Roman Reigns, as well as Elias, are officially on SmackDown Live.
Vince McMahon closed SmackDown tonight by presenting one of the biggest acquisitions in the show’s history, which was pushed throughout the night. He introduced Elias, who talked about how his performances were interrupted at WrestleMania and Raw in the last couple of weeks.
He was set to perform again when Roman Reigns’ music hit. He came to the ring and speared Elias, laying him out. McMahon confronted Reigns, but ended up taking a Superman punch as a result, with Elias grabbing McMahon before he fell to the floor. Reigns then posed to close out the show.
Reigns has been a part of the Raw roster since the return of the brand split in 2016. Elias has also been with the Raw brand since he was called up from NXT in 2017.
Others who joined the SmackDown roster tonight include Finn Balor, Ember Moon, Bayley, Kairi Sane, Lars Sullivan and Buddy Murphy.
Date: November 21, 2017 Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX
The Big Takeaway —
Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan debuted as a stable. They laid out Naomi and Becky Lynch backstage before attacking Charlotte Flair and Natalya during their title rematch. This was very obviously a copy of what happened on Raw, so much so that it almost has to be a storyline. Or maybe it isn’t. The positive is they did look strong. Also, when asked about what happened, Daniel Bryan sort of brushed it off and said, “no comment.”
Speaking of Bryan, there was a show-long storyline involving him, Shane McMahon, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Shane was about to fire Zayn and Owens, but Bryan put them in lumberjack match instead. Shane thought this would lead to their firing after the match, but it didn’t. Bryan instead put Owens in a match against Randy Orton next week, so this story will continue.
They are also building to AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal for the WWE title at Clash of Champions.
Show Recap —
The show opened with a recap of SmackDown losing the 5-on-5 men’s match against Raw at Survivor Series. Byron Saxton said SmackDown was well on their way to winning the match before Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn interfered, which doesn’t seem true.
Shane McMahon came out to kick things off and got a good reaction as usual. Shane said they came so close at Survivor Series and SmackDown proved that they, even in defeat, will no longer be considered anything but the show in WWE. He almost choked up when saying this, and added that he was proud of the entire roster.
Shane said they all bleed blue and would do anything for the fans. That is, of course, except for Owens and Zayn, who he called out. They came out and Zayn was even more full of energy than usual, to the point where Owens had to motion to him to settle down.
Zayn wondered what excuse Shane would come up with or if he would finally admit that he was wrong. Owens said it was a mistake to leave them off the team because they can beat anyone, including the Shield, the entire Raw team, and even Brock Lesnar. Owens wanted an apology.
Shane told Owens to shut up. He said they don’t have respect for anyone on the roster, for Shane, or for the fans. Zayn agreed with him on every point. Shane had two words for them, but Owens interrupted. He said Shane couldn’t fire them because they were too valuable, and every person in the back and in the industry respected them.
Zayn called them future Hall of Famers and Owens called them the top two superstars in WWE. Shane told them the roster didn’t respect them and called them megalomaniacs. Shane was actually about to fire them, but Daniel Bryan interrupted.
Owens and Zayn called Bryan a voice of reason and Zayn sucked up to him, so Bryan told him to shut up. Bryan said he had to send Randy Orton home because he threatened both men. He said the New Day were furious too and put them in a match against them. Zayn didn’t like that idea, so Bryan told him to shut up again. Bryan announced that their match was a lumberjack match. Bryan’s music played and he led a Yes chant. Shane seemed displeased.
Charlotte vs. Natalya for the women’s title was announced for tonight. AJ Styles will address Jinder Mahal’s challenge as well.
Shelton Benjamin (w/Chad Gable) defeated Jey Uso (w/Jimmy Uso) (7:08)
Saxton said Benjamin and Charlie Haas mentored the Usos when they first arrived in WWE years ago. Jey was about to hit a dive but Gable jumped on the apron to block it. Jimmy Uso yanked him down but Gable then sent him into the barricade. The distraction allowed Benjamin to use a schoolboy for a two count.
Jey followed with a superkick which seemed like it would be the finish, but Benjamin kicked out. Jey superkicked Gable off the apron and the delay allowed Benjamin to dodge a diving splash and hit Paydirt (reverse STO) for the win. This was Benjamin’s first singles match in WWE since 2010 when he lost to… Kane.
Owens and Zayn approached Baron Corbin backstage and wondered if he was on their side. He said he didn’t like them and told them to find someone more weak-minded. They kept walking and approached Bobby Roode (wearing his robe). They asked if he would be on their side and he called them crazy. He was in the match they interfered in and was looking forward to being a lumberjack tonight. He told them he owed them both a receipt.
Naomi spoke with the makeup lady backstage and said she was bummed they lost on Sunday, but was happy to see Charlotte beat Alexa Bliss, and figured she would beat Natalya tonight.
Ruby Riot showed up and introduced her to Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. Naomi stood up to defend herself but they attacked her and laid her out. Becky Lynch tried to make the save, but they laid her out too. Lynch sold this like she was badly hurt. It’s good to see new faces, but did they really have to do the same angle on both shows?
There was a sponsored segment where they showed clips from Ric Flair’s retirement segment in March 2008.
Bludgeon Brothers defeated The Hype Bros (1:25)
When the match started, Luke Harper took out Zack Ryder outside the ring by launching him into the steel steps, which the referee allowed for some reason. He also allowed Harper and Rowan to hit a few double-team moves on Mojo Rawley, including a double chokeslam for the win. It wasn’t that loud, but people were cheering for the Bludgeon Brothers by the end.
Natalya congratulated Charlotte for beating her last week, which she called an almost impossible task. She mocked the “hot mess” Ric Flair for blubbering like a baby. She said her cat could beat Alexa Bliss and would give Ric something to cry about tonight.
