WWE Smackdown on the USA Network
Aired live on March 6, 2020 from Buffalo, New York
A MOMENT OF BLISS
We begin tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown with Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss as they host a special edition of A Moment Of Bliss. Alexa takes us through all the names that are going into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year, with Bliss saying it’s shaping up to be a really great class.
Alexa then takes her time to call out The Kabuki Warriors, saying they Women’s Tag Team Titles are supposed to be defended on every show, and they’re ready whenever they want to stop hiding. But she then moves on to tonight’s guests as she welcomes the nWo (minus Hulk Hogan) to the show.
Razor Ramon drops a quick “Hey Yo” before sitting down to pop the crowd. Alexa points out they’re all going to be two-time Hall Of Famers, and Nikki gets in and starts taking selfies as she is such a big fan. Alexa asks Sean what we should be calling Sean, and he says maybe they should just call him “Hall Of Famer.”
Alexa points out one of their biggest rivals back in the day was Goldberg, with Alexa asking Kevin Nash what Roman Reigns has to do at WWE WrestleMania 36. Nash says he had forgotten he beat Goldberg, and then says he has spoken to Roman this week.
He said he needs two things: Scott Hall and A Cattleprod.
However, before anything can continue, Sami Zayn and his crew make their way out. Sami says we get it, 1997 was a great year, but it’s time to talk about the future, which is Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura. He then says the immediate future is that they will be taking back the Intercontinental Championship on Sunday.
Sami points out Nash and Hall won the titles, but Sean knows how much it weighed because he carried their bags. The nWo then start making jokes about Sami, and he says they could drop them in two seconds. The Hall Of Famers stand up and confront Sami, who asks them if they want a fight.
Waltman accepts, but Sami quickly says they’re not giving them what they want, which is the rub from them so instead they get out of the ring. However, they can’t go up the ring because Braun Strowman is here!
Cesaro charges up the ramp, but he ends up being launched into the screen, and Nakamura is flung into the barricade. Sami hits the ring to escape but runs into the nWo as he is trapped between them and Braun.
However, Sami grabs Alexa and puts her in front of himself to stop them all as he then runs away. Braun then promises that on Sunday, all three of them are going to get these hands, and it’s going to be too sweet.
Segment Review: Good Nostalgia! But I have complains. God, why on earth is WWE burying Sami Zayn over and over and again and again. He is the best Wrestler inside the ring. WWE is wasting his talent and with what? X-Pac? Kevin Nash? WWE just repeated WCW’s mistake here. Nostalgia is not what is needed at the cost of a talented Wrestler. I am disappointed to see Cesaro not going anywhere. They need a push. Push them, Vince.
LACEY EVANS & NAOMI vs SASHA BANKS & BAYLEY
Lacey Evans and Sasha Banks start things off and the Blueprint smartly avoids Evans going for a tag as the duo beatdown on Evans immediately. Banks then gets back in and continues the attack as Bayley goes to wind up Naomi.
She jumps off the barricade and attacks Bayley, which allows Sasha to jump out and throw her into the barricade. Back in the ring and Sasha works on the ankle of Lacey as Bayley tags in and continues that attack, stamping on the ankle.
Evans does well to fight off Bayley, but she is stopped from making the tag momentarily. However, she finally gets to Naomi and she flys over the top rope to take out both her opponents with the corkscrew. Back in the ring, she hits Banks with a crossbody and Naomi then unloads with a flurry of kicks.
While Banks catches Naomi with one of her own, Naomi quickly gets back in control, and she almost gets the win with a roll-up until Bayley stops it at the last second. Evans takes out Bayley which allows Naomi to keep the attack going, but Bayley provides a distraction as she is on the top rope.
Sasha comes back in and smashes Naomi’s head off the ring post and then hits the knee stomp from the top rope down to the mat to gain the win.
Winners: Sasha Banks & Bayley
Match Review: 2.5/5. Good Match for the time given. Good to see Sasha Banks back in action. Hope she doesn’t mess her return up. Sasha Vs Bayley could be a decent match if it happens at Wrestlemania. I look forward to their match.
BACKSTAGE
Kayla Braxton is with New Day backstage as she talks about tonight’s gauntlet match and if they can recreate #KofiMania. Kingston says that he can’t be reminiscing about the past, they’re focusing on the now. Big E says they know how to win a gauntlet match and have more stamina than a Moose in mating season.
Kofi says after tonight, they will win at Elimination Chamber and they’ll head to WrestleMania as champions.
Segment Review: Sad to see Kofi back in the mid card. He had an amazing Wrestlemania build up last year followed by a 5 star match again Daniel Bryan
BAYLEY AND SASHA AGAIN
Backstage, Bayley says she’s been pretty dominant since Sasha has been gone. She says she has been so dominant that she is going to skip WrestleMania, as nobody from the past, the present, or the future can stop them.
Rivalry Build up? I am not complaining.
