WWE continues to promote its NXT talent while SmackDown continues pushing a deserving veteran talent.
SmackDown Thoughts (Recorded as show aired 2/19/19)
- Shane McMahon comes out first to start the show.
While he is coming out, we get highlights of the great performance Kofi Kingston gave during the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match. The men in that match will be facing off in a 6-Man Tag Match.
Shane announces that the NXT stars that were on Raw will be on SmackDown tonight. The Miz comes out and interrupts. Miz tells Shane that he's been guilt-ridden since losing the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at the Elimination Chamber Match. Miz lets Shane in on a secret: Miz used Shane. He goes over the history of their team, including Miz's Dad coming out. Miz let Shane down at Elimination Chamber. Miz wants a rematch despite there being no "automatic rematches" anymore. (Tell Ruby Riott that. You can lose in 2 minutes and get a rematch the next night.) Miz gets the crowd to chant "rematch."
Here come The Usos. They yell "WHOA!" a bunch of times. They want to give McMiz the rematch, but they know Shane knows that Miz is a joke, a loser, a failure, a fraud, and a C-Lister. Shane tells The Usos that it is on and happening at Fastlane in Cleveland, Miz's hometown.
(So, the question becomes which one of these two will turn on the other. I'm not a huge fan of this storyline, but there seems to be at least some sort of progression going on. I am really hoping they do a Shane heel turn at Cleveland. Miz attacking Shane in Cleveland would only get cheers from the hometown crowd.)
- AND HERE COMES ALEISTER BLACK! Aleister Black will be taking on Andrade. Good "NXT" chant from the crowd. Last year, these guys were competing for the NXT Championship around this time. Speaking of that title, Ciampa, its current holder, and Johnny Gargano are backstage watching the match unfold. Andrade gets the advantage for most of the opening moments, but Black ducks a knee into the corner. And while Andrade goes to the floor, Black does the backflip into the seated pose taunt. During commercial, Black asserts control and locks in an armlock. Both men eventually end up on the ring frame trading blows. Eventually, Andrade gets the advantage with a superkick and a Reverse DDT onto the knee and the ring frame.
Andrade and Black trade kicks in a corner at one point. Black kicking up at Andrade, knocking him back down to the mat. Loud "Aleister" chant as we return to full screen. Big knee to the face by Black. Black goes for his Asai Moonsault, but Andrade pushes him out to the floor instead. Back in the ring, Andrade and Black continue to go at it. Black gets a kick and a Snap German Suplex Bridge for a 2 count. Andrade flips Black into the corner. Running Knees into the face of Black. 1-2-Kickout! Hammerlock DDT avoided. BLACK MASS!!!! 1-2-3!
(A MUCH better match here for Aleister Black. Andrade can probably take this loss and not lose much. He's still in a program with Rey Mysterio the last time I checked, and Rey will help him out in the long run.)
- We see Ciampa and Gargano in the backstage area. Gargano mentions going to war with Ciampa last year. He mentions that this (the two of them) is the future. The Bar comes in and tells them to go back to NXT. No one cares who they are. (Is that Vince talking?) Gargano tells them they are going to break "the bar."
- Kofi is with Styles and Jeff. Kofi offers a "pancake branch," instead of an olive branch. (Ok. That's at least slightly funny.)
- The Bar take on Gargano and Ciampa next. The Bar are laughing at Ciampa and Gargano as they come down to the ring. Ciampa gets a few good kicks on Sheamus's head. Tags to Gargano and Cesaro. Cesaro overpowers Gargano early on, and Gargano gets a couple moves in. But a big uppercut by Cesaro ends the momentum. Tag to Sheamus by Cesaro. Gargano gets the tag to Ciampa. The former DIY get a few tandem moves on The Bar, including a nice Suicide Dive by Gargano. But The Bar beat them both up on the floor to get us to the break.
