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LINDBERG’S ALT PERSPECTIVE WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
MARCH 19, 2021
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. AT TROPICANA FIELD (“THUNDERDOME”)
AIRED ON FOX BROADCAST NETWORK
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
Ring Announcers: Greg Hamilton
Tonight after the show, check out the Wade Keller Pro-Wrestling Post-Show where I make my debut as a guest co-host.
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(HOUR ONE)
-Smackdown kicked off with Michael Cole welcoming the audience, reminding them that Fastlane is around the corner. They hyped the main event, Edge vs. Jey Uso to name the special enforcer for the Universal Title Main Event at Fast Lane.
-Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks were in Gorilla with Belair asking Banks why she agreed to the match against Jax. Banks started saying something about Reginald. Belair says “Oh so you screwed me over last week and Reginald is still in your head?” She said that Banks has an inflated ego and this was a bad decision. If she needed help, Belair won’t come to save her. Banks said “I never asked you to.”
(1) WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP – SASHA BANKS vs. NIA JAX (w/ Shayna Baszler)
-During Nia Jax’s entrance, it was revealed that Reginald was at the spa not in the building. The commentary reminded the audience that the match was Reginald’s idea and that Adam Pierce agreed to it.
-Nia shoved Banks by the face, knocking her out of the ring to start. Banks fired up and went on the offensive quickly against Nia with a double knee to the corner. She went for a Bank Statement early, but couldn’t lock it in allowing Jax to get the offensive with a gorilla press slam for a two count.
Jax scoop slammed Banks and made another cover for two. Banks tried to recover but was met with a vicious Samoan Drop for two. Bianca Belair made her way to the ring at this point, going against her word. Banks was on the floor and Belair ran to her side for support as they cut to commercial.
Back from commercial, Jax had Banks in a camel clutch. Banks immediately fought out but was met with a massive sidewalk slam for two. She locked a Stretch Muffler in on Banks and catapult her head into the bottom turnbuckle. Graves speculated that Banks was out cold as Jax covered, but Banks kicked out at 2.5. Jax went for another Stretch Muffler but Banks reversed into a Sunset Flip into a meteora for two.
The two jockeyed for position before Banks locked in the Bank Statement. Shayna got in the ring and accidentally took out Jax allowing Banks to roll up for the win.
Winner: Sasha Banks in 9:35
(Lindberg’s Analysis: It almost looked like Baszler’s kick was intentional, possibly showing signs that a split for this team may be looming? Baszler should be a singles talent if she is given the reigns to use the same character she did in NXT. Not this watered down, Smackdown version. Banks and Belair showed signs of unity here, making me think that before the night is over we might see some sort of shenanigans where the two finally turn on one another. Otherwise, I feel like that’s an odd way to enter Fastlane this weekend.)
-The Progressive Match Flo showed clips from last Friday, recapping how the Uso vs. Edge match later tonight came to be.
-Kayla Braxton asked Edge backstage what it felt like to wrestle on Smackdown once again. In a very impromptu feeling promo, he talked about what Smackdown means to him. He said it feels surreal yet like he’s right at home. It feels right. Just like it felt right to insert himself in between Reigns vs. Bryan. Bryan needs a fair shot at the title and without him at ringside Edge doesn’t think Bryan will get it. Edge said that if Uso keeps following in his cousins shadow, he’ll find himself in trouble. “And I’m trouble.” said Edge as he walked off.
-Seth Rollins made his way to the ring sporting a unique suit that was white on top, fading to black on bottom.
-They played a replay of when Edge won the Tag Titles with Hulk Hogan in Boston on the Fourth of July. (With a very excited me sitting in the last row of the nosebleeds that night.)
-Nia Jax was yelling at Shayna that she cost her the WWE Smackdown title. Shayna said sorry. Jax said that she didn’t want sorry, she wanted a solution. Shayna said she was going to find Belair and challenge her to a match where she’ll give her the beating of her life.
(Lindberg’s Analysis: Shayna showed signs of her NXT self here. Hopefully against her former NXT rival in Belair, they can tear down the house later on.)
