stopped Nakamura from coming in to break the pin.
My Thoughts
This was a really good match with four workhorses. I love the new relationship between Gulak and Bryan. I really really enjoy it. Sami was fun on commentary too.

– Cole plugs how ESPN will be airing old WrestleMania events, beginning with WrestleMania XXX this Sunday night.

– Daniel Bryan is backstage with Drew Gulak. Sami Zayn walks up and rants about how they shouldn’t be celebrating a mediocre win. He says they squeaked out a win last week, and this week. Sami asks Bryan when he’s going to come to his senses and start listening to the Intercontinental Champion, and quit listening to this nobody. Bryan fires back and challenges Sami to a title match at WrestleMania. Sami says if Gulak can defeat Shinsuke Nakamura next week on SmackDown, then Bryan will get the title shot at WrestleMania.

Sasha Banks & Bayley address Paige
Michael Cole is in the ring. He introduces Paige on the big screen. She goes to speak but the music interrupts as Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley come out. They’re not happy with Paige no-showing last week and getting time this week. They welcome her to their show and tell her to get on with what she has to say. Paige goes on and calls them bullies. They laugh at her for being forced into retirement. Paige says they’re right, her career is over and what she loved to do was taken away from her, and she wouldn’t wish that on anyone, even Sasha and Bayley. Paige goes on and says she spoke to the people at FOX and asked if she could be the one to announce Bayley’s match. Bayley says they are skipping WrestleMania and going right to the WWE Hall of Fame. Paige reveals that it will be Bayley defending against Lacey Evans, Dana Brooke, Tamina Snuka, Naomi, and Sasha in a Six-Pack Elimination Match. Banks is the last name announced. She looks over at Bayley and Bayley storms out of the ring as Paige’s music hits. Banks looks on from the ring. Bayley hugs her title and walks to the back.
My Thoughts
Sasha Banks was looking like an entire snack and dessert. DAMN! They had me almost believing that Paige was going to announce that she was going to come out of retirement to face Bayley but that wasn’t the case. Instead, Paige was pretty much given her GM duties back as she announced Bayley’s opponents for Wrestlemania. One of them being Sasha Banks who sort of smiled after hearing her name. The others announced for the match were Lacey Evans, Dana Brooke, Tamina and Naomi. I was sort of disappointed that Carmella isn’t involved and I am curious of the reasoning behind that. Of course you all know I am rooting for Sasha Banks.

– Back from the break and we get hype for the WrestleMania 36 feud between John Cena and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. Cole leads us to a replay of Cena vs. Wyatt at WrestleMania XXX. I was totally okay with them replaying this match because I haven’t watched it in years and it also gives fans a refresher on where the Wyatt and Cena feud started. After the match airs we get replays of their confrontation last week.

– The Miz and Morrison are in the ring an new addition of The Dirt Sheet as we go to break.

– Backstage, Kayla Braxton is now with a furious Cross and Bliss. Cross flips out at Asuka but a calm Bliss takes the mic and addresses Asuka. Bliss invites Asuka to SmackDown next week and challenges her to a match.

The Dirt Sheet
Miz and Morrison are in the ring. They’re missing something besides the fans – challengers for WrestleMania 36. Morrison says they already defeated everyone in the Elimination Chamber. Miz jokes that they should ask the audience who should be their WrestleMania opponents.
We hear The New Day’s familiar intro but it’s a pre-recorded shot of Miz and Morrison, dressed as Kofi Kingston and Big E. Next we see a pre-recorded shot of Miz and Morrison in the audience dressed as The Usos. Next we see the champs in the empty arena dressed as Heavy Machinery or really just strips of bacon to make ham jokes. They use editing here to make it look like the three tag teams are arguing with each other, and making the teams look bad. Miz and Morrison are ready to take the night off when the music interrupts and out comes the real Heavy Machinery.
My Thoughts
This was funny and creative. I really enjoyed it the parodies of the other teams. Its undeniable how entertaining Miz and Morrison are but the Smackdown tag division still feels like a mess. It really does feel like Heavy Machinery should be the tag champions feuding with Ziggler and Roode.

Miz and Morrison def. Heavy Machinery
In a solid tag match, Miz and Morrison defeated Heavy Machinery when Ziggler came out to the stage to taunt Otis with pictures of Mandy and him hanging out which led Otis to snap causing a DQ finish victory for Miz and Morrison. Otis unloaded on Miz and Morrison with chair shots.
My Thoughts
Once again this became more about Otis’ love triangle story with Ziggler and Mandy than it was about the tag team champions. I enjoyed it because I am invested in that angle but there were no answers to who the champions might face at Wrestlemania.

Goldberg & Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns comes out first for a WrestleMania 36 contract signing. Goldberg comes out next for the signing.
Goldberg enters the ring and places the title on the table as they stare each other down. Cole asks them to take their seats but they toss the chairs out of the ring and continue staring each other down. Cole asks Goldberg who he expected to answer his recent challenge. Goldberg actually hoped it would be Reigns, but didn’t think Reigns had the balls to challenge him. Cole asks Reigns why he accepted. Reigns says he’s been fortunate because all the greats, from John Cena to The Undertaker, have challenged him but they all fell. Reigns says Goldberg will be no different.
Cole asks Reigns about a recent shot he took at Goldberg on Twitter and his headbutt. Reigns says Goldberg is nothing but a little b—h bulldog in his yard, holding his title he never earned. Reigns signs the contract as Goldberg stares at him. Goldberg calls him a punk and says he’s been destroying steel doors all over the world with his headbutt and come WrestleMania, Reigns will be his next victim. Goldberg signs the contract and hands the folder to Cole. Goldberg picks the title up and flips the table. They both meet in the middle of the ring and stare each other down as SmackDown on FOX goes off the air.
My Thoughts
This was one of the most civilized but effective contract signings in WWE history. The most heated thing that happened were chairs being tossed out of the ring. Both men aren’t the best at promos to them saying very little but trying to stand toe to toe with each other was the right call.

Final Thoughts
This was a very good episode of Smackdown. They didn’t take the Dynamite idea of putting the hard cam towards the stage yet rather than the crowd. The matches on the show were solid and the throwback match they aired tonight made sense. Sasha Banks looked gorgeous and I’m so happy she’s back in the Women’s Championship Title race. I am looking forward to next weeks episode even though I still find the matches weird in the empty arena but the promos such as the contract signing go over really well without the audience interference. Its unique time in history that we’re living through and every one of these episodes during the pandemic are special.