There was a segment a little earlier where Shane told Bryan he liked his idea for Owens and Zayn, because the New Day and the rest of the roster could get their hands on them before Bryan fires them. Shane decided he would rather go back to his hotel room and watch, so he grabbed his bag and left. Bryan said nothing.
AJ Styles promo
Styles received a great reaction. They aired Paul Heyman’s interview putting over Styles and the crowd cheered. They continued cheering Styles for a while before he spoke. Styles wished he could be here celebrating after slaying the beast, but it didn’t go down that way. He appreciated the kind words, but you don’t get a prize for coming in second place.
Styles did say that Brock Lesnar was the one who limped to the back and was willing to have a rematch. He reminded Lesnar that in Rocky II, Rocky wins (spoiler alert). Styles moved on to Jinder Mahal.
Styles heard Mahal wants to take his title, so he took off his vest and called out Mahal for a match right now. Mahal’s big face showed up on the screen (with the flag of India behind him). Mahal said he was too busy watching Styles’ match against Lesnar on repeat.
Mahal claimed Styles took advantage of him in the middle of a European tour, and if he fought Lesnar, he would be standing there as the beastmaster. Styles asked him if he knew how stupid that sounded. He said Mahal should be well-rested because he did nothing at Survivor Series.
Mahal said he brought prestige to the championship and wasn’t going to fight in a place like Texas. Mahal wanted his rematch at Clash of Champions. He laughed as the Singh brothers attacked Styles from behind. Styles fought them off and gave one of them a Styles Clash. Styles came off well here. Mahal, on the other hand, was terrible.
Zayn and Owens approached Rusev and Aiden English backstage. English was singing a new rendition of “Rusev Day.” Zayn said Thanksgiving was coming up, but as French Canadians, they didn’t believe in that crap and would rather celebrate Rusev Day.
Owens said Shane and Bryan didn’t know how to utilize their best talent and reminded Rusev that his qualifying match with Styles was cancelled, while John Cena was just allowed in the match. Zayn and Owens left as Rusev and English seemed to consider their words.
WWE Women’s Championship match: Charlotte Flair NC Natalya (6:48)
During the entrances, Tom Phillips read a promo for WrestleMania tickets, but the graphics on screen were for Clash of Champions. Moments later, they showed the Clash of Champions graphic again and Phillips and Saxton read the proper promo this time.
After a break, Charlotte hit punches in the corner, but Natalya grabbed her and nailed a sitout powerbomb for two. She followed with a Sharpshooter but Charlotte got a rope break. Charlotte fought back with a backbreaker and went for a moonsault, but Natalya got her knees up (barely).
Charlotte hit a spear and Natalya fell to the outside. Riot, Morgan and Logan ran down through the crowd and attacked Natalya. The referee called for the bell. (So this was a DQ or no contest.) People chanted “NXT.”
The three heels then jumped into the ring and attacked Charlotte. They each hit a move and stood tall. Again, this was way too much like the Raw angle, but the crowd was into it. The announcers are acknowledging the similarities to what happened on Raw.
Dasha Fuentes asked Daniel Bryan about what happened during the women’s title match. He responded, “Well, it’s an interesting situation. No comment.” Owens and Zayn interrupted. Zayn said firing them would be his biggest mistake. Bryan wished them luck.
Styles will face the Singh brothers in a handicap match next week. A Saw-themed Fashion Files is scheduled, too.
Lumberjack Match: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defeated Big E & Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods) (11:49)
It seems like ring announcer Greg Hamilton is no longer pausing for the crowd to chant along with “one fall.” Shinsuke Nakamura is among the lumberjacks. Woods is (sort of) dressed as a lumberjack.
Kingston was sent to the outside a couple of times, but the lumberjacks didn’t touch him. Zayn went out after him and the lumberjacks immediately jumped him, which got a laugh from the crowd. Zayn tried to escape but they picked him up and tossed him back in the ring.
Zayn and Owens got the heat on Kingston after a break. Owens tried a senton but Kingston got his knees up and made the hot tag to Big E, who suplexed Zayn around the ring. Zayn slipped out of a Big Ending but Kingston tagged in and hit a diving crossbody. Owens broke up the cover, then he and Big E took each other out with clotheslines.
A brawl broke out between the lumberjacks after Corbin accidentally clubbed Roode. The lumberjacks fought up the ramp, which mostly left ringside clear. Woods knocked Mike Kanellis out of the ring, and Owens knocked Woods off the apron. Kingston was distracted so Zayn used a schoolboy for the win.
Rusev and English attacked Big E afterwards, then Kingston took them out with a dive off the top. Owens ran away though the crowd but when Zayn tried to do the same, Woods caught him and dragged him into the ring. Kingston hit him with a Trouble in Paradise. Big E and Woods finished him off with a Midnight Hour. The New Day’s music played and they danced.
They cut backstage to Owens who stormed through the back. He ran into Bryan and pleaded with him. Bryan wondered if he was even concerned about Zayn. Owens mentioned how long he and Bryan have known each other and begged him not to fire them, even getting on his knees. Bryan told him not to beg, he was never going to fire them. He put Owens in a match with Randy Orton next week instead. Owens tried to get out of this, but Bryan made it clear that was a bad idea, so Owens agreed and thanked him.
The Miz and Maryse presented the final parts of their “Total Bellas” footage on SmackDown last night, which led to John Cena cutting a promo on them ahead of their mixed tag team match at WrestleMania.
Also on the show, Naomi returned and was added to the SmackDown Women’s Championship match on Sunday, AJ Styles and Shane McMahon signed the contract to make things official for WrestleMania, and Randy Orton sent one final message to Bray Wyatt.
Date: March 28, 2017 Location: Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA
The Big Takeaway —
John Cena cut another memorable promo at the expense of Miz and Maryse on an otherwise dull SmackDown show.
