Smackdown Live teases an impromptu women’s title change while Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are forced to face one another for an opportunity at the WWE Championship. Can their friendship withstand a last chance at a title shot?
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have unfinished business from the Royal Rumble. Daniel Bryan gives them another shot at the WWE Championship but it comes at a price. Charlotte attempts to address the Ronda Rousey appearance and almost loses big time. What does Rousey mean for the title scene at Wrestlemania and will the Yep! Movement survive?
Shinske Nakamura kicks off Smackdown Live from Philadelphia, PA January 30th.
The Rock Star Triumphs
Before Nakamura could begin celebrating his Royal Rumble victory Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn would crash the party. The pair claim to be next in line for a title shot.
Owens and Zayn once again have a case that invalidates their previous loss, this time to AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble.
Citing the incompetence of the referee, the two lawyers pointed out that Owens was never tagged into the match which should have nullified his being pinned. A conspiracy cultivated by Shane McMahon is certainly to blame for two men failing to get the job done against the Phenomenal One according to Owens.
AJ Styles appeared and challenged the Yep! movement to a match with Nakamura as his partner. Owens and Zayn declined but did not leave without being clocked by their would be opponents. Daniel Bryan would later make the match between the two teams.
Nakamura winning the Royal Rumble is the right move.
He is the challenger both Styles and the Universe deserve at Wrestlemania. It seems that WWE are positioning these two performers for a face vs face showdown. A rematch from Wrestle Kingdom Ten, the angle will most likely seek to determine who the better wrestler is. It will be a breath of fresh air to see to brilliant performers attempt a five or six star match on the grandest stage of them all.
Assuming Nakamura and Styles both remain face there will be nothing to distract from the pure competition and wehn the dust clears the better man will emerge.
Fight Friends Fight
Daniel Bryan would make another match within the aforementioned segment. After making the case for a rematch against AJ Styles, Owens and Zayn would get another title shot. Unfortunately this would only involve one of the two as the Canadians would face each other to determine who would compete against the WWE Champion.
This is a great move and keeps things fresh on within the title picture on Smackdown Live. Owens and Zayn also get to continue to explore their characters faced with this adversity. If anyone can entertain and create drama it is these two superstars.
Fatal Four-Way For U.S. Title Shot
In an effort to determine an new number one contender to Bobby Roode’s U.S. Championship Smackdown Live held a fatal four match. Kofi Kingston, Rusev, Jinder Mahal and Zack Ryder put on a decent match with the champion on commentary.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb75CiO1wes]
Rusev is still over with the Rusev Day gimmick and eventually conquered Kingston and Ryder with a dual submission. out of the four competitors he is the next logical choice to challenge Roode. Not only does Rusev carry the foreign heel persona but also the optic of a brute juxtaposed with a pretty boy always works in wrestling.
Brothers vs Brothers?
The Usos cut a promo proclaiming their dominance of the RAW and Smackdown Live tag team divisions. Although this was not a match this was a great demonstration in mic work from the brothers. Jimmy and Jey seemingly intertwined their personal struggles outside of the ring as of late into a declaration to all other tag teams within WWE.
An impeccably timed entrance from the Bludgeon Brothers would cast doubt upon the statements of the champions. The foreboding Harper and Rowan would march past the Usos on their way to squash yet another pair of unknown wrestlers.
It is only a matter of time before the Smackdown Live tag team champions, whoever they may be, face the slap of reality that will be Harper and Rowan. Once the Bludgeon Brothers ascend to the top of the division they are assured a solid title reign. The shelf life of their currently one dimensional gimmick.
The tease was well executed but it would have been great to see the Harper and Rowan confront the champions directly after heir impassioned promo.
Women’s Division Excites Crowd In Philly
Charlotte Flair recanted her Royal Rumble experience and lamented not competing in the history making Women’s battle royal. Fans were anticipating her reaction to the appearance of Ronda Rousey when the Riott Squad interupted with a scathing promo. Ruby Riott is a decent talker and called out the entitled Smackdwon Live women’s champion. The Riott Squad attacked and left Charlotte staring at the lights.
Suddenly, Carmella sprinted to the ring with her Money in the Bank brief case.
At this point fans had all but forgotten about the existence of the case and its owner. The crowd popped pretty hard as Carmella attempted to cash in on the prone Charlotte. In an attempt to fire the first shot against the champion, Carmella accidentally kicked the referee out of the ring before the match could officially begin. With no referee the would be challenger retreated to the locker room with the briefcase.
This tease was perfect.
Not only did the Riott Squad look strong but the Money in the Bank briefcase is going to do great things for Carmella. It is not hard to picture her cashing in during a pay per view and becoming a bigger star. In the shadow of the Ronda Rousey appearance this segment created the right kind of drama.
Important to note that the crowd is mixed in their reaction to mention of Rousey. This may be speculative but Rousey may polarize fans.
Hardcore wrestling fans may see the intruder stealing the spotlight from deserving talent. At the end of the day the WWE and women’s wrestling is getting more mainstream attention. Rousey is also a self proclaimed lifelong wrestling fan and is probably living her dream at the moment. Her motivation and commitment seem legitimate.
Depending on how Rousey is used and how well she adapts to the ring, skeptics may warm up to her. WWE are hopefully taking special care to properly position the former UFC fighter.
The Imperfect Ten
Baron Corbin and Tye Dillinger put on an uninspiring match which saw the Lone Wolf prevail. Baron Corbin draws heat but has yet to find success as a character. Tye Dillinger is also in danger of floundering in the mid-card and has lost what little push he may have had.
It would be a master class in booking to make these two relevant again.
The Fashion Police Fail To Impress
The Fashion Police barely put up a fight as they were squashed by Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable. ‘Dango and Breeze have barely wrestled as of late so no surprise they would come up short in this match.
Although their Fashion Files segment continues it is becoming increasingly lacking in laughs. The weekly segments were seemingly building to some great revelation that could have pushed the Fashion Police. The lackluster payoff of their mystery solving identified the Bludgeon Brothers as their unknown assailants.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4QY8tfJ0c8]
Unfortunately both the team and this angle have gone nowhere. This is not the fault of the Fashion Police as they have created gold with their backstage segments. Something is broken within the creative process in WWE.
The Dream Match Becomes The Dream Team
Before Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn would face their opponents in the main event they would tease dissension in a backstage segment. Being pitted against each other seems to be taking its toll on the pair. This will further manifest in the their match against Shinske Nakamura and AJ Styles.
Zayn almost left the match following an argument and later refused to tag in Owens. Owens and Zayn began tagging each other in with chops and slaps to the face. Zayn would ultimately ditch his partner to be defeated by Nakamura and Styles.
Once again both Owens and Zayn demonstrate they are masters of story telling. Even without the interviews and backstage segments they effectively convey motivations and emotions in the ring arguably better than anyone on the roster.
The main event also did not feature any interfering from the Smackdown Live management. Although it is great to see the active talent take center stage it is frustrating to see the WWE drop a hot angle with Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon. If this is not revisited there may not be plans that feature a medically cleared Daniel Bryan.
However, there is a long road to Wrestlemania and there is so much to work with in terms of booking. Owens and Zayn are too close to fall apart in their current situation. Also, Bryan and McMahon seem to be working through their differences. It is easy to picture one last malicious act of defiance from the Yep! Movement being the final straw that unites Smackdown Live management. We could start to see this develop after either Owens or Zayn inevitably loses to AJ Styles.