We return from break to see Ciampa get beaten down by The Bar. Gargano gets knocked off his corner too. Ciampa eventually fights off The Bar and tags in Gargano. Gargano launches himself at Sheamus and is able to fight off Cesaro. Slingshot DDT to Cesaro in the ring only gets a 2. Gargano Escape on Cesaro! Cesaro uses his size to power up. Backbreaker. Tag to Sheamus. Sheamus flies off the corner with a knee drop while Gargano is being backbroken. 2 count only as Ciampa breaks it up. Irish Curse Backbreaker by Sheamus. 2 count. Sheamus slaps Gargano in the face and trash talks him. Superkick by Gargano. 2 count only. Cesaro gets the tag. Cesaro doesn't see the blind tag by Ciampa. Roll-up! 1-2-3! Gargano and Ciampa have pinned The Bar and The Revival in back to back nights.
(Another good match here for the former DIY. However, I feel the opposite about this than I did for Aleister Black. I feel that they had a better match on Raw. Still, this was good from both teams. The roll-up victory helps The Bar have an excuse for losing the match.)
- ASUKA is on SmackDown for the first time in a few weeks. You'd think the SmackDown Women's Champion would be featured more often. Asuka is being interviewed by Kayla Braxton. Asuka doesn't care about Charlotte or Becky. She's beat them both. Who's ready for Asuka? Here comes Mandy Rose. She tells Asuka that she is ready for Asuka. I guess we're getting a match. That was anticlimactic. They start wrestling. Then, Lacey Evans comes out. She goes to the end of the aisle and walks back. Mandy Rose attacks Asuka from behind while Lacey walks to the back. Mandy goes to the floor to talk with Sonya. Mandy goes back to attack Asuka quickly in the ring. Did they mistime the commercial break? Yes. They did. Asuka dumps her back to the floor as we go to a commercial break.
We return from break to see Asuka getting beaten down by Mandy Rose. But Asuka starts hitting her trademark kicks and attacks. Mandy complains about her eye being hurt. The referee is checking on her. She throws Asuka against the ropes and rolls her up for the win.
(Remember when Asuka was awesome and had that incredible undefeated streak where she wouldn't be caught dead losing to wrestlers like Mandy Rose? God that seems like a long time ago. Still, this is a way to get some heat on Rose to set up a future SmackDown Women's Championship match, probably at Fastlane. But I'm still kinda upset about the fact that they bring back Asuka to TV for the first time in about a month only to have her lose her first match as champion. That doesn't make her look very good, does it?)
- Charlotte is interviewed backstage about the last few days. Charlotte shows off her bruises. Charlotte calls Becky a ghost that doesn't exist. She recalls what happened this weekend. She's main-eventing WrestleMania with Rousey.
- The Miz is really happy. He tells Shane that his dad will be at ringside for their match at Fastlane.
- Ricochet takes on Eric Young (speaking of wrestlers who have gone missing) next. (I guess they also found Dain and Wolfe in catering as well.) Ricochet hits his big offense on Eric Young and sends him to the floor. Wolfe distracts Ricochet causing Young to get the advantage. As you would expect, Young gets a couple moves in, but Ricochet starts getting his offense back in soon after. Eric bounces out of the ring after a rolling dropkick. Wolfe get kicked off the apron. Dain and Young get taken out by a dive by Ricochet. Young gets kicked in the face and falls just perfectly for Ricochet's finisher off the corner. 630 splash. 1-2-3.
(And the verdict is in: By 2-1, the NXT stars looked better on Raw than they did on SmackDown. This was an alright match, but there isn't much interest to be given here. Let's be honest: Sanity has been rendered as nothing but job... enhancement talent... since coming to the main roster. The match might as well have been on Main Event.)
- The New Day are interviewed in Gorilla. Xavier puts over the fact that Kofi has been doing this for 11 days. Kofi puts over the fans and The New Day brothers. We actually get to see Big E doing his "intro" in Gorilla position. #KofiMania
- The Main Event is Kofi, AJ, and Hardy vs. Bryan, Orton, and Joe. Daniel Bryan comes out and declares that none of the men in the 6-Man Tag will be challenging him at Fastlane for the WWE Championship. We return from commercial break to see Jeff getting beaten down by the heels. Joe, Bryan, and Orton all take turns beating him down. Hardy gets a desperation tag to Kofi Kingston. Kingston dumps out all the heels and goes to the top rope. But Bryan pushes him off onto the floor. Orton does his patented backdrop onto the table.
