Daniel Bryan is officially cleared to wrestle again! Before Bryan can celebrate he must confront Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn over their attack on Shane McMahon. Will the Smackdown Live general manger punish the insubordinate employees?
Just before Wrestlemania one of the biggest stars in recent memory is poised to make a high profile return. Bryan is more than capable of inserting himself into any match at the big event. Meanwhile the U.S. title will be defended in a triple threat match and Carmella plans to steal the show at Wrestlemania.
Smackdown Live comes to us from Dallas TX this 20th or March 2018.
Return Of The King
The teary eyed Smackdown Live general manager delivered a heartfelt address to open the show. Bryan thanked friends, family and fans for their support but did not definitively say when he would make his return.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHobbiH4I4g]
The fans hunger for Bryan to compete at Wrestlemania 34 and Bryan has the ability to make a match for himself at the event. This was teased as fans pointed to the Wrestlemania sign while chanting their support for the returning hero.
The timing of everything is perfect.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are offically out of hand after assaulting Shane McMahon the previous week. It is time for Bryan to step in and give the bad guys their comeuppance. It is also perfectly understandable that Bryan would make a tag match and select a recently “retired” McMahon as his partner.
No Help For Nakamura
Rusev continues to insert himself into the WWE Championship scene. Unfortunately it is unrealistic to think he would go over Shinsuke Nakamura this close to Wrestlemania. The number one contender bested Rusev in a short match. AJ Styles and Nakamura are watching each other’s matches from ringside week to week leading up to April 8th.
The fan support and chants for Rusev Day continue to rival that of both Nakamura and WWE champion AJ Styles. Rusev is due for a push and hopefully WWE acts on this in the weeks following Wrestlemania. Perhaps a victory in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal would continue Rusev’s recent momentum.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq3_bb-Ce_U]
Aiden English was waiting to ambush Nakamura after the match and Rusev would join in the attack. AJ Styles slowly began to make preparations to enter the ring and save Nakamura. Much like Nakamura the previous week, Styles is in no particular hurry to minimize damage to his Wrestlemania opponent.
Nakamura was able to fight off his attackers before Styles would get involved.
Carmella Cash In
The WWE seem to be teasing that Charlotte is intimidated by Asuka. The undefeated Superstar poses the biggest threat to Charlotte’s title reign and PPV record. Natalya in an attempt to stay relevant claims to see through the confident exterior of the Smackdown Live Women’s Champion. Charlotte is not going to allow herself to look weak and immediately challenges Natalya to a match.
It is always great when these great workers as their respective lineages have history with each other. This ingrained rivalry leads them to attempt to show one another up and a tell a good in ring story. Tonight was no different as each competitor executed high risk maneuvers and stiff strikes.
Carmella would make an abrupt entrance in another attempt to cash in her Money In The Bank contract. Before the match could be officially reset Charlotte neutralized Carmella with a super kick. Natalya quickly took the opportunity to roll up Charlotte for a pin fall victory.
This is the second or third unsuccessful cash in attempt from Carmella and points strongly to some sort of interference at Wrestlemania. Carmella could potentially save both Asuka and Charlotte from suffering a clean defeat on the grandest stage of them all. If WWE decide to go this route it would mean depriving the WWE Universe of a probable Asuka coronation. It would seem that WWE would not spend this much time teasing the fans for Carmella to no show the Smackdown Live Women’s Championship match.
Brutality Reigns Supreme
The Bludgeon Brothers have risen to dominance within the Smackdown Live tag team division. While tag teams such as The Usos and The New Day are brave enough to step up to Harper and Rowan, it feels as though the outcome is inevitable. The physicality with which The Bludgeon Brothers destroy their opponents overshadows anyone WWE can put in their way.
Luke Harper all but squashed Jay Uso in their Smackdown Live singles match. The Uso’s created a small ray of hope with some interference before being eclipsed by the viciousness of the Bludgeon Brothers.
A Second ‘Mania Triple Threat Match
The United States Championship match at Wrestlemania is now a triple threat match.
Jinder Mahal was unceremoniously inserted into the match originally between Randy Orton and Bobby Roode before Smackdown Live went on the air. Although this seems to have been coming together for a few weeks it feels forced.
This match would be better served as a technical match between Orton and Roode without the shenanigans Mahal will undoubtedly bring to the equation. Also there is another triple threat title match occurring on the same card.
After all three superstars would levy insults at each other before getting into a three way scuffle. Mahal would escape a beating as both Orton and Roode would take turns attacking Sunil Singh before turning their attention to each other. Neither superstar could execute their finishing move on one another.
Mahal seems to be interfering with Orton and Roode determining who is the better man. There does seem to be some tension between the two original competitors as a result of Mahal’s involvement. This should provide a decent platform for storytelling at Wrestlemania.
The Punishment Due
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were beaming as they strolled down to the at the request of Daniel Bryan. They are ecstatic over Bryan being cleared and lovingly sing the praises of the Smackdown Live general manager. Sami Zayn commented that the three of them make a dream team and attempted to garner the support of Bryan.
Bryan would fire both Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for assaulting Shane McMahon. Bryan expressed remorse over what he feels is the only appropriate course of action. Bryan made the mistake of offering Owens and Zayn a handshake in a show of respect.
Owens and Zayn immediately went on the attack in a fit of rage. Bryan put up a defense and exhibited some of his classic moves before being stomped out by his assailants. Smackdown Live concluded with two less employees and the general manager being stretchered out of the building.
The only viable option for a Wrestlemania match in this scenario would be Smackdown Live management teaming up to face their rebellious employees. The shocking turn of events both in story and the alignment of Bryan being medically cleared is to perfect to let this match go. With both McMahon and Bryan seemingly out of commission we can probably expect Owens and Zayn to run rampant on Tuesday nights. This is until management is able to heel their wounds and confront their attackers, restoring order to Smackdown Live in New Orleans.
