We’re here, folks! The Royal Rumble is this week so that means last night’s Smackdown was the go-home show. I’ve also been fighting off a cold so I watched Smackdown in a sort of cold medicine-induced haze. It was still fun though and I did manage to Tweet some. Anyways, let’s take a look at the Smackdown go-home show!
We opened up with Becky Lynch coming out to the ring and cutting a promo. She really harped on the fact that Asuka did not technically beat her for the title. Asuka came out and they had a bit of a staredown and Asuka talked smack in Japanese. Finally Charlotte came out and staked her claim in the Royal Rumble. While she was talking, Asuka attacked Becky Lynch from behind. The two fought in and around the ring until they were pulled apart by staff. While I myself am a little tired of Becky coming out every week and sort of saying the same thing, I do think there’s been a great build up to this championship match. A
Mandy Rose vs Naomi
There was a reality television voice over recapping the Mandy Rose and Naomi feud before the two made their entrances. They then had a slow, clunky match that Mandy eventually won alongside the usual borderline creepy commentary from Corey Grave. I really hope this wasn’t the blow-off match because both the hotel brawl and this match were severely lacking.
Winner: Mandy Rose
Grade: D
Rey Mysterio did a nice promo talking about his previous Royal Rumble victory. He went on to hype up his match with Andrade. He’s great and he had a glow in the dark mask. A
The Miz vs Cesaro
This match was pretty much all The Bar. Cesaro hit a lot of uppercuts and countered the Miz into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Through the help of his partner, he got a rope break to get out of Miz’s Figure Four. Shane helped even the odds of the match but Sheamus sent him into the barricade before distracting Miz so Cesaro could finish him off with the Neutralizer. There was a post-match beatdown as well. Sheamus tried to take Shane’s head off with a Brogue kick before The Bar put Shane and Miz through the announce desk with a double power bomb. While the match wasn’t a technical masterpiece by any means, it was entertaining and the aforementioned beatdown helped move this feud along into the championship match at the Rumble.
Winner: Cesaro
Grade: B
A video package for Mustafa Ali aired. He said he could tell how people felt by looking into their eyes. I’m glad they’ve decided to keep this sort of dramatic storytelling as part of his character now that he’s transitioned to Smackdown. A+
Vince McMahon came out to try to moderate a meeting between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan refused to enter the ring and started going off on AJ. Vince ordered Daniel to get in the ring and Daniel instead turned his rant to Vince. AJ eventually gave chase, Daniel Bryan got in the ring and pulled Vince in front of him to keep AJ from hitting a phenomenal forearm. The champion kneed the challenger in the face then escaped to the stage. Daniel Bryan was spitting some facts last night; I’m not even mad. A+
R-Truth and Carmella joked about their #30 spots in the Royal Rumble. Carmella and Charlotte trash talked each other. I want a “Sioux Falls City” shirt. A
Samoa Joe vs Mustafa Ali
Samoa Joe maintained control for much of this match. While we did get a few minutes where it looked like Mustafa might pull off a win, it just wasn’t his night. After a tornado DDT into a pin came up short, Mustafa went to the top rope to set up an 054, but Joe snatched him off and locked him into the Coquina Clutch. After such a long stretch of feuds going nowhere for him, it’s nice to see Joe looking dominant again.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Grade: A-
The New Day had a fun little spot where they basically said if one of them wins, they all win. Kofi Kingston apparently has a new idea to keep his feet from hitting the ground. I’m excited to see what innovative way Kofi finds to keep himself from being eliminated. A
Rey Mysterio vs Andrade-2 out of 3 Falls Match
Zelina Vega was banned from ringside for this match so it was just Andrade and Rey in the ring. This match had a lot offense from both sides. Andrade captured the first fall with a top rope sit-out powerbomb. Rey captured the second fall by countering a power bomb into a Canadian Destroyer. Rey went for a 619 but Adrade caught him in an armbar instead. After getting the veteran in the ring, Andrade went for the hammerlock DDT and then a pin but Rey got his foot on the rope. At the end, Samoa Joe pulled Rey down from the ropes as he was getting ready to hit a splash and powerbombed him. I was a little concerned about having a 2/3 falls match on a two-hour show but these two definitely delivered. I think I would’ve preferred a definitive winner but maybe this will spill over into the Rumble.
Winner: No Contest
Grade: A
To end the show, Randy Orton RKO’d Samoa Joe out of nowhere and celebrated. I like seeing Randy randomly RKO (say that five times fast) people so I’m happy. A-
That was the go-home show for Smackdown. I think last night and the last couple of weeks have done a very good job leading up to the Royal Rumble, a step up from last year where it seemed like there was a mediocre amount of hype in the days before pay-per-views. My hopes are up for a good Royal Rumble this year and a good start to WrestleMania season!
Overall Grade: A-
-Wynter