-Back in the ring, Rollins said that when he returned the whole locker room came out to greet him like a king. When they turned their backs and walked out, he turned their backs on them. He said Cesaro took it too far when he humiliated Rollins by swinging him. He said that Cesaro is jealous of all of his success, that’s why he attacked Rollins. Rollins said that he’s a fighter while Cesaro is a failure. He showed the clip from last week when he attacked Cesaro.
He said that Cesaro got beaten last week, maybe from all that “reaching for the brass ring”. Rollins said “reaching” over and over, all out of breath, to mock Cesaro from last week.
(Lindberg’s Analysis: If you’ve listened to me on PWT Talks NXT, you may know that I’m a big Cesaro fan. Following him as far back as his Chikara days, he’s entertained me for years. No, he’s not the best promo, but English isn’t his first language either. I’m hoping that maybe the company finally sees his value and pushes him, even if his mic work isn’t Vince’s typical cup of tea.)
Shinsuke Nakamura’s music hit. Rollins berated him as the music was playing, demanding him not to disrespect him and get into the ring. Nakamura entered the ring and grabbed the mic out of his hands. “Shut… Up!” said Nakamura. Rollins attacked, but Nakamura sent him flying out of the ring. He did his “Come On!” taunt before nailing the Kinsasha, leaving Rollin’s laying in the ring. Nakamura’s music played him out.
-Graves and Cole announced Eric Bischoff as the next member of the Hall Of Fame class of 2021.
(2) STREET PROFITS (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. REY & DOMINIC MYSTERIO
-After the Profit’s entrance, they went to commercial. Back from the break, WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions, Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler were at commentary.
-Dominic and Ford kicked the match off, Ford taking Mysterio down off the bat. The first few sequences of the match were very simplistic, consisting of arm drags and waist locks. Rey tagged in followed by Dawkins. The profits double teamed the legend and Dawkins covered for two. Ford tagged back in and Rey got him into a 619 position. He tagged his son in, but before he could finish the 619 he was clotheslined by Ford for a two count.
Dawkins tagged back in and they looked for a double team move, but Rey broke it up. Dominic hit a hurricanrana and rolled Ford up for the win.
Winners: Rey & Dominic Mysterio in 2:51
-After the match, Alpha Academy, Otis & Gable, made their way to the ring. They said that this win doesn’t put the Mysterio’s in front of them in line for the tag titles. The Mysterios attacked, sending AA out of the ring. Rey and Dominic springboarded from the top rope to the floor, taking out both members of AA as they cut to commerical.
(Lindberg’s Analysis: The tag division on Smackdown could be in such a better place if more attention was paid to it by the brass. With only a handful of teams on the Smackdown roster, or any WWE roster for that matter, it always seems like the same few teams are in competition for the titles. Not that I want to strip a rebuilding NXT men’s tag division any further, but I’d almost consider taking a team like MSK up to Smackdown sooner rather than later to energize the division.)
-Back from commerical, we were in the midst of Otis & Gable vs. Dominic & Rey Mysterio. A match made official during the break.
(3) OTIS & CHAD GABLE vs. DOMINIC & REY MYSTERIO
-The Street Profits joined Ziggler & Roode for commentary.
Gable and Mysterio kicked things off. Mysterio finally hit the 619 on Gable. As the ref was distracted, Otis took out Mysterio allowing Gable to tag him in. Otis delivered a massive scoop slam to Rey, followed by a second. He raised his hand and shouted “Alpha Academy!” before picking Rey up and slinging him into the corner, face first. He whipped him into the ropes and delivered a double axe handle, followed by a big bear hug on Rey Mysterio. Rey bit Otis to escape, in clear sight of the ref, yet didn’t get disqualified.
Rey made it to Dominic as Otis made it to Gable. Dominic rolled Gable up for a two count. He then hit a tornado DDT on Gable, but Otis broke up the pin. Rey ran across the ring and knocked Otis out of the ring. That only angered Otis, who threw him into the barricade. Dominic tried to hit the 619, but Gable caught him in a fireman carry. He tagged Otis mid-suplex to Dominic. Otis climbed to the top and hit a big splash on the younger Mysterio for the win.
Winner: Otis & Chad Gable in approx. 5:30
-After the match, all of the teams left standing bickered as Cole & Graves explained how to switch to Peacock.