The Women’s title match was announced as a 6-pack challenge featuring Alexa Bliss defending against Becky Lynch, Carmella, Mickie James, Natalya, and Naomi, who returned tonight.
Bray Wyatt defeated Luke Harper in their first ever TV match. Dean Ambrose and Baron Corbin were not on the show.
Show Recap —
Mauro Ranallo is not on commentary. There was no explanation this week.
AJ Styles-Shane McMahon Contract Signing
Daniel Bryan came out to a huge reaction. Bryan asked if the crowd was ready for WrestleMania and they chanted “Yes.” He introduced Shane McMahon who received a mixed reaction. He still has a bruised eye. AJ Styles was introduced next. He has a new black and red t-shirt with the word “Untouchable” on it. Crowd chanted for Styles.
Shane said when SmackDown Live started nine months ago, they had a vision and Styles was always part of this vision. One guy in the crowd yelled “Your sister’s hot!” and people laughed. Shane called Styles one of the best performers to ever step in the ring and the crowd cheered. Styles agreed. “Yeah, I’m pretty phenomenal!”
Shane talked about Styles’ growing fan support and winning the WWE championship. However, Styles became arrogant which cost him the title against John Cena and the match with Randy Orton. Shane said he always gave his opponents more than they expected and warned Styles if he didn’t give his A-game, it would be Shane’s hand raised at WrestleMania. Shane signed the contract, the crowd chanted for Styles.
Styles was about to sign but first asked Shane if he knew they were in just in a regular match. Shane can’t be outside the ring for more than 10 seconds and he can’t use a table. Styles questioned if Shane has even been in a match like that, and said the ring belonged to him. Styles called himself untouchable and said he would embarrass Shane.
Styles recalled Shane being in the ring with Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock and Undertaker. (Austin’s name got the loudest reaction.) Styles called himself the greatest all-around performer in history and Shane would find out for himself on Sunday. Styles signed the contract. They got face to face before Bryan got in the middle and told them to shake hands. Shane offered his hand but Styles left the ring.
There will be more clips from Total Bellas on MizTV tonight.
Becky Lynch NC Carmella (w/James Ellsworth)
Alexa Bliss and Mickie James joined commentary, sitting on opposite ends of the table. Phillips said they still don’t know the details of the Women’s title match at Mania. That seems terribly unfair to Bliss. Carmella gave Ellsworth her gum and he stored it in his mouth.
Bliss called Mickie irrelevant and Mickie called herself one of the all-time greats. They got into a fight which spilled into the ring. Mickie smacked Carmella and the referee called for the bell. Mickie and Lynch were left standing as they cut to commercial.
As the match plodding along, Natalya’s music hit and she walked down toward the ring for some reason. Another commercial. After a break, Natalya was on commentary. Mickie made the hot tag to Lynch who ran wild on Carmella hitting a dropkick and Exploder. Natalya called Lynch a cheap knockoff of Pippi Longstocking and jumped off commentary to get involved. Lynch was able to get rid of her, but Ellsworth grabbed Lynch by the leg allowing Carmella to roll her up for the win.
Everyone brawled after the match until Naomi returned to take everyone out. Naomi announced that she was back and entering the Women’s title match in her hometown. She began saying everyone would “feel the glow” but the crowd actually finished it for her.
Backstage, Breezy Bella asked Bryan to enter the Women’s match at Mania. He said no. Breeze took off his wig and Bryan feigned surprise to learn it wasn’t Nikki Bella. Fandango entered and Bryan asked if they wanted to be in the Andre the Giant battle royal. They were happy with that. Bryan put them in a 10-man tag match tonight, then jumped up and down in excitement with Breeze until Fandango pulled his partner away to get ready.
MizTV
They aired a new clip from Total Bellas Bull****. Miz, playing John Cena, sat at the dinner table wearing a Cena baseball cap and t-shirt with an oversized suit jacket. Maryse, playing Nikki Bella, wore a nice dress and baseball cap. “Cena” invited Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella to the table. Miz played Bryan. He had a fake beard and “walked” to the ring on his knees (as if they were his feet) and Maryse played Brie again. “Brie” was again confused which Bella she was until she realized she had a wedding ring.
“Cena” offered them steak but “Bryan” complained because he’s a vegan and it would hurt his tummy. As “Cena” listed the rules of the table, “Nikki” asked Cena to marry him. To be continued. They cut back to the ring and the crowd applauded their performances. Commercial break.
Back from break, “Cena” declined Nikki’s proposal because it would go against his brand of hustling the fans. “Cena” called himself a fake and you can’t see him because there’s nothing worth seeing.
Miz and Maryse took off their disguises and had a message for Cena and Nikki. Miz said Mania would be the curtain call for Cena and Nikki. Miz said Cena would just be a big dumb animal walking the streets, and Maryse hoped Nikki enjoyed the Kid’s Choice Awards because it’s as close to having kids with Cena as she was going to get. Back to the ring, Miz and Maryse soaked in the applause.
Cena and Nikki interrupted and were all smiles. Cena said he thought it was all very funny, but then just kind of mocked the whole thing. He called it one of the few good things Miz has done here. Cena said the parody didn’t bother them, but Miz and Maryse did. Then he got serious.
Cena noted that Maryse is here right now despite her claim that Nikki didn’t want her there. Cena told Maryse she wasn’t brought back before because she did nothing the first time. Cena admitted he was leaving to do a movie, but then he’d be back. He noted all the guys who have done this, including Triple H, Dean Ambrose, Sheamus and Miz himself. In fact, Miz only makes cheap knockoffs of Cena’s movies.
