LECLAIR’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 2/12: Alt perspective, detailed coverage of Seth Rollins’ return, Roman Reigns’ announcement, more

LECLAIR’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
FEBRUARY 12, 2021
ST. PETERSBURG, FL IN WWE THUNDERDOME AT TROPICANA FIELD
AIRED LIVE ON FOX NETWORK

Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

-A loud roar of thunder gave way to a shot of pyro to the stage of the Thunderdome to open the show. Michael Cole welcomed the audience to the “award winning” venue.

-Roman Reigns’s music played and the Universal Champion sauntered onto the stage, flanked by Paul Heyman and Jey Uso. Reigns carried the title at his side, nonchalantly. Graves said the champion appears to be in a foul mood, and for good reason. Greg Hamilton introduced the trio. Cole and Graves recapped the situation that transpired between Reigns, Edge, and Kevin Owens on last week’s show.

Adam Pearce was shown standing in the ring, waiting for Reigns to make his descent down the ramp. Reigns took his time, as usual. Paul Heyman handed Reigns a microphone. Reigns admonished Pearce for standing so far away from him. “I don’t wait on you, you wait on me.” Reigns told Pearce that he has no authority over him, that he calls no shots. Reigns called himself the sun, saving everything revolves on him

Reigns turned his attention to Edge. “I don’t wait on Edge,” Roman said. He claimed Edge was nervous, and downright scared after looking him in the eye. Reigns said he’d beat Edge down so bad that he’d have to sign a legends contract and become an ambassador. Roman said he doesn’t want to wait until after Elimination Chamber for Edge to make his decision. “He’s hoping someone can come along and take this title,” Reigns surmised.

Roman said he’ll hold onto the title until he decides to let it go. He asked Pearce to let him know about Elimination Chamber. Pearce said that, like Drew McIntyre, Roman will defend the Universal title in an Elimination Chamber match. Reigns shook his head and laugh. “I’m gonna let you deal with Paul on this one,” Reigns said. He handed off his mic and stepped back.

Paul said he understands that Pearce has had this agreement ready to go for a week. Heyman claimed that Roman’s contract stipulates that he will appear at major events, and Elimination Chamber is one of those events, but it does not say that Roman will have to compete in Elimination Chamber. Heyman suggested that Reigns face the winner of an Elimination Chamber match the same night. “I can see by the look on your face you don’t like it,” Paul claimed, “but what are you gonna do about it?”

Heyman said that Roman is necessary for a successful WrestleMania. He offered last year’s fan-less, and Reigns-less event as proof of this. Pearce said he now has some work to do, namely by making some qualifying matches for the Chamber. Pearce decided that Jey Uso will compete in the Chamber, and so will Kevin Owens. Pearce left the ring.

Reigns left the ring and got in Pearce’s face. He said he doesn’t care about Owens, he only cares about Pearce. Heyman stepped in quickly to calm Reigns down. “You call the shots around here,” Paul said. Reigns reluctantly stepped back.

(LeClair’s Analysis: Reigns and Heyman were great here, but why is this a thing? Clearly, the winner of the chamber match is at an extreme disadvantage going into a Universal title match with a fresh Roman Reigns. Are we to believe that Reigns has a special contract that allows him to downright refuse matches? Why hasn’t he done so in the past? I understand that he’s thrown his weight around to force stipulations and situations that play to his favor, but his dynamic with Pearce has mostly allowed WWE management to “one up” Roman and get him into matches. I’m not going to harp on this too harshly, as I think what Reigns, Heyman, and Jey Uso are doing is enough to overcome most, if not all, shoddy booking, but I would like to have seen a little more pushback from Pearce before he just threw in the towel and said “welp, I can’t make you do anything.”)

-Michael Cole hyped up the return of Seth Rollins before sending the show to break.

-Sonya Deville crossed paths with Adam Pearce backstage. She suggested turning tonight’s tag team match between King Corbin and Sami Zayn against The Mysterios be turned into an Elimination Chamber qualifier. Pearce liked the idea. Deville said she already set it up.

