I feel like I just witnessed a phoenix rising from the ashes tonight in the form of Kofi Kingston's solo career.
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| WWE; SmackDown 2/12/19 |
SmackDown Thoughts (Recorded as the show was viewed Live)
- We get a review of Vince McMahon's decision from Raw. And as he introduces Charlotte Flair, she makes her entrance live on SmackDown. Charlotte talks about being at WrestleMania was her destiny. She calls herself the backbone of the Women's Division. Becky's just had a few good moments while Charlotte has had a great career. Becky is a flash in the pan. She dedicates her victory at WrestleMania to Becky Lynch. Woooo! She'll be in the front row for Rousey's match at Elimination Chamber.
(Charlotte played up being a heel to a T.
- We get a 3-Team Women's Tag Team Match to determine who will enter first for the SmackDown teams at Elimination Chamber: Carmella and Naomi vs. The IIconics vs. Sonya and Mandy. Each team's promo about winning the tag titles plays before the match. The teams have a typical back and forth match with frequent tags in and out. Mandy and Naomi get tagged in, but Mandy runs to the floor to escape. She runs back in to tag The IIconics, but they don't want any. She gets caught outside with a crossbody by Naomi over the top rope. We go to commercial break. Carmella ends up getting attacked in the ring by Sonya after a distraction by Mandy. They take turns beating up Carmella. After a few minutes, Naomi gets a tag. Mandy gets caught in the ring with Naomi. Naomi hits a Split-Legged Moonsault on Rose to get the win. Mandy and Sonya have to start the Elimination Chamber along with Sasha and Bayley.
After the match, Naomi and Carmella are attacked by The IIconics. Promos are shown from the Raw teams to hype up the match.
(Good build for the Chamber match Sunday. This is the only match on that show that I have a small amount of interest in. The rest of the show is bland to me. Good match with Naomi getting a victory over Mandy after chasing her for months trying to get an advantage on her.)
- Mustafa Ali cuts a pre-taped interview talking about his disappointment on his body giving out on him, causing him to be removed from the Elimination Chamber Match. Despite everyone trying to take him out, he's just going to keep coming back.
- McMiz TV is next featuring The Usos. After putting over an NCIS LA appearance for Shane, The Miz brings out The Usos. The Usos try to do a "Tag Team Test," going over what they know about each other. The Miz and Shane mock the whole thing. Miz asks if they can talk about Mandy Rose. Things start getting testy. The Usos rip the mic out of The Miz's hand. The Usos say The Miz and Shane calling themselves the best tag team is disgraceful. Shane and Miz promise that they are going to still have the tag titles after the match. The Usos superkick Shane and Miz down. The Usos have a good reaction from the crowd coming out of this.
(The Miz and Shane are only moderately liked by the fans. If this was a test to see how they would do against a fan favorite team, they would have failed.)
- Next is The Gauntlet Match for the Elimination Chamber WWE Championship participants. The winner will enter the Chamber last (and lose sometime thereafter. But that's just between you, me, and anyone who pays attention to this stuff over the years. Lol).
Daniel Bryan is our first entrant.
Bryan doesn't want to be in the Elimination Chamber. His sacrifice is necessary in order for his movement to continue. The New Day interrupt. One of the members of The New Day will officially take Mustafa Ali's position in the Gauntlet and in the Chamber. Kofi Kingston is determined to be the replacement chosen.
Kofi Kingston is our second entrant.
The bell rings. Kofi and Daniel start going back and forth trying to get an early advantage on the other. Kofi gives Bryan fits early on, but Bryan is able to get an advantage on Kingston. Bryan, using his knee to batter and bruise Kingston, gets a few shots into the ribs and back. Surfboard on Kingston by Bryan. Kofi gets back into the match and dumps Bryan to the floor. He hits a huge dive over the ropes to send us to commercial break.
Bryan was able to reassert control over the commercial break and continues to beat down on Kofi in the ring. Bryan dives off the top drop and drives the knee into the back of the neck of Kofi (who was dangling off the top rope). 2 count. Bryan goes for that flying headbutt and misses. (God, I HATE IT when he does that move. Seriously, just stop.) Kofi starts mounting offense and goes after Daniel Bryan. (It's 9:14 as of this moment, and they are still going. This is going to be one of THOSE shows.) Crossbody off the top by Kofi, and we only get a 2 count. Bryan drops Kofi into the turnbuckle as he was running towards Bryan. Kofi gets put in Keanu Reeves' favorite move: The Tree of Woe (or Tree of WHOA!). Baseball slide to the face. Both men are on the top rope. Kofi flips over in the suplex and lands right on Bryan's face as he comes down.
We get another commercial break. But the match is still showing on the other side of the screen. Kofi continues to go after Bryan. He springboards off the top rope, but he gets caught in a Butterfly suplex into an armbar. Kofi tries to get to the rope. But Bryan ends up letting go. (20 minutes have gone by.) The former "Yes" kicks from Bryan connect. Buzzsaw Kick connects. 1-2-Kickout by Kingston. (When was the last time Kingston had this type of performance in a singles match?) They trade roll-ups attempts. LABELL LOCK! Kofi tries to fight out and gets his feet on the rope. Bryan kicks Kofi to the floor. Running Knee Jump Attack by Bryan to Kofi on the floor. Bryan rolls Kofi back in the ring and climbs the corner. He jumps off into a dropkick by Kofi. (Really good timing on that one by Kingston.) Rowan trips up Kofi in the ring. Big E goes after Rowan, as does Xavier. They are ejected from the ringside area! (Rowan is staying.) Kicks in the corner by Bryan to Kingston. Rowan throws Kingston into the timekeeper's area behind the referee's back. The referee puts 2 and 2 together and THROWS ROWAN OUT OF THE RING! Kingston is brought back in the ring. Bryan gets ready to charge. TROUBLE IN PARADISE! 1-2-3!!! KOFI KINGSTON HAS PINNED THE WWE CHAMPION!