Cena still couldn’t figure out why Maryse even there and talked about the women’s revolution and her lack of involvement. He asked why they poked fun at them for not having kids when Miz and Maryse don’t either and wondered if Miz was firing blanks.
Cena warned Miz that he would crush him on Sunday. Cena said Miz can mock all of his rules, but in 10 years in WWE, Miz hasn’t learned the one rule that matters, which was to back up your talk. He called Miz a puss (or pussy – it was bleeped). He dared Miz to throw a bunch and warned Maryse that Nikki would knock the botox out of her cheeks.
Cena and Nikki waited for Miz and Maryse to take their shot but they left. Miz had a change of heart and ran back down to fight, but Maryse stopped him and they walked away. Nikki called them “fake-ass, see-through haters,” and would get their asses kicked at Mania. Cena and Nikki kissed.
10-Man Tag Match: American Alpha, Mojo Rawley, Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated The Usos, Breezango & Dolph Ziggler
The heels worked over Gable and there was a moderate “We want Mojo” chant. Rawley got the hot tag and ran wild on Breeze. He had the match won but an Uso broke up the cover. This led to a bunch of guys getting tossed over the top rope. Rhyno gored the hell out of Ziggler to a big pop. Rawley picked up the pinfall win after a running punch on Breeze.
Luke Harper promo. He said Bray threw him out like a piece of trash, but Harper sees the truth – he doesn’t need Bray Wyatt. Harper said he was free and told Bray to run.
The announcers ran down the WrestleMania 33 card. You know the show is going to be long when just reading the card takes 4 minutes. The SmackDown Women’s title match was now a 6-pack challenge with Bliss, Carmella, Lynch, James, Natalya and Naomi. The Raw tag title match was officially announced as a ladder match.
Non-title: WWE Champion Bray Wyatt defeated Luke Harper
As he as in recent house shows, Harper wore dark blue pants, a black tank top and his hair is tied back. Wyatt used a superplex, uranage and senton. Harper tried a Sister Abigail but Wyatt slipped outside. Harper followed with two suicide dives, a slingshot senton and big boot for a two count. Harper hit a discus clothesline for another two count.
Wyatt got to his knees and stared at up at Harper. Harper hesitated before going for another discus clothesline, but Wyatt caught him with Sister Abigail for the win. Match was 8 minutes and wasn’t much.
Wyatt got on his knees and posed with the title. Randy Orton appeared on the screen, back at Abigail’s gravesite. He drove the cross we saw last week into the dirt and said he would win the title. This was real dumb.
Final Thoughts —
Cena’s promo was great. The rest was not. Enjoy WrestleMania.
Date: March 21, 2017 Location: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT
The Big Takeaway —
Shane McMahon laid out AJ Styles with a diving elbow drop through the announce table. Styles is still officially a member of the SmackDown roster and the match with Shane is official for WrestleMania.
The Usos are the new Tag Team champions after defeating American Alpha in a very entertaining match. The other highlight of tonight’s show was a couple of entertaining segments from “Total Bellas” featuring The Miz playing the role of John Cena and Maryse playing the roles of Nikki and Brie Bella.
Dean Ambrose returned after a rare week off and accepted Baron Corbin’s IC title challenge at WrestleMania.
Mauro Ranallo was not on the show.
Show Recap —
They aired a recap of the Styles/McMahon angle from last week.
Daniel Bryan was backstage telling a stagehand that he doesn’t want any timing issues. AJ Styles jumped in filled with glee, wearing a WrestleMania visor and t-shirt. Bryan said he didn’t agree with Shane’s decision, but warned Styles that he didn’t know what he was in for at WrestleMania. Styles said he would go to the ring to let the world know how good it felt to beat up Shane. (Bryan said Shane was on his way to the show.)
Tom Phillips, JBL and David Otunga are on commentary. Phillips said Mauro Ranallo is out sick this week.
AJ Styles promo
Styles acted like he might apologize but said he wasn’t sorry for anything he did last week. He happily recalled punching Shane and seeing the welt form on his face. Styles called him crazy and laughed at the idea that Shane would challenge him to a match. Styles accepted the match, explaining that he just wanted to part of WrestleMania.
He said the bigger question was why Shane would want to face Styles. Styles explained that without him, SmackDown would fall and social media would crash, the same way Shane crashed through a car window. Styles called himself untouchable and again celebrated that he was going to WrestleMania. Styles said he would meet Shane again in the parking lot and what he does to him tonight would be phenomenally worse.
They advertised never before seen footage of Total Bellas featuring Nikki Bella and John Cena.
Backstage, Bryan was on the phone with Shane and warned him about Styles. Bryan chuckled at whatever Shane said in response. Baron Corbin entered looking for Dean Ambrose. Corbin wanted an answer for his IC title challenge at Mania. Bryan said he hasn’t heard from Ambrose all week. Corbin figured he had the night off and wanted to play blackjack, but Bryan put him in a match with Randy Orton instead (for the first time ever).
Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots was shown at ringside.
JBL sent best wishes to Jim Ross from himself and everyone at WWE. “We love you, J.R.”
The Usos defeated American Alpha to become Tag Team Champions
Otunga mentioned Jason Jordan getting married a few days ago. The Usos got the heat on Chad Gable. He almost made the hot tag but an Uso pulled Jordan off the apron. Gable was clotheslined outside the ring and barely made it back in before the 10-count. Usos didn’t go after him for some reason.
Jordan eventually did get the hot tag and ran wild, hitting an Angle Slam for a nearfall. An Uso got a nearfall on Gable on a rollup. An Uso superkicked Gable and hit a diving splash for a very close nearfall. Crowd thought this was a title change. American Alpha also got a close nearfall on a Steinerizer off the top, but Jordan was yanked out of the ring.
