Smackdown 3/26/19
Happy Hump Day, wrestling fam! I hope the week is finding you well as we are eleven days from WrestleMania! It seems like just yesterday I was packing up for the Royal Rumble and now we’re so close to the biggest show of the year. Some interesting things happened this week on Smackdown so let’s take a look at what went down on the blue brand!
Serious New Day
Xavier Woods talked about how despite the five years they’ve been together and done awesome things, they’ve been thinking of leaving WWE after all the nonsense Kofi Kingston has had to go through. Vince McMahon showed up, but he was interrupted by Daniel Bryan who said the New Day could be replaced by a trio of NXT talent who throws waffles. Woods called Bryan a hypocrite who’d turned into everything he hated. Mr. McMahon set up a tag team gauntlet match: if Woods and Big E won, Kofi would get his WrestleMania match.
Thoughts: The New Day showing their serious side throughout this whole run has been one of the highlights of the story. But I am a bit tired of the gauntlet matches though; we’ve seen too many over the last couple of weeks. And kudos to Xavier Woods for reminding us about the parallel between Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston.
Grade: B+
Asuka vs Charlotte Flair-Smackdown Women’s Championship Match
Becky Lynch was being interviewed and said that Flair was bringing nothing to the match. Flair’s entrance interrupted her and she said she would show Lynch how deserving she was of being in the triple threat match so we had a women’s title match between her and Asuka, the champion. The match itself was actually very good as the two have a lot of ring chemistry. Asuka tried to lock in the Asuka Lock but she was unable to fully lock it in. She got a triangle on the challenger, but Flair powered out of it then power bombed her. The Figure Eight won the match and we have a new champion.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
Thoughts: Charlotte Flair now holds the record for most all-time women’s title reigns, officially surpassing Trish Stratus. That’s a wonderful achievement and I think she does deserve it. However, I see this as a potential way of either unifying the Raw and Smackdown women’s belts and having only one champion or protecting Flair taking the pin in the triple threat by making her fight an extra match. I am upset that Asuka and the rest of the Smackdown women, have been treated like an afterthought this entire time.
Grade: A-
Kurt Angle vs AJ Styles
This was supposed to be Kurt Angle’s last match on Smackdown, and it was the first time Angle and Styles met in a WWE ring. Angle and Styles shook hands and hugged before they locked up. Angle hit a German suplex but Styles rolled it into a calf crusher. Angle then clamped on an Ankle Lock. Styles fought out of it but Randy Orton came out of nowhere to RKO him.
Winner: Kurt Angle via DQ
Thoughts: I was actually looking forward to this match and I’m a tad miffed that it was interrupted in this manner. This could’ve been a really great match on Angle’s farewell tour. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find Orton RKOing Styles to be entertaining. I’m looking forward to their match at WrestleMania.
Grade: D+
Security Around Here Sucks
The Miz came out and basically requested a Falls Count Anywhere Match at WrestleMania. Shane McMahon came out with some security including one of the Colons, Shelton Benjamin, and Sanity. He mocked Miz’s parents and said what he did to him at Fast Lane was euphoric. He accepted the Falls Count Anywhere and then Miz charged him and they fought all into the crowd.
Thoughts: Yo, this Falls Count Anywhere Match is gonna be awesome! I wonder what ridiculous thing McMahon is going to jump off of. Is Mr. Miz gonna do a run-in?!
Grade: B+
Gauntlet Match: New Day vs The Good Brothers vs Nakamura and Rusev vs The Bar vs The Usos vs Bryan and Rowan
Kofi Kingston was barred from ringside for this match and instead watched backstage with the rest of the roster’s babyfaces. Xavier Woods and Big E dispatched Gallows and Anderson fairly quickly with the midnight hour. The midnight hour also finished Shinsuke Nakamura though there was a bit more fight in this match. The Bar added some drama into the gauntlet match as they put Big E through a table after being defeated. The Usos came out, said how much they respected the New Day and wished Kingston good luck before forfeiting their match. Backstage, we saw Daniel Bryan going mental over this and he kicked the television and destroyed his locker room. The final boss was Bryan and Rowan and the ending sequence to the match was great. Woods DDT’d Bryan on the floor and Big E toppled the announce table over on Rowan, earning the New Day a countout victory.
Afterwards, Vince McMahon said Kingston was going to WrestleMania and all the babyfaces came out to celebrate with the New Day.
Winner: New Day
Thoughts: Despite my complaint about gauntlet matches, I actually really enjoyed this match. I loved seeing Woods and Big E fighting for their friend’s chance to go to WrestleMania and them overcoming the odds. I loved the show of respect and good will from The Usos. I have loved this entire storyline, especially with all the nuanced undertones. And to think this all started with Kofi Kingston replacing Mustafa Ali in the Elimination Chamber!
Grade: A
Final Thoughts
We’ve added some more pieces to WrestleMania, but we still have one more week left. Things can change in a heartbeat so we shall wait and see if/how the layout changes next week. We’re so close and I’m definitely in the WrestleMania spirit!
Overall Grade: B+
-Wynter
