smackdown

The fans in Ontario, California were pumped because they were in store for an action-packed Smackdown Live taping. Fans were promised a battle royal to determine a new number 1 contender for Bray Wyatt’s WWE Championship and they were eager to get the night going

Opening Segment

Daniel Bryan’s music hit and the crowd immediately started with a frenzy of “Yes” chants. This writer marvels at that pure moment of happiness in Bryan’s face as he scaled the turnbuckle and sent his fingers into the air while the crowd chanted with each thrust.

Daniel introduced Naomi and she came down in street clothes with a knee brace on her left knee. She didn’t appear to be visibly limping but didn’t look like she was walking comfortably.

Daniel put Naomi over for a moment and then said that this was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do. He retold the story of how he once was injured and had to relinquish his championship. Daniel said that they now know that due to the medical examination that Naomi won’t be able to defend her championship within the next thirty days, so he asked The Glow to relinquish her Smackdown Women’s Championship.

Naomi gave a very heartfelt speech and said she felt like she was letting her fans down, then she handed over her championship as she fought to hold back tears. Daniel and Naomi hugged in the middle of the ring. Naomi said that whoever gets that title next is just borrowing it and that when she comes back then “everybody was going to feel the freaking glow.”

That was a hard segment to watch.

Alexa Bliss’ music hit as Naomi exited the ring and Little Miss Bliss came to the ring. She said “that was amazing” and laughed. Boy, does she have heat. She said that she could have gone without the sob-story, but the end where Naomi gave up the title was perfection.

Bliss is an amazing heel. She said that they can figure out this problem together. She said that Smackdown needs a Women’s Champion going in to WrestleMania. She said, “my arms and legs work fine, and since I wasn’t given the rematch that I deserve, then I think that you should return the Smackdown women’s title to me.”

Daniel said that Bliss is the former Smackdown Women’s Champion and it does make sense to give her back the championship, but he’s not going to do that. Instead, he gave her an opportunity, and that was a match for the vacant title. The match was up next and her opponent was Becky Lynch.

Smackdown Women’s Championship Match – Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch

The two women chain-wrestled for a bit and each got the upper-hand during the opening sequences of this match-up. Becky Lynch hit Bliss with a flying forearm and a springboard sidekick for a two-count.

Bliss got in the corner and hoisted Lynch to the top turnbuckle as she ran at her where she hit Alexa with a flying missile dropkick. Bliss got a roll-up pin, grabbed the tights and won like a true heel.

New WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion: Alexa Bliss.

Awesome, now we get to watch her hold the belt like that again.

Then Mickie James ran to the ring and attempted to blindside Becky Lynch who was able to turn in time to see her. Becky brought the fight to Mickie and threw her out of the ring to get some of her heat back and have her music play to end the segment.

Renee Young asks Natalya backstage what she thinks about the support that Nikki Bella is receiving and Nattie said that Nikki was engineered in a lab for Instagram likes. That was clever.

Breezango vs. American Alpha

Breeze and Dango didn’t even let Alpha get in the ring before they ambushed them. Breezango knocked Jordan around with some tandem offense and kicked him in the head at the same time. They attempted a double suplex, but Jordan flipped around and got the tag to Gable.

In about 30 seconds Alpha wrapped up the match with a sky-high bulldog. The Usos came out and started talking trash to them. They said “you can’t get ready for us” and “how do you train for two brothers who got nothing to lose.” They were hyped up and delivering the best promo fire they could muster, and they came off as intense and intimidating with a tinge of humor.

Nikki Bella cut a promo where she said that she would turn Nattie into the Broken Hart, wonder how Matt Hardy feels about that.

Nikki Bella vs. Natayla – Falls Count Anywhere Match

The two started off in the ring, but they would soon take their contest elsewhere. Nikki took it to Nattie hard with a spear, but Nattie powered out and ran around to try and catch Bella coming back in to no avail.

Nikki got under the ring and pulled out a table, but Natalya ran outside and stopped her. Bella pulled a kendo stick out from underneath the ring instead and began beating The Queen of Harts with it. I will never understand how the ring crew uses kendo sticks to put up the staging for the show.

The two made it out into the audience and climbed up on a barricade in the middle of the arena. Nattie attempted to suplex Nikki off of the barricade, but Bella blocked it and hit a flying kick onto the padded floor. You could hear them talking to each other as the camera got too close and the microphone picked up Nattie saying, “good job.”

They made it back to the ringside area and Natalya cleared off the announce table. Natalya attempted to suplex Nikki through the table but took too many punches to the face and the table remained unscathed. There was no way Nikki was taking that bump with her bad neck.