A brawl outside the ring resulted in Gable being sent into the crowd. Jimmy Uso crotched Jordan on the ropes with the referee distracted and Jey Uso hit a superkick for the win. Crowd got really into it and popped for the title change. Good match that went about 14 minutes.
John Cena will face his broadcast partner Fandango tonight. The unseen Total Bellas footage is up next, courtesy Miz and Maryse.
“Total Bellas” Footage
Oh boy. They aired footage from “John Cena’s house” with Maryse playing the roles of Nikki and Brie Bella, and Miz playing John Cena. “Nikki” went on about how perfect she was and “Brie” yelled “Brie mode.” “Cena” showed up and told “Nikki” she was breaking the rules of the house by having her feet on the patio table. “Cena” then popped the question by popping a balloon with the word “Question” on it. “Nikki” was sad. This was something else.
Randy Orton defeated Baron Corbin
Besides this year’s Royal Rumble match, this is the first time these two have been in a match of any kind together. Corbin had control for a bit until Orton hit a powerslam and full nelson slam. Orton then hit a draping DDT while blowing a kiss to the WrestleMania sign.
Orton went for an RKO but Corbin countered with a Deep Six for a two count. Corbin tried to shoulder tackle Orton into the steel steps but Orton slipped back in the ring (perfectly timed). Corbin rolled back in the ring, and with both guys down, the crowd started cheering and chanting “Dean” but the announcers tried to ignore it.
Suddenly, they cut to the stage area where Ambrose stood on top of a forklift. He asked Corbin if he was busy and the distraction allowed Orton to hit an RKO for the win. Orton saluted Ambrose for the assist.
Ambrose got in the ring, accepted Corbin’s challenge at WrestleMania, picked him up and dropped him with a Dirty Deeds.
They plugged Cena vs. Fandango again as Phillips said, “This should be a big one.”
Backstage, Orton told Renee Young he doesn’t know to expect next from Bray Wyatt and rubbing the ashes of Abigail on himself was the last thing Orton expected. The lights began to flicker and Renee bailed. A bunch of guys in sheep masks suddenly appeared behind Orton. He tried to attack them but they managed to hold him down. Bray showed up and placed an “X” on Orton’s chest. Bray said, “You changed me, Randy. You exposed my one flaw. But what you didn’t know was that one flaw would become my greatest strength.” He then sang He’s Got The Whole World to Orton. If you’ve forgotten, this feud is over the WWE Championship.
John Cena defeated Fandango (w/Tyler Breeze)
Breeze dressed as Nikki Bella, including the shorts. Fandango said we saw Cena being a bad boyfriend earlier on Total Bellas and gave him a ticket. Fandango also gave him tickets for wearing jorts and being a bad wrestler. He introduced us to his muscle, Breezy Bella. Cena didn’t instantly rip their heads off but instead brought out Nikki Bella.
Cena immediately hit Fandango with shoulder tackles, a side slam and five knuckle shuffle. Breeze tried to interfere, so Nikki speared him. Cena gave Fandango an AA and Nikki gave Breeze a Rack Attack 2.0. They both applied STFs and both guys tapped.
The Usos and Dean Ambrose will be on Talking Smack with Renee Young and Daniel Bryan.
Carmella (w/James Ellsworth) defeated Becky Lynch via DQ
Carmella and Ellsworth skipped to the ring together holding hands. Natalya was on commentary but quickly jumped off to attack Carmella with a discus clothesline and the referee called for the bell. Match was under a minute. As Natalya continued the attack, Mickie James ran down to join in, followed by Alexa Bliss. As everyone brawled, Lynch nailed Ellsworth with a missile dropkick. Bliss was the last woman standing after clocking Mickie with a forearm.
More Total Bellas footage up next. I don’t mean to nitpick but Miz and Maryse went to Daniel Bryan (or Shane McMahon) with this and he decided to air it?
Neville plugged 205 Live and his match against Mustafa Ali.
“Total Bellas” Footage
“Cena” robotically told “Nikki” that he loved her. “Cena” agreed to take us on a tour of the house even though it’s against Rule 24. She thought he was about to give her a diamond, but it was actually a Diamond Dallas Page yoga DVD set. He later gave her a ring… a toy WWE ring. Miz/Cena had a great line where he referenced their servants, but they couldn’t be shown on camera because it wouldn’t be relatable. In the bedroom, he got on one knee to tie the knot… on his shoe.
Cena and Nikki will also be on Talking Smack tonight.
Renee caught up to Styles who was waiting for Shane in the parking lot. Before he could answer her question, a black car with tinted windows showed up. It was Rhyno and Heath Slater. Why are they so late? (I suppose this could’ve been part of Shane’s plan.) Styles was disappointed.
Shane McMahon calls out AJ Styles
Shane McMahon walked to the ring and called out Styles. They cut backstage where Renee let Styles know Shane was in the ring.
Shane, who has a black eye, called out Styles again. He said Styles should’ve come to him man-to-man and handled it, even if it resulted in a fight, instead of attacking him from behind. The crowd yelled, “What” at Shane (although not that loud) and chanted for Styles.
They cut to Styles walking backstage toward Gorilla. Styles hesitated before grabbing a microphone and going through the curtain. Styles told Shane to calm down. Styles explained he was frustrated and admitted to crossing the line last week. He apologized. He also thanked Shane for giving him a match at Mania and said he wasn’t like the other McMahons.
Styles said he would step in the ring and shake Shane’s hand. As soon as he entered the ring, Shane attacked him with strikes that looked as bad as you would imagine. Styles got the better of Shane, sent him outside and suplexed him against the barricade. However, Shane managed to backdrop Styles on the floor, then cleared the announce table.
Shane gave Styles a few more shots and laid him out over the announce table. Shane climbed to the top rope and nailed a diving elbow through the table. Crowd chanted “Holy shit” as officials ran down to check on both men.
