SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
LECLAIR’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
MARCH 26, 2019
UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT AT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Announcers: Todd Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
-The show opened with a wide shot of the WrestleMania sign as Big E’s New Day Introduction blared over the PA system. Todd Phillips welcome the audience to a sold out (and brightly lit) Mohegan Sun Arena as The New Day headed to the ring. Phillips mentioned that all three members of New Day may quit following the events that occurred on last week’s Smackdown.
New Day stood in the center of the ring and admired the “Kofi” chants pouring down from the crowd. Xavier said they needed to get serious for a minute. He called the last several months an “emotional roller coaster” and Big E briefly recalled the history of New Day. “It has been one hell of an experience, and we want to say thank you,” said Xavier. Big E followed up by saying, with all that in mind, the events that have transpired have led them to consider walking away. Woods said the hardest part is seeing how Kofi has been treated, not just recently, but for the entirety of his WWE career.
“This man right here [Kofi] exudes the power of positivity,” Big E said, “he doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit.” Xavier said before they make any decisions, they need to get some answers from Mr. McMahon. Woods asked McMahon to come to the ring and address New Day face to face. The iconic riff to “No Chance in Hell” filled the arena, and Mr. McMahon strutted to the ring to a subdued reaction (until the crowd eventually sang along to the theme’s chorus.) Just as Vince began to address New Day, Daniel Bryan and Rowan appeared on the stage. “Hold on,” Bryan pleaded, “don’t waste another breath placating the fragile egos of the New Day. If the New Day want to quit, let them quit.” Bryan called New Day a stale novelty act. He said Vince could create another novelty act any time he wanted by calling up three guys from NXT, calling them “Fresh Afternoon,” and having them throw out waffles to the crowd. Bryan said Kofi is a B+ player, and asked Vince not to let Big E, Xavier, or the “parasitic audience” to get in his head.
Bryan said Vince’s instincts about Kofi are 100 percent correct. He said the audience refuses to accept that reality. “The reality is that you’re too scared to face Kofi one on one,” Xavier retorted. “The reality is that you turned into a hypocrite.” Before Bryan could fire back, Vince cut him off. “You’re gonna quit?” Vince said, comically strutting about. Vince said New Day was never going to quit, it was just a psychological stunt. Vince affirmed his belief that Kofi is a B+ player and said the only question that remains is whether Big E and Xavier are a B+ tag team. “They’re lackeys!” Bryan exclaimed from the stage. “The question,” Vince declared, “is can you two put Kofi Kingston in the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania?” He told Kofi to go to the back and “have a soda or something.” Vince said that Xavier and Big E would compete in a tag team gauntlet match tonight, and, if victorious, Kofi would get his WWE Championship match at WrestleMania. The camera cut to Bryan, who was clearly flustered by the decision. New Day stared on at Vince as his music hit and the camera cut to the announcer’s desk at ringside.
(LeClair’s Analysis: Another gauntlet match? Like a lot of other angles being built for WrestleMania, this one is getting a little convoluted and drawn out. Vince has given the audience no reason to trust anything he says, so it’s getting increasingly harder to be invested in long, “stack the deck” matches without payoffs. The crowd’s tepid response to the announcement seems to be indicative of the lack of faith fans seem to have that Vince’s promises carry any weight. New Day were effective here, and Bryan was great as always. The “Fresh Afternoon” joke got an actual laugh out of me. Vince seemed fairly strong to start the promo, but had a couple of weird moments later, including some mumbling and nearly unintelligible lines.)
-Todd Phillips quickly recapped the announcement of the tag team gauntlet match, and moved onto the announcement that the Raw Women’s Championship match will main event WrestleMania. They showed tweets from various wrestlers and headlines from news outlets.
-Backstage, Sarah Schreiber stood by with Becky Lynch. She brought up Becky’s win in the Beat the Clock challenge last night on Raw. “And that’s exactly what’s going to happen at WrestleMania,” Becky said. Lynch said that Ronda is bringing the title, and she’s bringing the people, but questioned what Charlotte was bringing to the table. Before she could continue, Charlotte Flair’s music hit and the camera cut back to the arena. “Third wheel? Undeserving? I’m about to show you how deserving I am,” Charlotte said as the show headed to its first commercial break.