-Rey and Dominick Mysterio headed to the ring for their Elimination Chamber qualifier. King Corbin followed. Cole talked up his previous appearance in the Chamber match. Sami Zayn came to the ring with his video crew. He cut off Greg Hamilton, saying it wouldn’t be Friday night if management weren’t trying to “stick it” to Sami Zayn. He complained about having to qualify for the chamber match. Zayn said he and Corbin are suffering injustices. He said Rey and Dominick are the poster boys for management interference, but said he and Corbin would be the ones advancing tonight.

(1) REY & DOMINICK MYSTERIO vs. KING CORBIN & SAMI ZAYN – Elimination Chamber qualifying match

Rey Mysterio began the match with King Corbin. Mysterio quickly tripped Corbin into the ropes and set up for the 619, but Sami Zayn grabbed Rey’s leg and tripped him up, pulling him to the outside. Dominick Mysterio launched himself onto Zayn as Rey returned to the ring. Corbin and Mysterio got tied up near the ropes and Rey round up dumping Corbin over the top to the outside. Cole sent the show to commercial.

King Corbin had Mysterio in a modified chin lock when the show returned from break. Mysterio fought his way out of the hold, but Corbin caught him by the throat and scooped him up for a choke slam. Rey managed to break free and trip Corbin into the turnbuckle. Corbin tagged in Sami Zayn. Rey darted across the ring and tagged in Dominick.

Dominick whipped Sami to the corner and caught him with a big running elbow. He leapt to the second rope and hit a quick spinning tornado DDT, covering Zayn for a near fall. Dominick slammed Zayn’s head into the turnbuckle and then hit a quick leaping senton from the apron. Corbin tried to get involved, but Corbin took him down as well. Zayn recovered, attacking Dominick from behind and hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall of his own.

Zayn set up Dominick for a suplex. Dominick spun through it and hit a neckbreaker. Dom covered, but Corbin broke it up. Mysterio came in to provide assistance. He tripped Corbin into the ropes and he and Dominick hit a double 619. Corbin fell to the outside. Mysterio leapt onto Corbin. Zayn caught Dominick with a quick exploder suplex, then followed it up with the Heluva Kick to pin Dominick for three.

WINNER: Sami Zayn & King Corbin in 7:00

(LeClair’s Analysis: None of these four really strike me as viable or interesting Chamber match competitors. Nothing against Zayn, who is doing great work in this role, but it’s hard to imagine anyone taking him seriously as a contender. Corbin certainly careers little credibility here, and the Mysterios have hardly been booked in a way that would suggest they’re deserving of a title match. In any case, this match was just the next step in this meandering feud that seems to serve little purpose other than to keep everyone involved busy.)

-Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode approached Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville in a backstage office. Roode suggested he and Ziggler be added to the chamber match. Deville asked if they wanted to enter the match together, as one entrant. They clarified. Sonya laughed, offering them a real opportunity against Cesaro and Daniel Bryan.

-Big E headed to the ring as Cole sent the show to break.

-Out of the break, Cole and Graves recapped last week’s segment involving Bianca Belair, Sasha Banks, Carmella, and Reginald.

-Reginald approached Sasha Banks backstage with a glass of champagne on a tray. Banks told him she’s the boss around here. Reginald apologized to her. Banks took the champagne and told Reginald to send Carmella her regards.

-The Progressive Match Flo recapped Big E’s Intercontinental title defense against Apollo Crews and Sami Zayn from last week’s show.

-Big E stood in the ring with a microphone following the video. He said the odds were against him in his title defense last week, but, “much like Tom Brady on a celebratory boat parade, I was still standing!” E said he made a vow to be a fighting champion. He claimed that he was excited to put the Crews and Zayn chapter behind him. Just as he began to turn the page, Apollo Crews’ music interrupted him.

Crews said he can read Big E, and it seems like he’s about to issue an open challenge for the Intercontinental title. Crews accepted the challenge. Big E said Crews was kind of right, because he was going to offer an open challenge to literally anyone but Apollo Crews. Crews scoffed, saying that Big E is supposed to be the guy who takes on all challengers. Big E spoke to Crews off mic, saying he’s beaten him over and over.

