Let’s get right into SmackDown Live because we’ve all had a long day. Baron Corbin will battle a returning Dolph Ziggler and the winner of that match will get a spot in the WWE Championship match at Fastlane.
Bobby Roode is still rolling strong as the US Champion and the Yep Movement are bound to be up to something because that’s how Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn rolls.
Opening Segment
Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin
Ziggler started off the show with his music-free entrance… there was music but it came way later which was odd. Dolph Ziggler didn’t look happy to be there and the crowd didn’t seem too happy to have him around either.
Baron Corbin’s music started but he didn’t come out. Then he restarted and he wasn’t coming out again. Suddenly they cut to backstage where Kevin and Sami were clubbing on Corbin. They beat Baron down and laid some boots to him.
“One down” Sami said.
“One more to go” Kevin replied as they headed to the ring where Ziggler looked like he was getting ready for a fight.
Then Sami and Kevin entered the arena as Kevin walked to the ring and Sami walked around the crowd. Ziggler jumped out of the ring and ran out to attack Sami in the audience. They both beat Ziggler down to give him a proper homecoming back to SmackDown Live.
Ziggler tried to fight back after they tossed him over the barricade, but the heels took control once again. KO held Ziggler up and Zayn laid in a Helluva Kick to lay Dolph out. As Kevin and Sami were walking off, Baron Corbin came down the ramp but they took him out too.
WWE officials were soon swarming Corbin to put a stop to the assault. Well, that’s one way to handle this situation.
Okay, so there was no Daniel Bryan or Shane McMahon to sort out what we just saw, it’s just on with the show.
Sarah Logan (with the Riott Squad) vs Charlotte Flair
Becky Lynch and Naomi came out to help even up the odds for this contest.
Charlotte and Logan fought on and while Sarah did win a contest when it came to strength, Flair soon kicked her in the face and drove the Riott Squad member out of the ring. Once Logan returned to the ring she gained control over Charlotte and latched on a headlock followed by a shoulder tackle or two but Flair returned with one of her own. These two women were really being rough with each other.
Flair did a little strut before laying in a back elbow but Logan reversed Flair into the turnbuckle. Flair rolled logan up for a two count but she easily kicked out then Logan laid a knee into Flair’s stomach that sent her down followed by a dropkick to the outside.
The Riott Squad didn’t mess with Flair though because she had her friends with her. When they returned to the ring, Flair laid in some chops but Logan tackled her for a two count.
Logan hit a butterfly suplex for another two count as the SmackDown Women’s Champion continued to take punishment. Logan started laying into Charlotte with forearms and some of those landed in a big way.
Logan hit another suplex for a two count and shouted in frustration when Flair kicked out of the pinfall attempt.
Then Flair hit a Natural Selection and Logan sold it beautifully. 1-2-3 and that was all she wrote.
Winner: Charlotte Flair via pinfall
Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon were backstage and Shane wasn’t happy about what Kevin and Sami just did. Then he booked a match with Baron vs Kevin and Sami vs Dolph and this match could be a fatal four-way or five-way whether or not Corbin and Ziggler win and if Kevin or Sami get involved then they’re out of the Fastlane main event. Shane-O Mac isn’t messing around.
Kevin Owens vs Baron Corbin
This match had all the possibility of having the same feel as of car crash. Corbin was still selling his injuries during his entrance so it looks like that beatdown earlier in the night might have paid off.
KO took it to Baron early on but when Corbin started to fight back, Kevin powdered off. Baron chased him and beat Kevin around the ring but Owens headed him off once Baron got back in and started laying the punishment into The Lone Wolf.
Baron leveled KO with a right hand and Owens rolled outside once again when Corbin bounced him off the barricade a few times before throwing him back in but Owens jumped right back out. When Baron chased him, he turned it around on Baron by driving him into the apron and the barricade once again.
Owens hit a cannonball on Baron but he kicked out at two. It’s strange to see Baron Corbin getting the babyface treatment on commentary.
Rusev Day chants broke out as Baron Corbin hit a massive backbreaker on KO but he couldn’t make the cover. They got back up and reset a little until Baron nailed that clothesline after he ran around the ring post like he likes to do.
Baron placed Owens on the top rope and climbed up to join him. KO laid in some headbutts on Baron and rolled him up for a two count after Corbin took a shoulder to the post. Kevin climbed to the top rope but Baron jumped up and latched his hand around Owens’ throat. Owens escaped by draping Corbin’s neck across the top rope and then Baron hit a Deep 6.
Corbin ate a Superkick but avoided a popup powerbomb to hit an End Of Days to secure his spot at Fastlane. What an impressive display.
Winner: Baron Corbin via pinfall
Bobby Roode’s US Open Challenge
Who will challenge The Glorious One this week?
Roode said he wanted to steal a tradition from John Cena which is why he’s doing an open challenge. Just mentioning Cena’s name brought a very mixed reaction from the crowd. Roode said he wants his challenger to come at him face to face and not with an RKO outa nowhere.
Then Orton’s music hit and The Viper came out in his John Cena haircut. But they didn’t have a chance to even say anything before Jinder Mahal came out to talk some trash to Orton.
Jinder’s main crux to his promo was the SmackDown Top 10 List but Orton said he didn’t give a damn about the list and he’s not alone because neither do I! Roode said those are pretty big words from Mahal who didn’t make the Top 10… Roode said he respects Orton but maybe the reason he was just #9 was that people were tired of being attacked outa nowhere.
RKO hit the Signh Brother with an RKO and Mahal hit them both with The Khallas to leave them laying. Neat, he needed that. After all, Jinder Mahal did hold the WWE Championship for the better part of 2017.
The New Day’s Pancake Celebration
The ring was made up with a black carpet with a table in the middle of the ring full of pancakes because that’s the New Day’s thing I guess.
They said it was Fat Tuesday and just as Big E was about chow down on some flapjacks, Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable came out to talk some trash to them.
Shelton and Chad dissed the New Day’s pancakes and said they’re having waffles from now on. Then a match was started.
The New Day vs Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable
These two teams had a pretty good and even match until Big E got the tag and took out his pancake aggression on Chad Gable.
The New Day hit the Midnight Hour and that was all she wrote.
Winners: The New Day via pinfall
The Usos cut a backstage promo in the bowels of the building with plenty of colorful words popping up all over the place. Suddenly their promo was smashed with a hammer from Harper as The Bludgeon Brothers just stood there in front of a busted television.
Kevin Owens gave Sami Zayn a little pep talk about not letting him down before Zayn went out to battle Dolph Ziggler
Sami Zayn vs Dolph Ziggler
Sami didn’t want Ziggler to be in the main event at Fastlane and Ziggler really wanted to make that a reality. They fought back and forth and really wore each other out. These two guys really do work well together so a good match should have been expected.
Ziggler tried to hit a Fameasser but Zayn blocked it, however, Dolph came back with another one which he landed for a two count. Sami caught Dolph while climbing up on the top rope but after battling back, Zayn hit an exploder suplex from the top rope.
Zayn sent Ziggler into the corner and Sami missed a Helluva kick. Dolph landed another Zig Zag for a two count and that was a close one. Then Zayn sent Ziggler’s shoulder into the ring post and sent him into the turnbuckle a second time.
Zayn tried to hit a blue thunder bomb but Ziggler turned it around into a pinfall for a two count. Sami countered again with an exploder suplex into the corner. Then Ziggler hit a Superkick as Sami was running in for a Helluva Kick for the pinfall.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler via pinfall
It looks like Fastlane’s main event keeps getting more and more crowded.
