WWE SmackDown results, winners, and grades: Charlotte Flair gets the better of Ronda Rousey two weeks in a row.
There was a lot to cover on WWE SmackDown as we saw a match being modified at WrestleMania and the stipulation being added for another match at The Show of Shows. Brock Lesnar confronting champion Roman Reigns, Pat McAfee apologizing to Austin Theory in a unique way, and Drew McIntyre and Viking Raiders winning against Happy Corbin, Jinder Mahal, and Shanky.
And, we start off this WWE SmackDown results, winners, and grades piece with Lesnar taking center stage.
Reigns asked the crowd to acknowledge him. He bragged about how he took Lesnar out at Madison Square Garden and left the Beast Incarnate bloodied and said he would do the same tonight.
Paul Heyman informed Reigns that Lesnar won’t be on SmackDown. Heyman said that Lesnar’s plane was stationed at Saskatchewan due to inclement weather. The Universal champion said that Lesnar is scared of him as he is in God mode.
All that confidence was wiped off his face when Heyman received a text message that Lesnar would actually be on SmackDown.
The Bloodline stormed out of the ring and tried to elope from the arena. They entered their SUV and seemed as if they would manage to not see Lesnar eye to eye but Lesnar had other ideas.
The camera would pan on the WWE champion as he was on a forklift. Lesnar broke the windows of the SUV when he stabbed the tines into them with the Bloodline in the car.
They would somehow avoid catastrophe and got out of that and tried escaping in a truck. Lesnar chased the truck down as he ripped off a door but couldn’t get his hands on Reigns and co. as they eloped.
Lesnar came to the ring with the door that he ripped off. He made his intentions known that he is coming for blood at WrestleMania.
Four fine competitors produced a fast-paced riveting match. Los Lotharios did well to isolate Nakamura initially as Boogs waited to be tagged into the match.
Once Boogs entered the match he displayed his brute strength pressing Carrillo 10 times over his head. The man who plays the guitar with aplomb threw Carrillo onto Garza.
An impressive Boogs sealed the win for his team with his finisher Boogs Cruise. The team of Boogs and Nakamura keep building momentum heading into their match at The Grandest Stage of Them All against The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team titles.
Result – Rick Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura beat Los Lotharios
Grade – B
Shanky and Erik got us underway in this hard-hitting match. Shanky took the raider down and tagged in Mahal. The powerful Erik then delivered a Spinebuster on Mahal and made a tag to his partner Ivar.
Corbin who has built quite a rivalry with McIntyre kept trash-talking his WrestleMania opponent throughout the initial stages of the match. After being tagged into the match Corbin delivered a spinning spinebuster. Mahal received a Glasgow kiss on the outside.
McIntyre finally got the tag in and finished the match in a hurry. He followed up a Michinoku on Shanky with a Claymore the get the W.
Result – Drew McIntyre and Viking Raiders beat Happy Corbin, Jinder Mahal, and Shanky
Grade – B
Sami Zayn stated that he lost his Intercontinental Championship to Ricochet because of Johnny Knoxville.
He wanted to dish out a severe beatdown and challenged to an anything goes match.
The two new tag teams in the women’s division contested in what was the best match on the show. Liv and Sasha got us underway. Both superstars matched each other move for move. There was an instance when Liv and Banks both attempted a dropkick and ended up in a stalemate.
The Lively Morgan threw Naomi and Sasha over the ropes and Ripley delivered a cannonball outside the ring taking both women out.
Back in the ring, Ripley would display her power as she held The Boss over her head for over 10 seconds before delivering a vertical suplex.
Banks would fight back with her experience and awesome array of attacking moves. During a scuffle inside the ring, Banks and Naomi attempted a superplex on Ripley from the top rope. Liv would join in on the action as she dropped all three superstars flat on the mat.
The match was so good that it received “This is awesome” chants from the crowd in attendance. Eventually, WWE managed to not give either of the teams the L as Natalya and Shayna Baszler entered the fray and attacked all four competitors.
Queen Zelina and Carmella, who were at ringside during the match, entered the ring and took out Sasha and Naomi. The SmackDown Tag Team Champions had a staredown with Natalya and Baszler before they found it was wise to get out of the ring. Natalya pointed towards the WrestleMania sign indicating that she and The Queen of Spades wanted themselves to be added to the title match at ‘Mania.
It was later confirmed by Sonya Deville that Natalya and Baszler were added to the match at WWE’s biggest event of the year. The Women’s Tag Team Championship match will now be fatal 4-way.
Result – No contest
Grade – A
A promo of Knoxville was aired where he said he loved taking risks all his life and he has no problem in accepting Zayn’s challenge of their match at WrestleMania being anything goes.
Michael Cole informed Pat McAfee that he had been summoned to Mr. McMahon’s office in relation to his physical outburst on Austin Theory last week.
Pat got up and treaded backstage to McMahon’s office. After some time the SmackDown commentator exited the office and entered the ring. He cut an emotionally charged promo where he shared how he got into WWE as a child.
He said he watched WWE on a Monday for the first time and understood that he was sent to the world to do that. McAfee revealed that once he retired, Michael Cole inquired whether he would like to come to WWE.
McAfee’s promo was cut short by Austin Theory. The host of The Pat McAfee Show announced that he had been asked to apologize for assaulting Theory last week on SmackDown. He said that if he didn’t, his career in WWE would be in jeopardy and so will his match at ‘Mania.
McAfee did apologize but in a quirky way. He said he was sorry for beating Theory’s a** last week. McAfee also apologized because Theory’s parents raised a douche bag like him. He apologized because he made his filter face relevant and he also apologized that he is a punk b***ch. Theory took a selfie with Pat and pushed him before leaving the ring.
Kofi looked to avenge his best friend Big E’s injury as he took on the powerful and talented Ridge Holland.
Kofi and Holland traded hard blows as Sheamus and Butch watched from ringside. A fired-up Kofi hit a jawbreaker and a flying forearm. The New Day member went for a Trouble in Paradise but Holland countered.
Towards the later stages of the match, Kofi climbed the top rope but Sheamus distracted the referee by getting up on the apron and Butch pushed the high-flyer off the ropes. The referee would send both Sheamus and Butch backstage for interfering.
Kofi would look to take advantage but unnecessarily get involved in a war of words with Sheamus and Butch, who were reluctantly walking away from ringside. Holland took advantage of Kofi being distracted and delivered the Northern Grit to score the victory.
Butch tried to attack Kofi after the match but the referee and Sheamus stopped him in his tracks.
Result – Ridge Holland beat Kofi Kingston
Grade – B
Charlotte came to the ring and spoke about how she would have made Rousey tap last week but referees saved The Baddest Woman on the Planet.
She said she would give another beatdown to Rousey if she made her way to the ring. A furious Rousey was watching the segment backstage and after being challenged, she marched to the ring to confront the SmackDown Women’s champion.
Charlotte had set her up as she introduced a kendo stick. She swung the stick but missed. Ronda took her out as Flair rolled out of the ring. Ronda followed her but as she was standing on the apron, Flair dropped her. Flair tried to push Ronda into the ring post but the former RAW Women’s Champion managed to counter and send Flair into the ring post instead.
It seemed as if Rousey would exact her revenge from last week but Flair had kept one more kendo stick in the time keeper’s area. She beat Ronda up with that and power bombed her into the announce table as the latter fell crashing on her back.
Charlotte ended up on top for the second successive week to end the latest episode of WWE SmackDown.
Overall episode grade – B
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