Nikki hit Nattie with an Alabama Slam on the table instead for a two count.

Natalya eventually took control of the match back and slapped on a sharpshooter, but Nikki squeezed out of it. They made it back outside and Nattie hit a suplex on the ramp. Nattie threw Nikki into some equipment next to the stage and got a two-count.

The two women went behind the curtain and Natalya threw Nikki Bella into Maryse. Looks like that’s how they’re going to get her in this feud for Mania. Nikki tossed Nattie into a mirror and broke it, but only got a two-count.

They made it back to the inside of the arena where Nattie tried to lock in another sharpshooter on Nikii, but Bella reversed it into an STF. Nikki Bella almost had Nattie tapping when Maryse ran out with a pipe and started beating Nikki with it.

Maryse went insane on Nikki with the pipe until Miz had to run out and pull Maryse off of her. This was actually really well done and Miz looked there was something legitimately going on.

Nattie got the win and won the match. Very nice.

Two things were concluded from this match, the Mania mixed-tag match between Cena and Nikki vs. Miz and Maryse is in full motion, and Maryse can really work a lead pipe. She even pulled off a nice little spinning move with it in the midst of her beatdown.

#1 Contender Battle Royal

All ten men were in the ring at the same time and the fur flew ferociously. Dean Ambrose and Baron Corbin went at it quick, but they all calmed down a little bit because the match can’t be over in two minutes.

Mojo Rawley and Apollo Crews tried to eliminate the Miz, but when he survived John Cena soon found him and the two started to tangle in the corner. Dolph mounted Luke Harper in the corner and started to apply fists to him, Harper threw him over the top rope but Dolph hung on.

Baron Corbin destroyed everyone in the ring, but didn’t send anyone over the top. Mojo was the first victim of Corbin as he threw him over the rope.

Kalisto got a few good moves in until he ended up on the apron and took a superkick from Ziggler to get eliminated. Apollo Crews eliminated Ziggler with a roundhouse kick in return.

Baron Corbin eliminated Apollo Crews just after Ziggler beat Kaliso with a chair. That was fun.

AJ and Cena squared off in the middle of the ring for a moment and Styles reversed an AA until Luke Harper started laying the both out with clotheslines.

Miz started hitting people with Daniel Bryan dropkicks while leading the crowd in “Yes” chants. He hit Cena with a couple “Yes Kicks” until John sent Miz over the top rope. That makes sense and builds even more toward their Mania match.

With only half of the field left, John Cena hit AJ and Dean with a double German suplex in a display of his impressive strength. Cena went for the 5 Knuckle Shuffle on AJ, but Corbin hit the End of Days on Cena. Ambrose turned around and eliminated The Lone Wolf and he wasn’t happy. Corbin grabbed Dean’s legs and pulled him under the rope and hit the End of Days on Ambrose leaving him laying outside the ring, but still in the match.

Miz ran back in the ring and threw John Cena over the top rope, Miz scampered into the crowd and did the “you can’t see me” gesture as he walked away.

AJ Styles and Luke Harper are the only two left (if you don’t count Dean, who is still outside the ring). AJ took it to Harper and almost had Luke over the top rope, then Ambrose ran in the ring and attempted to eliminate both of them.

All three men ended up on the apron after going over the top rope. Harper kicked Ambrose who had AJ in a fireman’s carry, Dean went out and AJ went back in. Luke Harper then grabbed AJ and attempted a suplex to the outside but it didn’t work.

In the end, AJ hit Harper and he went back into the ring. Styles got back in the ring and the two reset. Styles hit Harper with a couple stiff kicks and got on Harper’s back to apply a sleeper hold. Harper punched AJ in the face and Styles got back on the apron.

Harper hit a forearm on Styles and AJ climbed the turnbuckle. Harper grabbed AJ’s head and suplexed him to the outside while sitting on the apron.

This was a very clever spot to end a battle royal match.

Referees swarmed them saying that they hit at the same time as both men got back in the ring to figure out what just happened.

Harper got frustrated and started beating on the barricade until Daniel Bryan’s music struck and the Bearded Goat came out to help figure things out.

Daniel Bryan grabbed the mic and said the official decision is a draw. There is no winner, and an actual winner will be determined next week.

Well, that’s one way to build toward Mania.

Harper discus clotheslined AJ’s head off, got up on the turnbuckle, and received a good reaction from the crowd to cap off the night.

Bray and Randy appeared on the big screen and Wyatt just laughed like a crazy person.

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