Spoilers follow for the March 19th episode of Smackdown.
http://i55.servimg.com/u/f55/16/09/70/40/smackd10.png
Thank goodness we only have another week or so of these.
The highlights of a pre-recorded Brock Lesnar interview kick off Smackdown. We saw it already, and it has terrible mic-work, because it's Brock Lesnar.
The live portion of the show then sees Roman Reigns coming down from the crowd, wearing an "I can. I will." t-shirt, because he is the little train that could. The piped-in cheers are disgustingly transparent. Mark Henry comes down before Reigns can even do a whole lot. Henry says Reigns showed him something last week. We get to see when Reigns beat up Henry from last week. Reigns earned Henry's respect. That was sure a quick turn. Seth Rollins, Kane, and J&J Security come down the ramp. We're setting up a tag team match for the main event. Reigns/Henry take on Kane/Rollins. Also, Randy Orton isn't here tonight, which seems an odd thing to mention unless he's totally here tonight.
Paige vs. Brie Bella (with Nikki Bella)
AJ Lee is on commentary, which is just swell. Nikki Bella is also on commentary, which isn't quite as swell, but is sweller than when R-Truth is on commentary, and better than if it was Brie.
So, on Raw, AJ and Nikki got to have a match with each other. It was the best match of the night and one of the best Divas matches in months. Now, on Smackdown, we get ... a perfectly fine Divas match, but one that is far too quick and focuses almost as much on the commentary as it does on the in-ring work. Brie dominates, but Paige rolls her up to pick up the win.
Match Rating: *1/2
A Raw video package takes up 90% of the next segment. Then we get a single entrance for the next match, which is a gauntlet match for ... bragging rights, I guess.
<color=red>Gauntlet Match
Dean Ambrose enters the ring first. Stardust is next. We're going to get all of the Intercontinental Championship contenders -- but not the champion -- in the match, but nothing of value is gained if you win it. In fact, it'd be smarter to get pinned early and rest your body instead of entering first and then fighting your way through a succession of challengers. But whatever. Ambrose eliminates Stardust pretty fast, so Stardust attacks Ambrose afterward. That brings out R-Truth, the third entrant into the match. Truth forces Stardust out, the match restarts, Stardust distracts Truth, and Ambrose hits a Dirty Deeds to get another pinfall.
Out next is Luke Harper. He and Ambrose do the wrestling thing for a bit before Harper cheats and then hits a clothesline and pins Ambrose. It's Daniel Bryan time! Bryan and Harper then wrestle for a while, which is fun. This could be a good matchup in the future. NO IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. They fight for quite a while before Bryan counters Harper's popwerbomb and makes him tap out. Finally, Dolph Ziggler is out, and we get a brief taste of a singles match we'd love to see.
While Harper/Bryan was lots of fun, Ziggler/Bryan is even better, if only because it's more quickly paced. We get a "big match" feel during the final portion of this match. Had WWE wanted, this matchup could've been a great part of this year's WrestleMania. Ziggler eventually wins with a Zig Zag. It's lots of fun.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Bryan and Ziggler shake hands after the match. Apparently the "turd" comment from last week has been forgotten about.
Bad News Barrett comes down after the match and attacks both men. First with a mic, next with Bull Hammer Elbows.
<color=red>6-Being Interspecies Match: Cesaro, Tyson Kidd, and Natalya vs. Los Matadores (Diego, Fernando, and El Torito)
Uh ... yeah. This is a thing that's happening. El Torito counts as a different "species," officially, I guess. It's a joke match, one that makes you embarrased to watch the program. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd are better than this. Natalya powerbombs El Torito to win after a joke of a match.
Match Rating: *1/2
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Kane (with J&J Security)
Mark Henry was supposed to be Reigns' tag team partner, but he's shown to be unconscious backstage. So, we're continuing to do the "make Roman Reigns look strong" thing.
Extra security guards are at ringside. Reigns and Kane/Rollins wrestle a predictable and safe match. Reigns overcomes the odds and picks up the win. Yawn.
Match Rating: **
Rollins throws a hissy fit in the ring afterward, Orton's music hits, he appears despite the extra security, and he attacks all of the heels. The show concludes with Rollins managing to escape and he and Orton staring at each other.
The Good: Gauntlet Match.
The Bad: 6-Being Interspecies Match
Match of the Night: Gauntlet Match.
<color=D6D9DA>_________________________________________________________________________________
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http://i55.servimg.com/u/f55/16/09/70/40/smackd10.png
Thank goodness we only have another week or so of these.