I thought they should’ve ended it there, but they aired a few replays and showed Shane get to his feet, point at the Mania sign, and walk away on his own.
Final Thoughts —
There was some enjoyable stuff on this show between the tag title match and the Total Bellas segments. The brawl between Shane and Styles was a sign of why so many people are afraid of this match, which would be fine if it was Styles beating up Shane for 99-percent of it. The bigger negative is that the WWE World title and Women’s title programs are the least interesting things on this show.
It’s been just over six months since the WWE draft. Since that time, WWE has had three of their big four pay-per-views of the year and we’re now on the Road to WrestleMania. I thought it might be a good time to go back and look at the draft in retrospect.
I will look at all 30 individuals drafted on the live special and assign a letter grade based on their draft position and how their career has gone since then. Then I’ll look at the people who were drafted on the post-show special on the Network and identify sleeper picks.
The final pieces are the wrestlers who have been added since the brand split and their impact on their brand and WWE as a whole.
2016 WWE Draft —
Raw’s picks —
1. Seth Rollins — B-
Rollins returned from injury shortly before he was drafted but came back to be part of the focal point of Raw storylines during a period when ratings were declining. He just recently suffered another injury which puts his WrestleMania status in doubt.
2. Charlotte — A
She’s been the focal point of the women’s division and part of the first ever women’s match to headline a WWE PPV.
3. Finn Balor — B
Really, this should be “incomplete” but I think he made enough of an impact in the short time before getting injured to warrant a letter grade.
4. Roman Reigns — B
Very similar to Rollins, except he managed to stay healthy through the time frame.
5. Brock Lesnar — A-
Very good use of him, especially considering the draft position. When he’s there, he’s generally the focus of the show and will almost certainly be a part of the closing match at Mania.
6. The New Day — B-
They held the tag team titles for most of the time period, setting the all-time WWE/WWF record for the longest reign. They feel colder now than they did before the brand split, though.
7. Sami Zayn — C-
He’s definitely in a worse spot now than when he was drafted. It will be interesting to see what plans, if any, there are for him at Mania.
8. Sasha Banks — B+
She’s been right alongside Charlotte as the focus of the women’s division, although she’s taking a step back now to feud with Nia Jax.
9. Chris Jericho — A
The second biggest steal of the draft given that he’s been one of the four main people focused on for his brand for most of the time period.
10. Rusev w/ Lana —B-
They’re consistently one of the most entertaining acts on the show. Rusev has been kept out of the title picture for the most part or he’d have a higher grade.
11. Kevin Owens — A+
The steal of the draft for either side. With the injury to Balor, he essentially took the ball and ran with it. He will likely take a step back during Mania season as most expect him to lose the Universal title at Fast Lane.
12. Enzo Amore & Big Cass — B
Maybe the best pure babyfaces on the Raw roster as they consistently get the biggest reactions coming out. They’re nowhere close to title contention but not everyone can be.
13. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson — C+
They just recently won the tag team titles, which saved them from a failing grade. They floundered for much of the year.
14. Big Show — C-
Given how often he’s used, he shouldn’t have been drafted on the main show. He’s supposed to have a featured Mania match with Shaquille O’Neal but really has only appeared on Raw a handful of times.
15. Nia Jax — B-
Jax pushed hard out of the gate, getting squash wins for months. Since then, she’s been just outside the fringe of title contention. Should have a big year after Mania.
16. Neville — B
Neville was wasted for most of the time period but has rejuvenated the cruiserweight division since returning.
17. Cesaro — B
He feuded with New Day for most of the time period after being put in a tag team with rival Sheamus and ending their record title reign.
18. Sheamus — B
See Cesaro.
Overall grade for Raw’s main draft — B-
SmackDown’s picks —
1. Dean Ambrose — A-
Ambrose was the World Champion at the time of the draft and carried it to SmackDown. He feuded with AJ Styles over the championship and then moved on to feud with The Miz over the IC title, eventually winning that belt.
2. AJ Styles — A+
Styles has been the World Champion for most of the time period and carried the brand. Yes, he had a high draft position but he performed far better than most thought he would.
3. John Cena — B+
Would be higher if he were more active. Cena feuded almost exclusively with AJ Styles, having excellent matches every time out before winning his 16th World title.
4. Randy Orton — B-
Orton has taken a back seat to Bray Wyatt as part of the Wyatt Family but is coming off winning the Royal Rumble, so obviously he will be a key focus of WrestleMania.
5. Bray Wyatt — B-
Similar to Orton, he hasn’t been close to the title picture at all but was part of the tag champions for a short time.
6. Becky Lynch — B+
While the SmackDown women’s division hasn’t been quite the focus it has been on the Raw side, it’s not that far off and she was champion for much of the time since the draft.
7. The Miz w/ Maryse — A
Other than Kevin Owens, and perhaps AJ Styles, no one on either brand has improved their stock more than he has. Miz almost single-handedly made Talking Smack a must-watch show early on.
8. Baron Corbin — B
Corbin is just outside the World title picture and may be in for something big at Mania. Other than Orton, he was probably the most impressive SmackDown wrestler at the Royal Rumble.
9. American Alpha — B-
Chad Gable & Jason Jordan came in with a lot of hype but fell off quite a bit. They have started to regain steam after winning the tag titles, but they’re hurt because of the lack of quality teams on this brand.
10. Dolph Ziggler — B
Given his draft slot, he’s been more of a focus than you would’ve expected. His feud with Miz resulted in some of the more entertaining stuff of the latter half of the year on SmackDown.
11. Natalya — C+
The second highest drafted woman on the brand, and for most of the time period she may not even been top five in terms of focus. She looks to be involved with Nikki Bella in the near future, which should improve her slot.