(Lindberg’s Analysis: As I said before, the Smackdown men’s tag division just doesn’t excite me. Ziggler & Roode still seem like an oddball pairing. Otis & Gable are great, but turn them face! They both connect with the audience so much better as faces than heels as far as I’m concerned. The Street Profits, while a great tag team, have held Smackdown Tag Titles for a long stretch of time and feel stale to me.)
-Sami Zayn was backstage talking to his documentary crew, going on about conspiracy theories. He said he never signed up for this match against Corbin later tonight as Kevin Owens came up from behind. Zayn asked KO one more time to be in the documentary, and KO was unsure. Zayn namedropped Logan Paul as someone interested, but that didn’t sway KO. KO asked him if he’s ever considered that he’s twisting reality around his narrative? That perhaps the things that happen to him might be his fault.
Zayn started screaming about how “they” have done him wrong. KO asked who “they” were, but Zayn didn’t have a great answer. He said to KO to come out to the ring during their match. If KO doesn’t see anything suspicious then Zayn will drop the whole thing.
-Daniel Bryan made his way to the ring before a commerical.
(HOUR TWO)
-After commercial, Edge cashing in his inaugural MITB briefcase and becoming World Heavyweight Champion was shown. A graphic for Edge vs Jey Uso was displayed after.
-Back in the ring, Daniel Bryan continued his “Yes!” chants as Graves and Cole talked about his Fastlane match with Reigns. Bryan excitedly hyped Uso vs. Edge tonight as well as the stipulation. Yes! chants broke out throughout the empty arena. He said if Uso wins tonight, Reigns has an upper hand. But Edge is the ultimate opportunist and who knows what he might have up his sleeve to preserve his Wrestlemania match. He said that Edge thinks he can beat Reigns, but Bryan knows he can beat Reigns and he’ll make him tap at Fastlane.
-Roman Reign’s music hit and the Universal Champion, with his special counsel Paul Heyman, made their way to the ring. Reigns laughed at the prospect of Bryan making him tap. He said Bryan has a better chance of shooting lightning out of his rear end than beating him. Nobody has ever made him tap, and he’d rather die than tap to somebody like him.
Bryan said those were some strong words. He said to make no mistake, everyone thinks they are unbeatable, untappable, until they tap. Bryan said he isn’t going to just make him tap. He’s going to break him. Break him of his beliefs and delusions. Bryan hopes he doesn’t die. But if he does or doesn’t tap out, Bryan will beat him at Fastlane. The champion didn’t get a rebuttal, as Bryan’s music played and he Yes! chanted to end the segment.
(Lindberg’s Analysis: I’m expecting to see some sort of non-finish tonight which will allow both Edge and Uso to be ringside in some capacity for the Universal title match. I feel like that’s the most interesting angle rather than Reigns or Bryan having a slight advantage over the other.)
-Graves & Cole lead into a video package for Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin later tonight. The video package called it the least anticipated match in Smackdowns history. It called Zayn the Irritating Force and Corbin the Unlikable Object in a match that nobody asked for.
(Lindberg’s Analysis: Is this something new? Admittedly, I had only come back to Smackdown over the last month or so. This video package seemed so bizarre and counter-intuitive to retaining an audience.)
(4) KING CORBIN vs. SAMI ZAYN
-They continued to hype this as the least anticipated match ever and cut to a tweet between Sami Zayn and YouTube celebrity Logan Paul. The tweet was a long-winded one from Zayn asking him to check out the conspiracy against him with Logan Paul saying “lol okay i’ll check it out”. Kevin Owens was revealed to be on commentary as the match started.
As Corbin and Zayn traded blows, KO put over the fact that he’s never seen Sami Zayn so unhinged in the years that they’ve known one another. Sami Zayn tried using the ropes as leverage during a rollup, and was caught by the ref. Zayn tried removing a turnbuckle cover, and was met with an End of Days for his troubles.
Winner: King Corbin in 2:00
-Kevin Owens said that he didn’t see anything suspicious, as Sami Zayn asked if KO “Saw that”. KO told Sami that sometimes you lose and things don’t go your way. Zayn took a temper tantrum saying that “they” were against him and it wasn’t his fault for losing. He then attacked Kevin Owens with a Helluva Kick while berating him, “I thought you were smarter than that! I’m not crazy, you’re crazy!”
-Intercontinental Champion Big E and Apollo Crews were shown backstage, in a split screen format, ready to be interviewed about their Fastlane match after the break.