Back from the break, Todd Phillips teased the tag team gauntlet match for later in the night at Charlotte stood waiting in the ring. Asuka’s music hit, and the Smackdown Women’s Champion headed to the ring. With no prior announcement, Greg Hamilton announced that the match would be for the Smackdown Women’s Championship Phillips, Graves, and Saxton all vocalized surprise and shock. They wondered how Charlotte pulled this off.
(1) ASUKA vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR – Smackdown Women’s Championship match
The two circle each other and quick locked up. Charlotte used her size advantage to power Asuka into the ropes. The referee forced a break and the pair traded standing arm locks. Charlotte used Asuka’s hair to slam her to the mat, but Asuka quickly recovered and applied a headlock on Charlotte. Charlotte quickly rolled through into a leverage pin, but Asuka almost immediately used her body weight to roll back over into the headlock. Charlotte broke free and Charlotte leap frogged Asuka, but Asuka caught her with a kick to the mid section and Charlotte rolled to the outside. Phillips quickly threw to a picture-in-picture commercial. On the small screen, Charlotte stalled on the outside, jawing with the champion. Once back in the ring, she cornered Asuka and began work on her leg. Charlotte continued to dominate Asuka, working extensively on her leg throughout much of the break. Asuka briefly rolled through into a leg lock, but Charlotte was able to escape with relative ease. Flair taunted the crowded repeatedly kicked a fallen Asuka. “Talk about a detour on the road to WrestleMania,” exclaimed Phillips as the show returned to full screen. He called the title defense “inexplicable.” Charlotte rolled down her knee pad and tried to continue her assault, but the lapse in her attack allowed Asuka to recover and briefly gain control.
Off the ropes, Asuka hit a codebreaker, but couldn’t cover, selling the leg that Charlotte worked on extensively during the break. Charlotte slowly returned to her feet and the two continued to battle back and forth. Asuka connected with a hip attack, a german suplex, and then two swift kicks to the face for a near fall. Back on her feet, Charlotte thwarted a kick attempt from Asuka and connected with a big boot of her own for a near fall. Flair headed to the top rope and attempted a moonsault, but Asuka caught her and turned her into the Asuka Lock. Charlotte used her momentum to flip over into a cover, but Asuka kicked out. Both women returned to their feet, and Asuka immediately landed a roundhouse kick for a near fall. The match went to its second commercial break. Back from the break, Charlotte was delivering a series of chops to Asuka. After dropping the champion to the mat, Flair attempted the Figure Eight, but Asuka kicked her away. She followed up a side kick to the head for another near fall.
Asuka began her climb to the top rope as Charlotte slowly returned to her feet. Flair cut Asuka off with an elbow, climbed to the top rope herself, and hit a top rope Spanish fly. She hooked the leg for a very believable near fall. Charlotte crawled to Asuka. The champion began screaming, grabbing at Charlotte’s hair. Charlotte broke free with a number of mounted shots to the head. Asuka survived and locked Charlotte in a triangle choke, but Flair power lifted Asuka and slammed her with a sit out power bomb to break the hold. After a near fall, Asuka tried to lock in the Asuka Lock but Charlotte rolled through. She locked in the Figure Eight, and Asuka tapped out quickly.
WINNER: Charlotte Flair in 17:00 to win the Smackdown Women’s title
“What does this mean for WrestleMania?” asked Corey Graves. The announcers recapped the match at Charlotte celebrated with the title.
(LeClair’s Analysis: Good match, but you could smell this finish coming from a mile away. That doesn’t make it seem any less egregious or upsetting. The Raw Women’s Title match was convoluted enough, and now it’s got even more unnecessary bells and whistles. This feels like WWE believing they need to throw everything humanly possible at the wall to legitimize the women as the main event, and that simply isn’t the case. Then there’s the issue of Asuka, who has been treated as a total afterthought for the last several months, and now becomes a footnote to a story that never needed her participation.)