E told Crews to go back to catering. He called Crews a charity case. Crews refused to back down. “You and me are done,” E said. Crews continued to jaw at Big E as E stepped away from him. “Bring out my next challenger,” Big E said declaratively. Shinsuke Nakamura’s music hit. Crews stepped outside the ring, reluctantly. Cole said E would face Nakamura next.

(2) BIG E (c) vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA – WWE Intercontinental title match

The match was already in progress when the show returned from break. Shinsuke Nakamura dropped Big E and hit a sliding dropkick, covering him for a quick two count. Big E retreated to the corner. Nakamura charged at him, but E caught him with a surprise back elbow. E positioned Nakamura on the apron, then hit his signature splash before rolling Shinsuke back in the ring for a cover and another two count.

Apollo Crews leapt on the apron, cheering on Shinsuke. Big E stepped to him and Crews dropped back to the floor. Nakamura tried for an exploder suplex, but E blocked it. Nakamura worked Big E to the corner and delivered a big knee to the gut. Shinsuke climbed to the second rope and caught E with a leaping knee to the face. He covered for a two count.

Shinsuke drove his knee into the neck, shoulder, and side of Big E. He set up for the Kinshasa, but Big E blocked it and went for the Big Ending. Nakamura slid down the back and hit the step through enziguri. He set up for the Kinshasa a second time, but E caught him with an Uranagi.

Big E set up for the Big Ending again. He scooped Nakamura up, but Apollo Crews hit the ring and dropkicked Big E, causing the disqualification.

WINNER: Big E by disqualification in 4:00 (partial)

(LeClair’s Analysis: I enjoyed the brief promo from Big E, and the attitude from Crews. This slow burn turn for Apollo has been effective at rebuilding him into an actual credible mid-card act that can be more than just a jobber to the stars. There is a ceiling for Apollo, but it’s certainly higher than the one he’s been hitting his head on for years. As for the match, though, they sure cooled on Nakamura fast after that impressive gauntlet performance. I get that this story is about Crews right now, but Nakamura was barely an afterthought. It didn’t even feel like they really had any interest in acknowledging the fact that Crews not only wronged Big E, but he also cost Nakamura an opportunity at the Intercontinental title. I don’t really trust WWE to even bother addressing this going forward. It feels like Shinsuke was just a warm body to get them where they needed to go with Big E and Apollo. He deserves more than that.)

-The Smackdown locker room headed to the ring for Seth Rollins’ return. Cole wasn’t clear about why they’d all want to be out there for his return, but said Rollins was up next.

-The entire locker room surrounded the ring when the show returned from break. Seth Rollins’ old music hit, “burn it down” pyro and all. Rollins came to the ring in a shiny suit, still wearing a single glove. Rollins looked around the Thunderdome, and down at his peers at ringside.

“Man, it feels good to be back!” Rollins exclaimed. He said it feels right, that this is where he belongs. Seth said a lot has changed since he sacrificed himself at Survivor Series. He claimed the thing that has changed the most is him. Seth said as most people know, he recently became a parent. He said he’s the father of a beautiful, perfect baby girl and that she’s changed his life in ways he never could have dreamed.

Rollins said his new perception has given him a new vision. He claimed he sees some of the most talented performers in the history of the industry surrounding the ring. “Where do I fit in?” Rollins asked. He said after a lot of self reflection, he came to the realization that he’s the great leader that Smackdown needs to make it even better. Rollins said leadership is about what he can do for the other members of the roster. The locker room began filing out, quickly. Rollins said all the locker room needs to do is embrace the vision.

Rollins finally looked up to realize everyone had left, except for Cesaro. Seth smiled. He said he knew Cesaro would get it. Cesaro shook his head, walking away. Rollins rushed out of the ring and attacked Cesaro from behind. “You’ll never live up to your potential!” Rollins screamed. Officials spilled from the back to pull Rollins away. Daniel Bryan returned to fight Seth off. Bryan checked on Cesaro as Rollins scowled.