-Back from break, Apollo’s assault of Big E after his match last week was shown.
-Cole & Graves threw to Big E & Crews, asking if they could ever settle their differences. E said that it’s over. He doesn’t want to talk about peace, he wants vengeance. He said that if he was Apollo, he’d enjoy the next two days before Fastlane to enjoy the normal function of his limbs. Enjoy the present because his future is dark and bleak and that he’ll retain his title, no question.
Crews, in his new accent, said that if he was Big E he wouldn’t talk to Nigerian royalty with such little respect. He was reminded of a great proverb, crafted by his grandfather. “Fill your mouth with a razor and you will spit blood.” and that is what will happen to E at Fastlane. He’ll crack E’s face and finally have what he deserves. The Intercontinental Title.
Big E said that there is no waiting for Sunday and took off his Mic. He then went looking through the Thunderdome on a golf cart for Apollo. Apollo started yelling for him, and E tried to hit him with the golf cart. The two then fought backstage with E getting the upper hand, slamming Crews into lockers and doors until officials finally broke it up and Crews escaped on the golf cart.
(Lindberg’s Analysis: The speaking portion was so weird. Big E was trying to sound menacing, but it just sounded like he was trying and failing to be menacing with a shaky voice. Crews accent seems so ingenuine that I can’t take anything he says seriously. If others are like me, this could pose a problem for him. They either need to lean into it full steam until we learn to love/hate it. Or drop the accent and keep the rest of the gimmick.)
(5) BIANCA BELAIR vs. SHAYNA BASZLER (w/ Nia Jax)
-Before the match began, Sasha Banks made her way ringside to stand in Bianca’s corner. She then turned around saying that she’d watch from the back instead, playing mind games with Belair.
Shayna threw Belair out of the ring next to Jax, who just glared at Belair. Jax, still angry about Shayna costing her the match earlier, also walked to the back. No sooner did Jax hit the stage, Tamina and Natalya attacked both women in the match. First taking out Shayna, they threw her over the announce table. They double-teamed Bianca Belair and stood tall over her as the segment ended.
Winner: No declared winner, Double DQ in 1:04
-Edge’s retirement speech from Smackdown over a decade ago played.
(6) EDGE vs. JEY USO (Winner becomes special enforcer at Fastlane)
-Daniel Bryan was on commentary for the match.
-Edge and Jey traded strikes and traditional wrestling moves to start the matchup before Edge got the upper hand with a series of knee strikes to the mid section. Edge went for a Crossface Chicken Wing, and Uso escaped with shot to the ribs. Edge sold the ribs and retreated ringside but attacked Uso when Uso got near. Uso then got the upperhand and sent Edge into the steps before climbing back in the ring and diving outside to take Edge out again as they cut to commercial.
-Back from break, Uso and Edge were back in the ring with Uso in control. Edge attempted to fight back, but was taken down and hung up on the top rope. Jey knocked him off the apron to the floor, and followed him to throw him back inside.
Uso was in control for several minutes, including sending Edge ribs first into the ringpost underneath the bottom turnbuckle. Uso whipped Edge off the ropes and Edge gave a body block, sending both men to the mat. Edge made it up first and booted Uso in the face before sending him into the turnbuckle. Edge climbed up top and delivered a knee to the shoulder of a prone Uso for a two count.
Uso made a comeback and hit a Samoan Drop for a two count. Uso climbed up top, but Edge also climbed up and hit a top rope hurricanrana, covering for two. Jey went for a superkick but Edge blocked it and delivered his old finisher, the Impaler DDT. Edge set Uso up for the Spear but Uso saw it and superkicked Edge. He climbed to the top and frog splashed Edge. He covered Edge who kicked out at 2.5.
Edge made a comeback and delivered a spear on Jey for the win. Reigns speared Edge after the match
Winner: Edge in 12:00
(Lindberg’s Analysis: Not the outcome I expected as far as Edge’s win. Reigns and Uso standing tall to end the show, totally predictable. With Edge as the special enforcer, Bryan has a friend and foe as an official in the match. Edge says he’ll help to even the odds in Bryan’s favor. But we know he also wants to preserve the main event of WrestleMania. This should be an interesting outcome at Fastlane.)
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