We return from break to see the heels beating down on Kofi Kingston. Randy Orton decides to dump Kofi on the table again before going back to work on him in the ring. Eventually Styles and Bryan are the legal men. Styles goes after Bryan with some ruthless aggression. Orton runs in and suffers a kick for his trouble. Calf Crusher on Bryan. Joe breaks that up. Twist of Fate to Joe. Hardy gets dumped on the floor. Orton gets dumped out. Labell Lock on Styles, but he gets to the ropes. Pele Kick to Bryan. Kofi is waiting for the tag as the crowd cheers. Kofi gets the tag. Kofi dives out and takes out even his partners. Big Missile Dropkick to Bryan. Bryan runs to the floor. TRUST FALL TO BRYAN AND ROWAN! Kofi rolls Bryan in the ring. Trouble in Paradise! 1-2-3! KOFI HAS PINNED BRYAN AGAIN!
(That last minute was insane as Kofi just took it to another level.)
Shane McMahon comes out and announces Daniel Bryan will be defending his championship against KOFI KINGSTON! The crowd erupts.
(Well, that sets up an interesting scenario for Fastlane. Will Kofi finally get the championship, or will they do a Dusty Finish to set up WrestleMania? Or does WWE have someone else in mind for a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania? I'm all for Kofi getting the shot at WrestleMania again even with a Dusty Finish at Fastlane.)
Overall, this was a mixed bag episode of SmackDown, much like Raw the night before. You had the NXT talent looking good, although the matches were mostly not as good as the night before. We had Asuka show up just to lose. Eric Young is still employed. So, that's a positive. But for all that, we have Kofi's push continuing. And here's hoping that push is not just a Fastlane and done thing. This wasn't a great week for the main roster of WWE, but it could prove to be a better week for the NXT crew. Tomorrow Night could be huge for the future of the NXT brand if "the rumor and innuendo" are true.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
SmackDown Thoughts (Recorded as show aired 2/19/19)
- Shane McMahon comes out first to start the show.
While he is coming out, we get highlights of the great performance Kofi Kingston gave during the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match. The men in that match will be facing off in a 6-Man Tag Match.
Shane announces that the NXT stars that were on Raw will be on SmackDown tonight. The Miz comes out and interrupts. Miz tells Shane that he's been guilt-ridden since losing the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at the Elimination Chamber Match. Miz lets Shane in on a secret: Miz used Shane. He goes over the history of their team, including Miz's Dad coming out. Miz let Shane down at Elimination Chamber. Miz wants a rematch despite there being no "automatic rematches" anymore. (Tell Ruby Riott that. You can lose in 2 minutes and get a rematch the next night.) Miz gets the crowd to chant "rematch."
Here come The Usos. They yell "WHOA!" a bunch of times. They want to give McMiz the rematch, but they know Shane knows that Miz is a joke, a loser, a failure, a fraud, and a C-Lister. Shane tells The Usos that it is on and happening at Fastlane in Cleveland, Miz's hometown.
(So, the question becomes which one of these two will turn on the other. I'm not a huge fan of this storyline, but there seems to be at least some sort of progression going on. I am really hoping they do a Shane heel turn at Cleveland. Miz attacking Shane in Cleveland would only get cheers from the hometown crowd.)
- AND HERE COMES ALEISTER BLACK! Aleister Black will be taking on Andrade. Good "NXT" chant from the crowd. Last year, these guys were competing for the NXT Championship around this time. Speaking of that title, Ciampa, its current holder, and Johnny Gargano are backstage watching the match unfold. Andrade gets the advantage for most of the opening moments, but Black ducks a knee into the corner. And while Andrade goes to the floor, Black does the backflip into the seated pose taunt. During commercial, Black asserts control and locks in an armlock. Both men eventually end up on the ring frame trading blows. Eventually, Andrade gets the advantage with a superkick and a Reverse DDT onto the knee and the ring frame.