(LeClair’s Analysis: Weird segment. It was never really explained why the entire locker room would gather just to hear Seth talk. If he was such a bad guy before, why would they be willing to now give him the benefit of the doubt? Why was Rollins using his old music? Was it a trick, or just a stylistic choice to move away from the savior theme? I never thought this gimmick was particularly strong, and I was sort of hoping to see Seth move away from it. This whole return, to me, has felt a little off. Rollins already returned at the Rumble, as a heel, sporting the same gimmick. Then, they hyped his return to Smackdown under the guise that he’d somehow returned to his roots. Surprise! It’s the same Seth Rollins doing the same stuff and talking about the same things.)

-Bayley headed to the ring as the show went to break.

The Riott Squad came to the ring following the break. Cole and Graves broke down last week’s events between Bayley and the Squad.

(3) BAYLEY vs. LIV MORGAN (w/ Ruby Riott)

Liv Morgan caught Bayley with a running drop kick right out of the gate. Bayley shook it off and tossed Morgan into the corner. Morgan quickly leaped over Bayley, ducked a clothesline and tripped her into the ropes. Morgan leapt onto the second rope and hit a quick missile dropkick. Morgan covered Bayley for a two count.

Bayley rolled to the outside to regroup. Natalya and Tamina were shown watching on a monitor backstage. Liv Morgan left the ring to attack Bayley. She tried to get a leaping start off the ring steps, but Bayley side stepped her, sending Morgan crashing into the barricade.

Bayley rolled Morgan into the ring and took control. She draped Liv across the middle rope and choked her until the ref reached a count of four. Morgan managed to recover quickly and hit a springboard face buster for a near fall. Morgan leapt onto the ropes again, but Bayley cut her off and ripped her from the turnbuckle. She hit a quick shoulder breaker. Morgan rolled around the mat, screaming and clutching her arm. Bayley tried to pull her in, but Morgan hit a quick enziguri and followed up with double knees to the face for a near fall.

Billie Kay came to ringside and gave Ruby Riott a peace offering in the form of resumes. Riott punched the papers out of Billie’s arms, sending them flying into the ring. The referee was distracted, allowing Bayley to poke Morgan in the eye and deliver the Rose Plant for an easy three count.

WINNER: Bayley in 4:00

(LeClair’s Analysis: Yikes. Look, the match itself wasn’t bad for what it was. Liv Morgan is much improved and Bayley is a really good ring general with lesser experienced opponents. The problem is, the Riott Squad has no credibility and no momentum. They lose, they lose again, then they lose some more, whether Billie Kay is involved or not. I understand that they’re trying to get this Billie gimmick over, but it makes the Riott Squad look stupid for even continuing to engage with her.)

-Kayla Braxton stood backstage with Cesaro and Daniel Bryan. She asked Cesaro if he could still compete in the tag team match tonight with Bryan. Cesaro said he would. He thanked Bryan for his help. Bryan told Kayla “that dude is tough.”

-After a video package showing the Street Profits’ visit to the site of the Daytona 500 earlier in the week, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford headed to the ring. On an inset promo, Ford and Dawkins said that though they’re focused on their tag team title rematch, tonight, they’re focused on Otis and Chad Gable. Cole sent the show to break.

The Street Profits continued to pose in the ring following the break. Otis and Chad Gable came to the ring. On an inset promo, Otis and Gable talked about training to beat the Street Profits. Gable pumped smoke into the room while Otis did squats.

(4) THE STREET PROFITS (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. OTIS & CHAD GABLE

Chad Gable began the match with Angelo Dawkins. The quickly engaged in some quick chain wrestling. Gable and Dawkins turned each other over multiple times, each gaining leverage on multiple occasions. They eventually traded pairs of arm drags before coming to a stalemate.

Dawkins tagged in Montez Ford, who grabbed Gable’s arm and went to work. Gable quickly turned it around, but Ford flipped through the hold with ease and leapfrogged Gable twice. Gable still managed to take him down with a deep arm drag, locking in an arm bar for good measure. Ford managed to work his way to his feet and back into the corner, tagging in Dawkins.