-As Charlotte ascended the ramp with her newly won title, Kurt Angle’s music hit. Charlotte stared him down as he walked past her. Graves teased Angle’s match with A.J. Styles (“the first time ever in WWE!”) coming up after the break.
-Back from commercial, Sarah Schreiber stood in gorilla with A.J. Styles. She mentioned his match with Randy Orton at WrestleMania, and asked if, given the circumstances, he’d be able to appreciate the moment with Kurt Angle tonight. Styles heaped praise on Angle, and said he wasn’t taking the match lightly. “Kurt may have laid the foundation, but this is the house that A.J. Styles built.” Styles music hit and he headed to the ring.
(2) A.J. STYLES vs. KURT ANGLE
Styles and Angle started things off with a handshake and hug, receiving a respectful ovation from the crowd. Angle quickly dropped Styles with a German suplex, and then attempted an Angle Slam. Styles quickly rolled Angle into the Calf Crusher. Angle teased tapping as Styles applied torque. Angle eventually found the strength to roll through and apply the Ankle Lock on Styles. Styles crawled desperately for the ropes and used his momentum to fling Angle off of him and into the corner. Styles struggled to his feet and was met with an RKO from Randy Orton, who had slid in the ring unbeknownst to the camera (but the loud cheer from the audience gave away the run-in before Orton became visible.) Angle returned to his feet and hit Orton with an Angle Slam, nearly dropping him. Angle helped Styles to his feet as Kurt’s music played.
WINNER: A.J. Styles in 2:00 by disqualification (no winner was announced)
(LeClair’s Analysis: Predictable outcome, but the right one. This gives Orton/Styles a little more backstory going into WrestleMania, and saves Kurt Angle from additional ring time. We’ve seen this match enough times in the past to know what the two were capable of doing earlier in their careers, this one didn’t need to be anything special.)
-At the announcer’s desk, Todd Phillips raised the issue between Samoa Joe and Rey Mysterio and threw to an interview conducted earlier by Kayla Braxton. In the pre-recorded interview (courtesy of WWE.com), Kayla Braxton stood with Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominick. Dominick said that Samoa Joe is nothing like Kofi Kingston or his father, and only cares about himself. Rey said Dominick is right, and that at WrestleMania, he’s going to teach Joe a lesson in humility and win the U.S. Championship for his family.
(LeClair’s Analysis: This whole angle really seemed to come out of left field, especially the inclusion of Dominick, and this did nothing to help clear that up. Both father and son served a bunch of promo platitudes and vague shots at Joe, but this feud – if you want to call it that – has no heat at all.)
-Returning to ringside, The Miz’s music hit as Saxton and Phillips discussed Mysterio’s words about Samoa Joe. Todd transitioned to Miz, saying that he has a proposition for WrestleMania. He teased that we’d find out what it is after the commercial break (and a Bobby Roode/Chad Gable Snickers ad.)
Back from commercial, the announcers talked over the various press headlines announcing Joan Jett would play Ronda Rousey to the ring at WrestleMania. In the ring, The Miz stood patiently with a microphone. Mohegan Sun showered him with a “Miz is awesome” chant. “I can’t agree with you more!” Miz said. He said that, while he’s always excited for WrestleMania, this year is different. Miz said he can’t wait to rip Shane apart. He claimed Shane has lit a fire under him that he hasn’t experienced in his thirteen plus years with the company. “I thought I’d felt every single emotion, but Shane made this personal when he attacked me from behind and put his hands on my father.” Miz’s voice shook. “I want to make sure everyone around the world sees me decimate Shane McMahon.” He proposed that his match with Shane be made Falls Count Anywhere. He said he’d take McMahon all over the stadium and showcase everything that he can do.