12. Alberto Del Rio — D
A complete waste of a pick, especially in hindsight.
Overall grade for SmackDown’s main draft — B
Secondary Draft —
Raw picked up Braun Strowman with their 28th pick (48th overall), but other than that, there’s not a single person they drafted that even came close to making an impact.
Raw’s grade — C
SmackDown got current Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss with the pick before Strowman. They also got the Usos, who were tag team contenders, and Carmella with the last pick of the draft.
SmackDown’s grade — B-
Free Agents (additions since the draft) —
On the Raw side, obviously the biggest addition has been Goldberg, who alone would win them this category. Dragging them down somewhat would be the addition of all the cruiserweights who thus far would have to be considered a disappointment with the exception of Neville, who was drafted. They also added Bayley, who has done very well.
Raw’s grade — B+
SmackDown got the first free agent, Heath Slater, who won the tag team titles and has improved his stock quite a bit in the last six months. They also added jobber James Ellsworth, who ended up a World title challenger on TV for a few months.
Rhyno was added as Slater’s partner and the Spirit Squad were even brought in for a short run. Curt Hawkins has floundered. On the women’s side, Nikki Bella is always going to be a focus and Mickie James has not been around long enough to give a proper valuation.
SmackDown’s grade — B
Based on these letter grades, SmackDown would be the higher ranked show which seems to coincide with popular opinion. SmackDown’s TV ratings are way up since the brand extension while Raw’s have fallen, although most of the time period happened during football season when ratings always drop.
SmackDown only had 11 wrestlers in the Royal Rumble, though, as opposed to 18 Raw wrestlers (and one NXT superstar). Those numbers are almost the same as the advantage Raw had going into the draft (18 picks to 12) so that shouldn’t be a surprise.
More concerning, if you’re a SmackDown fan, would be the fact that of the other four main card matches at the Royal Rumble, only one was a SmackDown match. They did have two of the three pre-show matches, so that would be three out of seven overall which again is the same ratio as the draft picks.
Looking ahead to Mania, it does seem that most of the big matches would be on the Raw side with Goldberg/Lesnar, Undertaker/Reigns, Triple H/Rollins (if Rollins gets cleared in time), and matches involving Owens and Charlotte. On the SmackDown side, it looks to be Wyatt/Orton and whatever John Cena and AJ Styles are doing.
Overall, it does appear that the brand split has been a positive for the most part. Raw ratings have been down, though that was going to happen anyway. The increased main event slots on both sides have allowed wrestlers like Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Charlotte, and The Miz, among others, to improve their position in the company.
With SmackDown ratings showing a considerable increase at a time when TV ratings as a whole are trending downward, it has to help WWE as they attempt to negotiate a new television deal over the next couple of years.
Though the SmackDown Women’s Championship steel cage match between Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss was made under the guise of keeping La Luchadora from interfering, the angle only led to the reveal of the woman behind the mask on tonight’s show.
In what was hardly a surprise given weeks of speculation and Dave Meltzer’s report that Mickie James was backstage at SmackDown in Memphis, James was revealed to be La Luchadora at the conclusion of the show. She was unmasked by Lynch after her interference helped Bliss retain the Women’s title.
Tonight was the first time that James played La Luchadora on TV despite ultimately being revealed as the character. James signed a contract last year to return to WWE as a member of the SmackDown roster after being away from the company since 2010.
Before returning on a regular basis, James challenged Asuka for the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Toronto over Survivor Series weekend in November 2016.
It was also announced on tonight’s SmackDown that Randy Orton would face Luke Harper in a singles match next week after Orton’s match against Dean Ambrose led to more dysfunction among the Wyatt Family in their ongoing storyline.
Video of James being revealed as La Luchadora is available to watch below:
Mickie James is backstage at the SmackDown tapings tonight in Memphis, though that doesn’t necessarily mean she will debut on the show.
James had been widely speculated to be the eventual person who would be unmasked as La Luchadora. James was not under the mask on the previous shows with that character, but from the start of the angle it was always supposed to be revealed as her.
After appearing in WWE for the first time since 2010 as Asuka’s opponent at NXT TakeOver: Toronto last year, she signed a deal to return to the company as a member of the SmackDown roster.
WWE announced that tonight’s show would open with Shane McMahon making a major announcement.
The only other things announced for the show are a cage match with Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch for the women’s title, and a King’s Court interview segment featuring the first appearance by Jerry Lawler since he was let go from the company. Lawler, of course, is the legend of Memphis wrestling.
With arguably the deepest and most talented roster in recent memory, 2016 saw WWE move forward with their first ‘official’ brand split since 2002. The move was met with equal parts skepticism and excitement, and the mixed results thus far prove that both reactions were warranted. It’s been an interesting second half of the year for WWE, so let’s look at four of the main takeaways from the brand split as we move into 2017.
Different Shows, Different Nights
One of the main problems with the past brand split was how SmackDown felt like Raw Lite. You were still consuming the same product, but just a watered down version. Now, each show feels like its own independent entity with a wholly unique look and feel. Raw will always be the flagship show, the one with most of the big names and the somewhat predictable storylines.
Instead of trying to replicate that on Tuesdays, SmackDown live became its own show, one that gives time to multiple storylines and characters and makes them all feel like they mean something. It’s one that is more willing to take chances like putting their women’s title on a relatively green Alexa Bliss or having Randy Orton join the Wyatt Family. They are more willing to think a bit outside the WWE box, and let their performers experience the inevitable growing pains that come with more exposure.
This sets the company up for even more success moving forward as they have nurtured more TV-ready talent than ever before. This doesn’t even mention Talking Smack, which might be the best program that WWE produces on any platform. It muddles the kayfabe waters more than ever and has led to some of the best promo work of the year, allowing Bliss and Baron Corbin to find their footing and shine.