Angelo Dawkins managed to quickly drop Gable and grab a chin lock. Gable broke free, caught a quick takedown and tagged in Otis. Otis plowed through Dawkins, then gave Ford a pancake. Otis tossed Ford to the outside, then squashed Dawkins in the corner. Otis connected with the Caterpillar elbow, then tagged in Chad Gable.

Gable grabbed a waist lock and told Otis to hit the spinning clothesline. Ford grabbed the top rope and sent Otis flying to the floor. Dawkins hit a spinebuster on Gable, and tagged in Ford. Ford hit a frog splash for a three count.

WINNERS: The Street Profits in 5:00

(LeClair’s Analysis: Decent, if not not forgettable match. The Street Profits continue to be one of the most entertaining teams in the ring, and one of the most annoying things on Smackdown outside the ring. Every promo is just a little bit too much. When an act is turned to 11 all the time, there’s no room for nuance and hardly a moment to let a feud breathe. Rather than a match between two teams jockeying for position in the tag division, this felt like two comedy acts just filling time. Everyone involved is better than that.)

-Sasha Banks’ music hit and she crossed paths with the Street Profits on her way to the ring. They danced with her as the show went to break.

Sasha Banks continued to dance to her theme as the show came back from break. Banks said everyone is talking about Bianca Belair’s decision for WrestleMania. Sasha said she likes Belair, and thinks of her as a big little sister. Banks said there’s only one choice for the “EST”, and that’s “ME.” Bianca Belair’s music cut her off and she headed to the ring.

Belair told Banks she sees her and all her accomplishments. She said she likes Sasha too, but Banks isn’t the boss of her. Nia Jax’s music hit, and she and Shayna Baszler came to the ring. Jax said Belair and Banks are insufferable. She said it’s amazing that they can fit in the ring together with their respective egos. Jax said no one cares who Belair chooses. Shayna said that on the same night that Belair won the Rumble, she and Nia won the women’s tag titles for the second time. “We’re on a roll,” Jax said.

Sasha said she heard that Nia and Shayna were going to show up, so she came prepared. So tossed to a clip of Noami beating Shayna Baszler on Raw. Banks laughed, but said that wasn’t the footage she was talking about. Jax told her not to do it. Belair said to roll it. The now infamous “hole” clip aired.

Banks and Belair laughed at Jax. Nia tried to attack, but Banks and Belair were quick to battle back. They tripped Nia on the apron in a spot meant to mimic the one on Monday. Belair and Banks made quick work of Baszler while Nia regrouped outside, grabbing her backside.

(LeClair’s Analysis: This wasn’t good. Belair and Banks appear to have some really good chemistry, both as friends and partners and potential opponents. Let them shine on their own and stop inserting unnecessary road blocks. Jax and Baszler are ice cold, and Jax is a borderline comedy act after Monday’s incident. I think it would be a mistake to get Belair and Banks involved with these two right now, unless the plan is to quickly swap the titles to Banks and Belair, leading to a friendly competition between friend and tag team champions at WrestleMania. That can work, and I don’t hate it, but I’d rather they just let these two tell a great story as respectful opponents going into their match at Mania.)

-Daniel Bryan and Cesaro were shown talking backstage.

-Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode headed to the ring for the Elimination Chamber qualifier. Cole said the match was up next.

Cesaro and Daniel Bryan headed to the ring following the break. After a quick fist bump at ringside, they hit the ring together and Bryan led a “yes” chant atop the turnbuckle.

(5) DOLPH ZIGGLER & ROBERT ROODE vs. DANIEL BRYAN & CESARO – Elimination Chamber qualifying match

Daniel Bryan began the match with Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler hit a quick shoulder takedown and covered for a one count. Bryan quickly leapfrogged Ziggler, kicked him in the chest, and tagged in Cesaro. Cesaro planted Ziggler with a slam and covered for a two count. Dolph recovered quickly, catching Cesaro with a nice dropkick then tagging in Robert Roode.

Cesaro caught Roode with a quick uppercut and tagged in Daniel Bryan. Bryan peppered Roode with yes kicks. Roode ducked the final attempt and tried to roll Bryan up, but Daniel turned it into a Yes Lock. He almost hooked the arm, but Roode reached the ropes and broke the hold. Roode dumped Cesaro off the apron. Bryan shoved Roode to the outside. Bryan leapt through the middle ropes, but Roode side stepped him and Bryan took out Cesaro. Ziggler quickly tossed Bryan into the steps. King Corbin and Sami Zayn wandered down the ramp as Cole sent the show to break.