Shane McMahon’s music hit, and a number of security guards sauntered down the ramp. Behind them, a number of forgotten Smackdown heels (Sanity, The Colons, Shelton Benjamin) provided an extra layer of protection for Shane O’Mac, who stood guarded at the top of the stage. Shane asked for a proper introduction from Greg Hamilton. Hamilton introduced Shane as the “best in the world”, as requested. “The security is here to protect you from me,” stated Shane. Shane said that Miz must be as dumb as his father looks to want a Falls Count Anywhere match. He called for the image of him choking Miz’ father on the tron. He said he’s been watching the footage from Fastlane on repeat, and it makes him feel great. “It is absolutely euphoric, and now I’ve acquired a taste for it.” Shane happily accepted The Miz’s proposed stipulation. “My only regret,” Shane added, “is that I didn’t do more harm to your father and punish him for his greatest ‘miz-take’ in life – when he impregnated your mother.”
Miz ripped off his suit coat and ran at security, trying to get at Shane. He battled through security and began taking on the Smackdown heels. He quickly disposed of the Colons, then Shelton Benjamin, but was overcome by Sanity. They continued their assault briefly, but Miz battled back, launching himself from the barrier into the crowd and onto Killian Dain and Eric Young. He threw Alexander Wolfe into the railing of the lower bowl and turned his attention to Shane, who walked slowly to the back, avoiding confrontation.
(LeClair’s Analysis: I liked The Miz’s fire here, and thought it was effective to have him beat up some security and show some more babyface flare. It’s hard not to laugh at the roster members Shane sent out behind security, though. I can’t recall the last time any of these guys were on Smackdown. Shane’s “miz-take” line was a little cheesy, but the bulk of his promo was serviceable.)
-Todd Phillips threw to a recap of the show’s opening segment, focusing on New Day’s reluctance to remain in WWE, and Vince’s tag team gauntlet announcement. At the announcers desk, the trio pondered what would come of said match. Phillips pivoted to a recap of the Women’s Title match from earlier in the night and the crew again pondered what Charlotte’s win may mean for the WrestleMania main event. Phillips then threw to a recap video of last night’s Moment of Bliss segment where SNL’s Colin Jost and Michael Che declared entry into the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
-New Day’s music hit and the announcers discussed the pressure that Xavier Woods and Big E must be feeling heading into the gauntlet match. Phillips threw to commercial.
-A WrestleMania countdown promo lead the show back in from the commercial break. It faded into a selfie promo from The Iiconics. Peyton Royce said by now, the audience must have heard the biggest news. Billie Kay launched into a recap of many of the announcements recently made for WrestleMania, with Royce shooting her down each time. She eventually landed on the point – that the Iiconics will be competing for the Women’s Tag Team titles at WrestleMania. “This year’s WrestleMania will finally be…Iiconic!” the duo shouted.
-Back in the ring, Xavier Woods and Big E awaited their first opponents. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows headed to the ring as Greg Hamilton announced the gauntlet match.
(3a) BIG E & XAVIER WOODS vs. LUKE GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON – Gauntlet Match
Xavier came “hot out of the gate” with a dropkick on Karl Anderson. Anderson quickly gained control and back Xavier into a corner. The crowd came to life with a “New Day Rocks” chant as Xavier hit a super kick on Anderson. He tagged in Big E, who quickly knocked Gallows off the apron and scooped up Karl Anderson. Xavier headed to the top rope and the two connected with Up Up Down Down for a quick win.
ELIMINATED: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in 1:00
Backstage, Kofi Kingston stood alongside Becky Lynch, Rey Mysterio, and The Hardy Boys. They watched Big and E and Xavier await their next opponents, Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura.
(3b) BIG E & XAVIER WOODS vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA & RUSEV (w/ Lana) – Gauntlet Match continued
Woods and Nakamura squared up and circled each other briefly before Nakamura took control. He hit woods with a series of kicks out of the corner, then tagged in Rusev, who continued beating down Xavier. Eventually, Rusev thew Xavier to the outside and the show went to a picture-in-picture commercial. On the small screen, Rusev tagged Shinsuke back in and Nakamura retrieved Woods from ringside. Rusev cut Xavier off from his corner throughout the break. Back to full screen, Rusev tagged in Nakamura and the pair continued to isolate Xavier. Nakamura continued to wear down Woods as Big E willed his partner to fight to their corner. Woods eventually broke free of Nakamura’s hold with a jawbreaker, teasing a tag. Nakamura cut him off. He sent Woods back to his corner, but Xavier knocked Rusev off the apron in the process. Nakamura attempted the exploder suplex on Woods, but Woods landed on his feet and made the hot tag to Big E, who cleaned house.