(That was an awesome segment in this gauntlet. Regardless of whether Kingston wins the gauntlet or not, that is a career highlight for him at this point as a singles wrestler. He just worked a near 25 minute match with Daniel Bryan and put on a really good show. Let it be known that Kofi Kingston can still go when going solo.)
Entrant #3 is Jeff Hardy.
We return to see Kingston and Hardy going back and forth. Kingston dropkicks Hardy to the floor. (30 minutes for Kofi now.) Kofi misses a dive onto Hardy using the steps, but Hardy does not. Swanton Bomb misses in the ring for Jeff. Hardy tries getting some more offense going, but Kofi ALMOST gets a roll-up on Jeff. Kingston and Hardy are going at it on the top of the corner. Kofi tries with all his might to avoid the superplex. Hardy is knocked down to the mat. Crossbody by Kofi is rolled through. 1-2 Kickout by Kofi. S.O.S.! 1-2-3!
(Kofi continues to look strong in this.... BUT HELL IS COMING!)
Entrant #4 is Samoa Joe!
After commercial break, we see Samoa Joe beating down on the 38-minute-lasting, exhausted Kofi Kingston. Kofi tries to fight back against Joe. Joe rams Kofi in the corner and hits the enziguri. 2 count only. Joe puts Kofi in an abdominal stretch. Kofi gets decked with a clothesline. 2 count only as Kofi has now lasted 40 minutes. Headlock by Joe followed by forearm shots down across the body of Kingston. Kingston gets Joe on the floor and hits a crossbody over the top. (Kingston's knees hit Joe in the face.) Both men roll in. Kingston gets completely destroyed by a lariat by Joe (a Clothesline from Hell). 2 count. Kofi continues to fight Joe with all he can. Inverted Atomic Drop by Joe stops all momentum. Joe continues to stretch and torture Kofi on the mat. Kingston kicks away Joe. Senton by Joe only gets a 2 count though. Joe is getting frustrated by being unable to put away Kingston. Kingston tries to springboard into the ring, but Joe just pushes him down to the floor. Kingston rolls back in the ring around the 8 count.
Joe twists the head and neck of Kingston. Kofi has now lasted 45 minutes. (Incredible. Kingston is going to have some momentum coming off this match if WWE books it right regardless of the outcome.) Dropkick by Kingston knocks Joe down. Kingston gets caught in the Clutch! KOFI PULLS A BRET HART AND FLIPS OVER IN THE HOLD TO PIN JOE!
Joe dumps Kofi on the back of his neck and attacks him on the floor. Clutch is locked in as officials try to pry Joe off of Kingston.
(This is awesome. Such a great way to showcase Kingston here and give him a little bit of momentum going into Elimination Chamber. He will not win that match, but he's getting one hell of a rocket boost with this performance. I think the case can be made for New Day to have runs as singles stars while still remaining a unit. Kingston is proving that he still has it as a performer. Well done.)
Entrant #5 is AJ Styles.
Styles goes after Joe to get him off Kingston. He checks on Kofi as we go to commercial break. We return to see Kofi roll into the ring. Styles tells Kofi that he can just stop. Kofi tells Styles to bring it. "Don't tell me to go home. I've been doing this for too long." AJ gives in to Kofi's wishes and begins the attack. Backbreaker by Styles. 2 count. (52 minutes in the gauntlet match for Kingston.) Kofi takes the hard whip into the corner by Styles. Styles goes after the left leg of Kingston. Kofi continues to try to fight back, but Styles just kicks the leg of Kofi to knock him back down. Styles continues to press the attack while still begging Kofi to just stay down. Kofi tries some desperation roll-ups, but Styles keeps getting out. A STO into a Backbreaker stops all of Kofi's momentum. (Kofi let up a HUGE "YELP!" after that.) Styles and Kingston fight on the apron. Kingston runs at AJ, but AJ moves out of the way. Kingston goes right into the ringpost. AJ is in the ring waiting for Kofi to get into the ring. Kofi rolls in at 9.
AJ goes after Kofi and puts him on the corner. Hurricanrana is avoided by Kofi who holds onto the ropes. He dives onto the back of the head of Styles! 1-2-Kickout! Calf Crusher by Styles! Kofi Kingston has to tap out. 60 minutes for Kofi Kingston! Wow! Kofi gets a standing ovation.
(An incredible performance by Kofi Kingston.)
Entrant #6 is Randy Orton.
AJ is waiting for Randy. RKO OUTTA NOWHERE!!!!!!!! 1-2-3!
Winner: Randy Orton
Orton wins just as the show goes off the air. (They just barely got that one in!)
Match Grade: A. Incredible. Absolutely incredible from beginning to end. Kofi Kingston's performance is worth celebrating. This is clearly SmackDown's version of what Raw did last year with Seth Rollins. But it doesn't take away from the fact that Kofi Kingston, a man who had been a tag team wrestler for the last several years, just wrestled 60 minutes against 4 other wrestlers and put on a hell of a show that had the crowd invested. I really like the ending too as it gives Randy Orton the last spot in the Chamber without breaking a sweat. Absolutely great Gauntlet Match here.
Overall, SmackDown proved to be excellent. One hour of it was damn captivating with the gauntlet match. In the first hour, you had some necessary build towards Elimination Chamber. One thing that needs to be given a plus for WWE is their build for the Women's Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber Match. It has been very well done this week. You can dwell on the fact that so many talents on SmackDown were not on this week, but they aren't working Elimination Chamber. WWE did very well with the talent that will be working the show with these 2 hours.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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