The highlights of a pre-recorded Brock Lesnar interview kick off Smackdown. We saw it already, and it has terrible mic-work, because it's Brock Lesnar.
The live portion of the show then sees Roman Reigns coming down from the crowd, wearing an "I can. I will." t-shirt, because he is the little train that could. The piped-in cheers are disgustingly transparent. Mark Henry comes down before Reigns can even do a whole lot. Henry says Reigns showed him something last week. We get to see when Reigns beat up Henry from last week. Reigns earned Henry's respect. That was sure a quick turn. Seth Rollins, Kane, and J&J Security come down the ramp. We're setting up a tag team match for the main event. Reigns/Henry take on Kane/Rollins. Also, Randy Orton isn't here tonight, which seems an odd thing to mention unless he's totally here tonight.
Paige vs. Brie Bella (with Nikki Bella)
AJ Lee is on commentary, which is just swell. Nikki Bella is also on commentary, which isn't quite as swell, but is sweller than when R-Truth is on commentary, and better than if it was Brie.
So, on Raw, AJ and Nikki got to have a match with each other. It was the best match of the night and one of the best Divas matches in months. Now, on Smackdown, we get ... a perfectly fine Divas match, but one that is far too quick and focuses almost as much on the commentary as it does on the in-ring work. Brie dominates, but Paige rolls her up to pick up the win.
Match Rating: *1/2
A Raw video package takes up 90% of the next segment. Then we get a single entrance for the next match, which is a gauntlet match for ... bragging rights, I guess.
<color=red>Gauntlet Match
Dean Ambrose enters the ring first. Stardust is next. We're going to get all of the Intercontinental Championship contenders -- but not the champion -- in the match, but nothing of value is gained if you win it. In fact, it'd be smarter to get pinned early and rest your body instead of entering first and then fighting your way through a succession of challengers. But whatever. Ambrose eliminates Stardust pretty fast, so Stardust attacks Ambrose afterward. That brings out R-Truth, the third entrant into the match. Truth forces Stardust out, the match restarts, Stardust distracts Truth, and Ambrose hits a Dirty Deeds to get another pinfall.
Out next is Luke Harper. He and Ambrose do the wrestling thing for a bit before Harper cheats and then hits a clothesline and pins Ambrose. It's Daniel Bryan time! Bryan and Harper then wrestle for a while, which is fun. This could be a good matchup in the future. NO IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. They fight for quite a while before Bryan counters Harper's popwerbomb and makes him tap out. Finally, Dolph Ziggler is out, and we get a brief taste of a singles match we'd love to see.
While Harper/Bryan was lots of fun, Ziggler/Bryan is even better, if only because it's more quickly paced. We get a "big match" feel during the final portion of this match. Had WWE wanted, this matchup could've been a great part of this year's WrestleMania. Ziggler eventually wins with a Zig Zag. It's lots of fun.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Bryan and Ziggler shake hands after the match. Apparently the "turd" comment from last week has been forgotten about.
Bad News Barrett comes down after the match and attacks both men. First with a mic, next with Bull Hammer Elbows.
<color=red>6-Being Interspecies Match: Cesaro, Tyson Kidd, and Natalya vs. Los Matadores (Diego, Fernando, and El Torito)
Uh ... yeah. This is a thing that's happening. El Torito counts as a different "species," officially, I guess. It's a joke match, one that makes you embarrased to watch the program. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd are better than this. Natalya powerbombs El Torito to win after a joke of a match.
Match Rating: *1/2
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Kane (with J&J Security)
Mark Henry was supposed to be Reigns' tag team partner, but he's shown to be unconscious backstage. So, we're continuing to do the "make Roman Reigns look strong" thing.
Extra security guards are at ringside. Reigns and Kane/Rollins wrestle a predictable and safe match. Reigns overcomes the odds and picks up the win. Yawn.
Match Rating: **
Rollins throws a hissy fit in the ring afterward, Orton's music hits, he appears despite the extra security, and he attacks all of the heels. The show concludes with Rollins managing to escape and he and Orton staring at each other.
The Good: Gauntlet Match.
The Bad: 6-Being Interspecies Match
Match of the Night: Gauntlet Match.
<color=D6D9DA>_________________________________________________________________________________
If you wish to be notified whenever I post something new, please join this <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/2-50-Reviews>user group.
For an archive of all my previous WWE reviews, please go <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.846764-Marters-WWE-Reviews-Archive>here.
Talk to me on the Twitter, <url=https://twitter.com/martertweet>@martertweet.