Ziggler had Bryan wrapped up in a sleeper hold when the show returned from commercial. Dolph fell backward into his own corner, allowing Roode to tag in. Roode distracted the referee long enough for Ziggler to take a cheap shot at Bryan’s knee. Roode covered Bryan for a two count. The camera cut to Roman Reigns watching the action from his locker room, Paul Heyman looming over him.

Robert Roode tagged Ziggler back in. Dolph set Bryan up on the top turnbuckle but Bryan knocked him to the mat with a headbutt. Bryan connected with a missile dropkick. Both men crawled to their respective corners to make a tag. Ziggler reached Roode, who ran across the ring to take out Cesaro. Bryan recovered long enough to hit Roode with a pair of headbutts, but Roode shook them off and hit a spinebuster for a two count.

Roode tagged Ziggler back in. They hit a double team powerbomb/neckbreaker combo for a near fall. Ziggler tossed Bryan to the corner and went for a bronco buster, but Bryan side stepped him and tagged in Cesaro. Cesaro peppered Ziggler with rapid fire upper cuts. He knocked Roode off the apron, then tossed Ziggler in the air for a flying uppercut. Cesaro covered Dolph for a two count. Corbin and Zayn looked on from the bottom of the ramp.

Robert Roode attacked Cesaro from behind. Bryan returned and hit Roode with a running knee. Ziggler hit a Famous-er on Cesaro for a near fall. He set up for a super kick, but Cesaro caught the leg and dropped him into the swing. Cesaro stepped through into the sharpshooter and Ziggler tapped out.

WINNERS: Cesaro & Daniel Bryan in 11:00

Cesaro and Bryan celebrated together, looking on to Corbin and Zayn. Jey Uso suddenly appeared, cracking Cesaro in the back with a steel chair. Sami Zayn and King Corbin joined the fray, first joining in on the attack on Bryan and Cesaro, then going after Jey Uso. Zayn tossed Corbin into the ring post. Bryan hit a running knee on Zayn. Kevin Owens’ music hit. He stunned everyone in sight, finishing with Jey Uso. Owens looked into the camera, screaming to Roman Reigns.

The camera cut to Reigns, holding his head in frustration. Back in the ring, Owens set up a chair and took a seat. “I’m coming for you, Roman! I’m not done. I’m not going away!” Owens stared into the camera as the show faded to black.

(LeClair’s Analysis: Fun tag match, and the right team won. I question the decision to book a match like this in the first place, since I’m a stickler for wanting to give SOME level of protection to the tag team champions. The right team won here, without question. Cesaro is, as Cole said, red hot, and Bryan is a teflon upper mid-card guy who can always been in a condership situation. Both will make for entertaining additions to the chamber match from a match quality perspective, and I can’t help but feel like Cesaro could be the odds on favorite to win the thing. The post-match brawl was predictable, and token WWE, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Kevin Owens has been such a great main event babyface, and though I do think the story with Reigns has run its course, Owens is believable enough, and convicted enough to keep me invested.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: A messy affair. There’s unquestionably a rush to book Elimination Chamber with such a short turn around following the Royal Rumble. I wish there’d have been a quicker turn of the page last week to avoid the frantic nature of tonight’s show, but this is par for the course with WWE booking. I dislike the flippant, dismissive and passive attitude of Adam Pearce on this show and his willingness to just sort of bend to Roman Reigns’ will with minimal to no pushback. I also question the means of establishing the contenders, and feel underwhelmed by the sterility of Seth Rollins’ majorly hyped return. There were positives – Roman Reigns and company’s performances continue to carry the show, Kevin Owens continues to shine as a main event babyface, and the resurgence of Cesaro has been a welcome addition to Friday nights. Smackdown is still in a solid place week over week, and I look forward to the story-telling settling in a bit following this quick Pay-Per-View turn around.