Big E hit a big splash on Shinsuke and led the crowd in a “New Day Rocks” chant. Nakamura tagged out and Rusev briefly took over, but Big E ran him into the steel steps. As Rusev recovered and returned to the ring, Big E turned his attention to Nakamura. Nakamura distracted Big E long enough for Rusev to kick Big E in the side of the head. He tagged in Nakamura, and the pair executed a fireman’s carry into a suplex. Nakamura followed it up with a knee strike and pinning attempt, but Xavier Woods broke it up at two. Xavier threw Rusev to the outside, then launched himself through the ropes and onto the Bulgarian Brute. In the ring, Big E side stepped Nakamura and sent him crashing into the turnbuckle. Big E tagged in Xavier and hoisted Nakamura onto his shoulders for a second Up Up Down Down. Xavier covered Nakamura for the three count.
ELIMINATED: Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev in 7:00
Backstage, Kofi celebrated with a growing crowd of Smackdown babyfaces as The Bar made their way to the ring and the show faded to break.
(3c) BIG E & XAVIER WOODS vs. THE BAR (Sheamus & Cesaro) – Gauntlet Match continued
“This is the last chance for Kofi Kingston to make it to Wrestlemania to challenge the WWE Champion Daniel Bryan,” exclaimed Todd Phillips as the show returned from break, joining the match already in progress. Sheamus worked over Big E as Xavier tried to get the crowd to come alive. Sheamus made a tag into Cesaro, cutting off a tag attempt from Big E. He immediately began swinging Big E, and quickly transitioned into a cloverleaf. Big E tried to power himself to the ropes, but Cesaro dragged him toward the center. Big E used his strength to break free and launch Cesaro out of the ring. On wounded legs, Big E tried to reach Xavier Woods. Cesaro was able to return to the ring and tag in Sheamus, who cut off Big E. The Bar continued their assault, isolating Big E in the corner. Big E eventually knocked down both opponents and crawled to Xavier. Cesaro tried to cut him off but got backdropped out of the way. Big E made the tag. A fresh Xavier Woods ducked a clothesline from Cesaro, knocked down Sheamus, then hit Cesaro with a number of strikes.
Sheamus returned to the ring and Woods hit him with a DDT. Sheamus regrouped at ringside, joining Cesaro. Xavier took this opportunity to leap over the top rope and take out both men. He tossed Cesaro back in the ring, climbed to the top rope, and connected with a big leg drop. Sheamus saved the pinball just in time and Phillips threw to another commercial break. Back live, Cesaro had Big E in a single leg crab. Big E broke free and Cesaro tagged in Sheamus. Sheamus tried to come off the top rope with a clothesline, but Big E ducked it and followed it up with a catch powerbomb. Both men tagged out. Cesaro delivered an upper cut on Xavier for a near fall. Sheamus and Cesaro tried to isolate Xavier, not realizing Big E was down on the outside near their corner. Sheamus hoisted Xavier Woods up to deliver White Noise in tandem with Cesaro, who was perched on the middle rope. Big E popped up and pulled Cesaro out of the ring, distracting Sheamus long enough for Xavier to roll him into a school boy pin for the three count.
ELIMINATED: Sheamus & Cesaro in 12:00
After the bell, Sheamus blindsided Xavier and began stomping him on the mat. The crowd booed loudly. Big E was overcome by Cesaro and the pair continued their assault on the New Day pairing. Cesaro retrieved a table from underneath the ring. The Bar lifted Big E and slammed him through the table they’d just set up. Xavier crawled to his partner as The Usos music hit. Jimmy and Jey paced impatiently as the referee removed the remnants of the broken table from the ring. The Usos grabbed microphones. They said that everybody knows The Usos have fought wars against the New Day, and everybody knows Kofi Kingston deserves a title opportunity. They said Kofi has earned the respect of the locker room and the fans. They wished New Day good luck, and forfeited the match.
