In the culmination of a life long feud Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn must destroy each other for one last opportunity at the WWE Championship. Will this legendary rivalry finally end in a gentleman’s dual or a vicious brawl to determine the better man?
A dream once shared by two best friends now threatens to tear them apart. For a chance to reach the pinnacle of wrestling Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn rekindle a bitter rivalry that has spanned decades. Meanwhile Rusev challenges Bobby Roode for the United States Championship. Can Owens or Zayn forgive one another when all is said and done? Can Rusev rise from obscurity to title gold?
Smackdown Live comes to us from Kansas City, MO this February 6th, 2018.
Bryan’s Wrestling Intentions Finally Revealed?
Shane McMahon opened the show with a dramatic assessment of Daniel Bryan continually putting over Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
McMahon is flat out accusing Daniel Bryan of living vicariously through Sami Zayn. This is the underlying reason for all of the second chances and favoritism shown towards the underdogs.
AJ Styles arrived to provide a reality check to both parties. As Styles would suggest, why is all of the focus on Owens and Zayn? The real victim in most of these disputes ends up being the current WWE Champion.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqFKpjrSZeE]
There was no rebuttal from either members of Smackdown Live management as the segment ended. I’m not really sure what has been accomplished with this segment. The mention of Daniel Bryan competing again is enthralling but seems to just be a tease at this point.
Shane McMahon mentioning a Daniel Bryan return on live TV points towards the bearded one not competing anytime soon. It would not make sense to give this angle away and ruin any build or shock value. As for the McMahon vs Bryan angle, there did not seem to be any visible animosity between the two. McMahon continues to acknowledge a great respect for Bryan and praised him for changing the WWE.
The Queen Reigns
Charlotte and Liv Morgan squared off in a largely one sided match. Liv Morgan is looking better in the ring with help from a seasoned worker such as Charlotte. Although the match it self was rudimentary there was drama with the Riott Squad at ringside. After her friends were sent to the back Liv Morgan fell victim to the Figure Eight of Charlotte.
After starting a feud with the Smackdown Live Women’s Champion the Riott Squad will hopefully gain in ring experience on a bigger stage. Although Charlotte will most likely run through each of them individually the group can still look strong with post match beat downs. There is also room for cheating in future matches as the numbers game will most likely come into play at some point.
Here’s hoping this up and coming stable can be used well in the opposite a great worker.
The Crushing In Kansas
The Bludgeon Brothers brutally crushed another set of local wrestlers.
The weekly massacres are slowly becoming harder to watch. This is great as we may finally be seeing Harper and Rowan’s niche develop: destroy the competition. Harper’s slap to the face of his partner is increasingly stiffer and elicits a great crowd reaction.
The Brothers happened to pass by the current Smackdown Live Tag Team Champions The Usos on their way to the back. WWE is putting these two teams on a collision course. It is easy to see a confrontation at Wrestlemania after Harper and Rowan fire the first shot in some backstage attack. The champion Usos would be out muscled and have to triumph over menacing heels.
The newly impassioned Usos will face perhaps their greatest test. This would be a perfect story for the grandest stage of them all.
National Rusev Day
Following recent victories over other Smackdown Live superstars Rusev is ready to challenge Bobby Roode.
This match up best represents WWE booking issues with the crowd unable to control numerous “Rusev Day” chants.
Rusev and Rusev Day are extremely hot at the moment and are overshadowing gimmicks such as the Glorious character. Compounding the issue in this specific scenario is WWE failing to build the Bobby Roode persona.
NXT nailed Bobby Roode’s stuck up heel character. Holier than though and arrogant, Roode drew major heat from the WWE Universe while remaining popular and lucrative. WWE’s iteration of the character feels slightly forced and reliant on the theme music.
This is why it is so easy for absurd gimmicks like Rusev Day while other “bullet proof” creative ideas.
Despite the creative struggle the two continue to remind everyone why they are great workers. This match had great reversals and momentum swings. Aiden English provided distractions which almost cost Roode the title. After a great closing sequence Roode emerged victorious.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg6vAJPyPFw]
During his celebration the Glorious one was blind sided by an RKO out of nowhere. This is the second time in recent history Randy Orton has interjected himself into a feud with a surprise attack.
These run ins absolutely work for Orton. The former WWE Champion has the clout to choose his next target. Not only would Orton make a great U. S. Champion but he would also be a great opponent for Roode. This would be a money match at any pay per view.
If either Roode or Orton need a character revamp, there is room for either Superstar to turn heel. Orton has been very vocal about his desire to turn and Roode could certainly benefit from going back to the bad guys. As we head into Wrestlemania season this is definitely a step in the right direction for both wrestlers.
The Final Battle?
With WWE Champion AJ Styles on commentary, two life long friends in Kevin and Owens and Sami Zayn revisited their epic feud.
It has been quite a while since we have seen these two square off. Normally Owens and Zayn bring intense emotion when entering the ring. However there is always a special feeling in the air when these two battle one another and tonight was no different.
This was an incredible match.
Owens and Zayn hit marvelous spot after spot. Both hit their signature moves but nothing was strong enough to put each other away. Driven by the desire for the WWE Championship and to prove themselves to one another, neither were able to secure a victory in this match.
While fighting at ringside Sami Zayn lashed out at AJ Styles who was observing from the announcer’s position. This proved to be too much for Styles to take as he attacked both competitors causing a disqualification. Once again a Smackdown Live main event results ina screwy finish.
To add to the redundancy, Daniel Bryan made an appearance at the end of the show to rectify the situation. Bryan announced that Styles Owens and Zayn would all compete in a triple threat match at WWE Fastlane for the WWE Championship.
Daniel Bryan continues to teeter on the e are once again left wondering border line of favoritism and fairness. With the new accusation levied by Shane McMahon earlier it is hard to ignore that Bryan is once again giving another opportunity to Owens and Zayn. This is almost another repeat of their match from the Royal Rumble. Whereas earlier it seemed WWE had left this angle on the back burner it once again resurfaces as the main issue in the Smackdown Live main event picture.
Once again we are left t wonder how Daniel Bryan’s decision will impact the future of the WWE Championship.