Andrade and Black trade kicks in a corner at one point. Black kicking up at Andrade, knocking him back down to the mat. Loud "Aleister" chant as we return to full screen. Big knee to the face by Black. Black goes for his Asai Moonsault, but Andrade pushes him out to the floor instead. Back in the ring, Andrade and Black continue to go at it. Black gets a kick and a Snap German Suplex Bridge for a 2 count. Andrade flips Black into the corner. Running Knees into the face of Black. 1-2-Kickout! Hammerlock DDT avoided. BLACK MASS!!!! 1-2-3!
(A MUCH better match here for Aleister Black. Andrade can probably take this loss and not lose much. He's still in a program with Rey Mysterio the last time I checked, and Rey will help him out in the long run.)
- We see Ciampa and Gargano in the backstage area. Gargano mentions going to war with Ciampa last year. He mentions that this (the two of them) is the future. The Bar comes in and tells them to go back to NXT. No one cares who they are. (Is that Vince talking?) Gargano tells them they are going to break "the bar."
- Kofi is with Styles and Jeff. Kofi offers a "pancake branch," instead of an olive branch. (Ok. That's at least slightly funny.)
- The Bar take on Gargano and Ciampa next. The Bar are laughing at Ciampa and Gargano as they come down to the ring. Ciampa gets a few good kicks on Sheamus's head. Tags to Gargano and Cesaro. Cesaro overpowers Gargano early on, and Gargano gets a couple moves in. But a big uppercut by Cesaro ends the momentum. Tag to Sheamus by Cesaro. Gargano gets the tag to Ciampa. The former DIY get a few tandem moves on The Bar, including a nice Suicide Dive by Gargano. But The Bar beat them both up on the floor to get us to the break.
We return from break to see Ciampa get beaten down by The Bar. Gargano gets knocked off his corner too. Ciampa eventually fights off The Bar and tags in Gargano. Gargano launches himself at Sheamus and is able to fight off Cesaro. Slingshot DDT to Cesaro in the ring only gets a 2. Gargano Escape on Cesaro! Cesaro uses his size to power up. Backbreaker. Tag to Sheamus. Sheamus flies off the corner with a knee drop while Gargano is being backbroken. 2 count only as Ciampa breaks it up. Irish Curse Backbreaker by Sheamus. 2 count. Sheamus slaps Gargano in the face and trash talks him. Superkick by Gargano. 2 count only. Cesaro gets the tag. Cesaro doesn't see the blind tag by Ciampa. Roll-up! 1-2-3! Gargano and Ciampa have pinned The Bar and The Revival in back to back nights.
(Another good match here for the former DIY. However, I feel the opposite about this than I did for Aleister Black. I feel that they had a better match on Raw. Still, this was good from both teams. The roll-up victory helps The Bar have an excuse for losing the match.)
- ASUKA is on SmackDown for the first time in a few weeks. You'd think the SmackDown Women's Champion would be featured more often. Asuka is being interviewed by Kayla Braxton. Asuka doesn't care about Charlotte or Becky. She's beat them both. Who's ready for Asuka? Here comes Mandy Rose. She tells Asuka that she is ready for Asuka. I guess we're getting a match. That was anticlimactic. They start wrestling. Then, Lacey Evans comes out. She goes to the end of the aisle and walks back. Mandy Rose attacks Asuka from behind while Lacey walks to the back. Mandy goes to the floor to talk with Sonya. Mandy goes back to attack Asuka quickly in the ring. Did they mistime the commercial break? Yes. They did. Asuka dumps her back to the floor as we go to a commercial break.
We return from break to see Asuka getting beaten down by Mandy Rose. But Asuka starts hitting her trademark kicks and attacks. Mandy complains about her eye being hurt. The referee is checking on her. She throws Asuka against the ropes and rolls her up for the win.
(Remember when Asuka was awesome and had that incredible undefeated streak where she wouldn't be caught dead losing to wrestlers like Mandy Rose? God that seems like a long time ago. Still, this is a way to get some heat on Rose to set up a future SmackDown Women's Championship match, probably at Fastlane. But I'm still kinda upset about the fact that they bring back Asuka to TV for the first time in about a month only to have her lose her first match as champion. That doesn't make her look very good, does it?)