ELIMINATED: The Usos (no match, forfeit.)
Saxton praised The Usos as classy and Phillips remarked that the New Day still has hope. Backstage, WWE Champion Daniel Bryan was shown destroying his locker room in response to The Usos forfeiture. Rowan began destroying things as well as the show faded to break.
The show returned with a close up of Big E and Xavier as Big E continued to sell being put through the table. Greg Hamilton announced that Woods and Big E needed to beat one more tag team. Daniel Bryan’s music played and the champion stomped the ring with Rowan.
(3d) BIG E & XAVIER WOODS vs. DANIEL BRYAN & ROWAN – Gauntlet Match continued
Bryan and Rowan immediately began stomping away at New Day in the ring. Rowan threw Xavier Woods into the barrier at ringside, then slammed his face onto the edge of the ring. On the other side, Bryan wrapped Big E’s leg around the ring post. Phillips announced that Big E and Xavier Woods had now been in the gauntlet match for over 33 minutes. Back in the ring, Bryan continued beating down Big E, but Big E knocked Bryan away with a rush of adrenaline. He knocked Rowan off the apron, but was overcome by the champion again. Bryan locked in a single leg crab, transitioning to a leg lock and screamed “give up!” Xavier Woods returned to the fold with a big missile dropkick off the top tope to Bryan, breaking the hold. Woods followed it up with a flip over the top rope onto Rowan on the outside. In the ring, Big E used the corner to help him stand. Bryan charged at him, but Big E caught him in mid air and slammed him with an impressive standing one-armed side slam. He pulled down the steps on his singlet and waited for Bryan to stand. Once back to his feet, the champion walked into the Big Ending from Big E. Rowan broke up the near fall, then knocked Xavier off the apron. Bryan tagged in his heavy, who took Big E down and scored a near fall. From the apron, Daniel Bryan implored Rowan to clear off the announcer’s table. Rowan did as told. Meanwhile, Xavier recovered enough to hit Bryan with a spinning DDT off the apron and onto the mat at ringside. Woods was then quickly grabbed by Rowan, who tried to deliver the Iron Claw through the announcers table. Xavier broke free and sent Rowan crashing into the ring post. Big E threw Rowan into the post again, the clotheslined a stunned Rowan over the announcer’s desk. He lifted the table up and onto Rowan, trapping him on the outside. The referee began counting Rowan out, and reached ten before Rowan showed any signs of life.
WINNERS: Big E & Xavier Woods in 6:00
The crowd erupted as Kofi Kingston ran to the ring to celebrate with Big E & Xavier Woods. A “Kofi” chant broke out, first tentative, then growing in strength as it began to seem less likely the rug would be pulled out from underneath them. As New Day celebrated, the camera cut to Kayla Braxton in the parking lot, who was approaching Vince McMahon as he got into his limo. Kayla asked if the match result meant that Kofi Kingston would be going to WrestleMania. Vince said yes. “The question is, can a B+ player defeat Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship?” Vince told Kayla to have a good night, and got in his limo.
Back at ringside, the babyface locker room flooded the ringside area, showering Kofi with applause. Byron Saxton left his position at the announcer’s desk to join them. The show faded to black.
(LeClair’s Analysis: Well, I’m glad the match is finally made, but tonight seemed a little unnecessary. In the end, all it took for Kofi Kingston to get a WWE Title match at WrestleMania was his partners winning an arbitrary gauntlet match after Kofi himself had already competed (and basically won) an arbitrary gauntlet match. It doesn’t really make sense that this would be the deciding factor for Vince, but, it is what it is. The match was solid, but the number of gauntlet matches in recent months has been a little overwhelming. Hopefully they shelve the concept for a while.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Some positive developments for WrestleMania, despite a lot of convoluted over-booking to arrive there. Kofi’s triumph by proxy was the highlight of the show, but Asuka’s unceremonious title loss (after an unceremonious title reign) left a bad taste in my mouth on this show overall.
RECOMMENDED: TOP 3 DEVELOPMENTS – SMACKDOWN 3/16: Charlotte the New Champion, Miz and Shane, Kofi Gets His Shot
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.