WWE Smackdown Live welcomes the Era of Bray Wyatt. The show kicked off with the usual fireflies and lantern light that accompany Bray. However this time there was something there to reflect that light back to the source, the WWE World Championship around the waist of Bray Wyatt. Long overdue in many eyes including yours truly. This was echoed by the thousands of fans chanting “you deserve it”. Wyatt entered the ring and spoke of his sister Abigail. Quoting her and how she said it wouldn’t be easy, and that they would try to stop Bray. He then spoke of truth and how he knew this day would come, the day when he truly had the “whole damn world in his hands”. As Bray spoke to everyone, promising paradise for his followers and Hellfire for his opponents, trumpets blared and John Cena entered the arena. John congratulated Bray on his win but informed him that it wasn’t the world in his hands, but a target. He then challenged Bray to a rematch right at that moment, but there would be a problem, and a phenomenal one at that. AJ Styles came down to the ring stating his case that he in fact should get the title rematch before Cena, as he was never granted one after Cena beat him for it. I know who can fix this, Daniel Bryan, and that is exactly what he did. We have a triple threat title match ladies and gentlemen!!
Our first match of the night featured American Alpha taking on The Ascension. The last few weeks The Ascension have risen out of obscurity in the tag team ranks and just last week beat the champs in a non-title match. Chad Gable and Viktor started out the match and it was quite apparent that Viktor could not handle Gable when it came to technical wrestling. Gable put on a clinic during the first minutes of the bout. After returning from a commercial break we saw that the tide had turned and the Ascension had Gable in trouble, keeping him away from Jason Jordan while dishing out punishment on the smallest superstar in the match. After pulling off a draping armbar on the ropes, Chad was able to get to his partner. Jason Jordan started suplexing people like he was challenging Brock Lesnar for mayor of Suplex City. After Jordan missed a spear in the corner it looked like The Ascension would pick up the win after a devastating finishing move, but Gable was able to kick out. Just as the Ascension were looking to put Chad away, Jordan interrupted Konnor and helped Chad hit Grand Amplitude and retain their championships.
We picked up the show backstage with Carmella and James Ellsworth. James was trying to throw some game at the Staten Island Princess, but she of course just wanted to keep it professional. Dean Ambrose entered the frame screaming for Baron Corbin, obviously looking to exact some revenge on the Lone Wolf after Corbin threw him through one of the Elimination Chamber plexiglass doors. After telling Ellsworth that Carmella was just using him, Carmella called him a “gas station attendant”. An already enraged Ambrose looked like he was going to explode at this comment. Daniel Bryan entered the conversation, to which Dean asked the Smackdown Live General Manager if he could please beat up Ellsworth. Bryan didn’t take very long to agree and made the match. We joined Carmella and the man who chinstraps are useless on in the ring. Dean Ambrose’s music started to play, but Dean was nowhere to be seen. We finally catch a glimpse of Ambrose, but it isn’t him walking to the ring, he is being dragged. It seems he finally found Baron Corbin, and did not come out on top. Corbin began to beat Ambrose on the entryway. Dean used some of that famous tenacity to mount a comeback, but that was quickly halted, and Corbin Deep Six’d Ambrose into a table with some electrical equipment on it, causing sparks to fly. Ellsworth was surely jealous of the table being able to create more on-screen electricity than he could.
Backstage we continued our journey of the feud that won’t end, even though it needs to. Nikki Bella and Daniel Bryan were discussing what has been going on between her and Natalya. Long story short, a match was made between Nikki Bella and Natalya for next week. Falls count anywhere. I just wish they could count off camera. That would save us all a lot of boredom.
Next up we had a rematch from Elimination Chamber between Becky Lynch and Mickie James. It was a pretty standard match for two superstars in different seasons of their career. James attempting to use strategy against a much younger and more aggressive Lynch. It was fairly back and forth until Becky was able to start running away with the match, getting two close pinfalls after multiple Bex-sploders. After Becky nailed James with a springboard sidekick, James fell to the outside apparently injuring her shoulder. She screamed in pain and kept asking the referee to get her help. Becky looked on as the ref looked to help James in the corner, but out of nowhere Mickie jumped up and caught Lynch right on the chin with a Mick-Kick. James then rushed to pin Lynch, and picked up the 1,2,3. Becky looked on in disgust as James walked backwards to the locker room, knowing that she had just been outsmarted by a veteran.
Renee Young interview Naomi, who was given the opportunity to talk about her match at Elimination Chamber, and to elaborate on an injury sustained during the match. She said that she has had other injuries, and that she would come back from this knee injuring just like she came back before. She said she didn’t even realize she was hurt during the match. You know what that is? Ignorance. You know what ignorance is? That’s right readers…..it’s Bliss. BOOM! SEGWAY! Alexa Bliss joined us and reminded us why the greatest superstars on the mic in terms of Smackdown Live’s roster are heels. She’s just amazing at taunting people, insults on the fly, and having a tremendously acerbic tone. She claimed Naomi realized that she would never be as good as her, and was basically faking the injury. She then gave Naomi an ultimatum, either facing her next week for the title, or handing it over. I honestly can’t wait for that match, mostly because I like Alexa better as a champion, so much SASS!
TITLE MATCH TIME!! I’m going to give you the beginning and end, because honestly this match was so amazing I would just recap it word for word. Bray Wyatt was incapacitated early by Luke Harper who attacked him as the lights came up after he blew out his lantern. After coming back from a commercial break, AJ and Cena were already beating each other silly in the ring as Bray still recovered on the outside. Bray did not fair well for most of the match, taking punishment from both of his opponents, until a vicious shoulder block to Styles got him back in the game. I will now run down the last minutes of the match after the shoulder block, move for move, just to show you a glimpse of how great this match was. Ready? Here we go.
-Cena goes for the AA
-Bray falls out of it and attempts Sister Abigail.
-Cena counters, and Bray gets hit with a Phenomenal Forearm.
-Cena AA’s Styles, pin attempt but Styles kicks out.
-Cena and AJ fight in the corner, failing to notice the Eater of Worlds is up…..and upside down.
-Bray lands Sister Abigail on Cena.
*Why there was a commercial break here I will never know, or forgive*
-We come back from commercial break with AJ splashing on top of Bray laying helpless on the announce table.
-It doesn’t break so what do you do? Give the fans chanting “one more time” what they want. That breaks the table.
-Styles attempts a Phenomenal Forearm on Cena in the ring, Cena catches AJ and AA’s him.
-Cena rolls up for a second AA, but AJ counters into a calf crusher.
-Cena counters AJ and rolls him into the STFU.
-Bray saves his title by hitting both men with a running Senton.
-Bray attempts sister Abigail but gets AA’d instead. Cena pin attempt, Bray kicks out.
-Styles hits Cena with Styles Clash, Cena kicks out.
-Styles goes for a Phenomenal Forearm on Cena, but Cena knocks Styles off the ropes.
-Bray Wyatt capitalizes on a distracted Cena and BOOM! Sister Abigail on Cena. Bray gets the win. “This is Awesome” indeed.
After the match we hear Randy Orton’s music start to play. Not the Wyatt Family version either, his old music. HIS music. As he walked to the ring you couldn’t think of anything else but Orton and Wyatt in the main event at Wrestlemania, but then something unexpected happened. Orton said “As long as you are the master, and I am the servant, I will not face you at Wrestlemania. I pledge my undying allegiance to you”. He then kneels before Bray, who has a huge smile on his face. Bray then tells Randy that he “now has the keys to the kingdom”.