- Charlotte is interviewed backstage about the last few days. Charlotte shows off her bruises. Charlotte calls Becky a ghost that doesn't exist. She recalls what happened this weekend. She's main-eventing WrestleMania with Rousey.
- The Miz is really happy. He tells Shane that his dad will be at ringside for their match at Fastlane.
- Ricochet takes on Eric Young (speaking of wrestlers who have gone missing) next. (I guess they also found Dain and Wolfe in catering as well.) Ricochet hits his big offense on Eric Young and sends him to the floor. Wolfe distracts Ricochet causing Young to get the advantage. As you would expect, Young gets a couple moves in, but Ricochet starts getting his offense back in soon after. Eric bounces out of the ring after a rolling dropkick. Wolfe get kicked off the apron. Dain and Young get taken out by a dive by Ricochet. Young gets kicked in the face and falls just perfectly for Ricochet's finisher off the corner. 630 splash. 1-2-3.
(And the verdict is in: By 2-1, the NXT stars looked better on Raw than they did on SmackDown. This was an alright match, but there isn't much interest to be given here. Let's be honest: Sanity has been rendered as nothing but job... enhancement talent... since coming to the main roster. The match might as well have been on Main Event.)
- The New Day are interviewed in Gorilla. Xavier puts over the fact that Kofi has been doing this for 11 days. Kofi puts over the fans and The New Day brothers. We actually get to see Big E doing his "intro" in Gorilla position. #KofiMania
- The Main Event is Kofi, AJ, and Hardy vs. Bryan, Orton, and Joe. Daniel Bryan comes out and declares that none of the men in the 6-Man Tag will be challenging him at Fastlane for the WWE Championship. We return from commercial break to see Jeff getting beaten down by the heels. Joe, Bryan, and Orton all take turns beating him down. Hardy gets a desperation tag to Kofi Kingston. Kingston dumps out all the heels and goes to the top rope. But Bryan pushes him off onto the floor. Orton does his patented backdrop onto the table.
We return from break to see the heels beating down on Kofi Kingston. Randy Orton decides to dump Kofi on the table again before going back to work on him in the ring. Eventually Styles and Bryan are the legal men. Styles goes after Bryan with some ruthless aggression. Orton runs in and suffers a kick for his trouble. Calf Crusher on Bryan. Joe breaks that up. Twist of Fate to Joe. Hardy gets dumped on the floor. Orton gets dumped out. Labell Lock on Styles, but he gets to the ropes. Pele Kick to Bryan. Kofi is waiting for the tag as the crowd cheers. Kofi gets the tag. Kofi dives out and takes out even his partners. Big Missile Dropkick to Bryan. Bryan runs to the floor. TRUST FALL TO BRYAN AND ROWAN! Kofi rolls Bryan in the ring. Trouble in Paradise! 1-2-3! KOFI HAS PINNED BRYAN AGAIN!
(That last minute was insane as Kofi just took it to another level.)
Shane McMahon comes out and announces Daniel Bryan will be defending his championship against KOFI KINGSTON! The crowd erupts.
(Well, that sets up an interesting scenario for Fastlane. Will Kofi finally get the championship, or will they do a Dusty Finish to set up WrestleMania? Or does WWE have someone else in mind for a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania? I'm all for Kofi getting the shot at WrestleMania again even with a Dusty Finish at Fastlane.)
Overall, this was a mixed bag episode of SmackDown, much like Raw the night before. You had the NXT talent looking good, although the matches were mostly not as good as the night before. We had Asuka show up just to lose. Eric Young is still employed. So, that's a positive. But for all that, we have Kofi's push continuing. And here's hoping that push is not just a Fastlane and done thing. This wasn't a great week for the main roster of WWE, but it could prove to be a better week for the NXT crew. Tomorrow Night could be huge for the future of the NXT brand if "the rumor and innuendo" are true.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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