Raw’s Song Remains The Same
SmackDown has somewhat subverted the idea of what a successful WWE weekly program can be. Raw has proven that no matter how much things change, some stay the same. Raw has the same characters in the same places, doing the same things but just with different names.
It has been the same stubborn, self-serving program it’s always been. Look at The New Day’s needless and unending pursuit of Demolition’s tag team title reign record and how it essentially neutered the division for months or the continued opportunities given to Roman Reigns (who, himself is not a problem), or the complete mishandling of Seth Rollins’ return from his injury.
All of these things hurt Raw tremendously, so much so that only the best work of Chris Jericho’s career and Kevin Owens being a capable heel champion have saved it from being borderline unwatchable. Is this an effect of the brand split? Or, is it just the typical lull that happens from the fall until the Royal Rumble / The Road to WrestleMania™?
Recent episodes have improved, the reintroduction of Neville as a cruiserweight has been a breath of fresh air, and while your mileage may vary on Braun Strowman (I’m beyond all in, for what it’s worth), it has at least been something different. As the WrestleMania card clears up and the stakes are raised, the storylines always tighten and become more meaningful, which, hopefully, should lead to a better next few months.
AJ Styles
The best wrestler in the world warrants his own section: the champion of the best mainstream wrestling show on television, incredible in the ring, incredible character work, and incredible on commentary. WWE put SmackDown Live on his shoulders, and he has taken it to a level that was previously unthinkable. He is the anchor that keeps the show in place, the foundation upon which it is built. He is someone operating on a level rarely seen and allows everyone else to get more screen time and opportunities to hone their craft.
No one has to worry about AJ getting over, or AJ getting his as his transcendent in-ring skill and prodigious talent allows him to do that on his own. His presence and ability to make everyone around him that much better is a testament to his wholly unique abilities as a performer. It took awhile for him to get where he is, but anyone who watches wrestling is lucky that he got there.
The General Managers
Daniel Bryan has become very, very good as an on-screen, talking head ‘authority figure’ type. His dry sense of humor, combined with the ability to poke fun at himself and the product in general, has proven, yet again, there’s nothing he can’t do well when it comes to wrestling. His stellar work on the aforementioned Talking Smack has eased some of the pain of the ending of his in-ring career, and thankfully kept him on our televisions.
His transition has been seamless, and for the first time in perhaps ever, there is a general manager who uses logic and at least tries to explain his statements. He has been a home run from the start. But man, as good as Bryan has been, Mick Foley has been equally as terrible and an abject failure. The yelling, gasping, meandering promos, the nonsensical booking, and just the general lack of consistency has been surprising, and quite honestly, sad to see.
Foley knows the McMahons will eventually tire of him on an on-screen role, making me wonder how it hasn’t happened already. Going into the brand split, there were questions about whether or not DB could take to the role, but in reality, those questions were better pointed at the general manager of the flagship show.
With a heavily hyped year-end episode that featured three title matches and the return of John Cena to WWE television for the first time in over two months, it was a real possibility that this week’s SmackDown would top Raw in the ratings.
That possibility became a reality on Thursday morning when the delayed numbers (due to it being Christmas week) for Tuesday were released. This week’s SmackDown averaged 2.88 million viewers, just barely beating the 2.85 that Monday’s episode of Raw averaged. The show was third for the night on cable and in the 18-49 demo.
This is the first time that SmackDown has topped Raw since the WWE Draft special beat that week’s edition of Raw in July. SmackDown has come close since, with Cena’s previous return in September, the week where Raw was opposite the first presidential debate, and the loaded 900th episode in November coming close to beating the previous Monday’s episode.
With Monday Night Football over for the season, Raw viewership should see a boost going forward. But the increased presence of Cena on television as we enter the months leading up to WrestleMania should help SmackDown and its ratings.
Here’s a chart from Paul Fontaine that shows SmackDown ratings as compared to that week’s Raw since the brand split:
Whatever the direction is for John Cena as he makes his return to WWE television tonight, we won’t have to wait very long to find out.
Cena announced on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon that his return is scheduled to kick off tonight’s episode of SmackDown. He hasn’t appeared on the show in over two months after losing a WWE Championship triple threat match against AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose at No Mercy in October.
In an interview with ESPN that was posted on Tuesday, Cena spoke about his return, reflected on his career, and was asked about potentially facing the Undertaker at WrestleMania. While answering the latter question, Cena answered affirmatively that he would want to “be in a high-profile match with one of the most legendary superstars in the industry.”
WWE has heavily hyped tonight’s year-end edition of SmackDown, with three title matches announced in addition to Cena making his return. Styles will defend his title against Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler in a triple threat match, Becky Lynch will challenge Alexa Bliss for the Women’s Championship, and the Wyatts will put their tag titles on the line in a four corners elimination match against American Alpha, The Usos, and Heath Slater & Rhyno.
Zack Ryder’s MRI report ended up being bad news as it revealed he’s in need of surgery and is currently in Birmingham, AL, today for a knee operation.
Ryder was injured on Tuesday night in Washington, DC, while participating in a battle royal that he ended up winning. It was to establish the Hype Bros, Ryder & Mojo Rawley, as the number one contenders to SmackDown tag team champions The Wyatt Family.
The spot of the injury wasn’t clear but he was moving around fine the entire match, and in the final move, after flipping Konnor of The Ascension over the top rope and winning, you could see extreme pain come over his face. Mojo Rawley first came out to celebrate the win, but saw Ryder and could see he was hurt. Ryder had to be helped backstage, which was edited off the show because it was a rare taped episode of SmackDown. He was on crutches later that night.
There is no word yet on the nature of his surgery, as minor surgery could have a relatively quick turnaround, but major surgery would likely keep him out for six to eight months.