BACKSTAGE
Apollo is shown getting ready and Shorty G comes up to him and says they are different people but right now they have the same goal. He tells Apollo if he finds himself in trouble he will have his back and he offers to shake his hand, but Crews turns that down and heads out alone.
SHEAMUS vs APOLLO CREWS
Apollo tries to take the fight to Sheamus straight away, but the Celtic Warrior dumps him out of the ring. However, Crews hangs up Sheamus and follows it up with a crossbody and a standing moonsault as he shows some fight.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t last for Apollo and Sheamus begins dominating with some stiff strikes and uppercuts. However, a back body drop doesn’t work for Sheamus as Crews lands on his feet, catching Sheamus with a dropkick that sends him flying into the turnbuckles. But he quickly bounces off them and hits a Brogue Kick.
Winner: Sheamus
Match Review: 1/5. Dominating Victory by Sheamus. Give this guy a Rivalry.
DANIEL BRYAN MAKES AN ELIMINATION CHAMBER CHALLENGE
Drake Maverick tells Drew Gulak he wants an opportunity to compete, and he wants to fight Daniel Bryan. Gulak says he doesn’t have what it takes and he begins to explain the weakness of Bryan’s roundhouse kick. However, Bryan appears behind him and he tells Gulak that if he is so confident about exploiting his weaknesses, then he should step into the ring with him this Sunday at Elimination Chamber.
CARMELLA and DANA BROOKE vs FIRE and DESIRE
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville aren’t out on their own…as Dolph Ziggler is here at ringside with them! Things don’t start well for Mandy though as Carmella moonwalks out of her attack, however, she quickly works aggressively to connect with several kicks as Sonya tags in.
Sonya grounds down Carmella, but she brawls out of the situation and hits the Mella Go Round and follows it with a dropkick as Dana Brooke enters the match. Brooke connects in the corner and then follows up with a kick, but Dolph provides a distraction.
Sonya immediately knocks off Carmella on the apron as Mandy catches Dana with a huge knee strike to pick up the win.
Winners: Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
Match Review: 1/5. Boring and Botchy Match. Will it be Dolph Ziggler Vs Otis at Wrestlemania? No. Wrestemania Preshow? Maybe.
FIREFLY FUN HOUSE
The Firefly Fun House is full of pictures of John Cena, as he says people are asking “Why John Cena?” Rambling Rabbit pops up and says it’s because he was beaten easily by Cena at WrestleMania 6 years ago which began a downhill spiral in Bray’s personal and professional life.
Bray says time can hurt you, or heal you. He knows now that without Cena, the Firefly Fun House wouldn’t exist, so he thanks and forgives John. However, Bray says there is a catch, as Cena also helped create something else (The Fiend.)
Bray says he is waiting at WrestleMania, and unlike him, he’s not so forgiving. Bray says it doesn’t matter how bright one side is, because inevitably the dark side comes again, but that’s the beauty of a circle…round and round we go. LET ME IN.
Segment Review: This rivalry would have been way better had Fiend defeated Goldberg at Supershow Down. The rivalry is still taking shape and I am looking forward to their Wrestlemania match, but with Title on the line, this rivalry would have been better…and more meaningful.
KING CORBIN INTERVIEW
King Corbin is shown backstage with Kayla Braxton, and he doesn’t give her permission to talk about Roman Reigns. He is here to discuss his plans for WrestleMania, but in the background, Elias can be heard playing the guitar.
Corbin confronts him and stops him playing, saying he is a one-trick pony. He warns Elias that if he keeps it up, he will have to answer to his king.
Segment Review: Finally it’s not Roman Reigns Vs Corbin again. Corbin needs a character change. Crowd wants to change the channel when Corbin speaks. He is a talented Wrestler and decent on mic but Character is very annoying and in a bad way.
OTIS and MANDY
Otis confronts Mandy and apologises, saying he got a text saying that she was going to be late. Mandy says it’s too late as a woman doesn’t appreciate being stood up like that, and she walks away.
Segment Review: Oh Otis, I feel you.
GAUNTLET MATCH #1
NEW DAY vs HEAVY MACHINERY
We are kicking things off with two of the most popular teams in WWE, as New Day faces Heavy Machinery. Kofi starts out with Tucker as the two men go back and forth early on showing great athleticism as they hit match dropkicks.
With neither man being able to get the upper hand, the two bigger men tag in. Both men attempt shoulder tackles early but neither falls off their feet until Otis hits a scoop slam. Heavy Machinery then looks for a double team but Kofi hits the ring so Tucker leaves Big E to Otis and they both get hit with verticle suplexes.
After New Day gets sent to the outside, Tucker launches Otis into both men as he hits a double clothesline to take them down. Back from the break and New Day have picked up steam with Kofi flying in the ring, taking down Tucker as he follows it up with a Boom Drop.
After Heavy Machinery are sent to the outside, Big E launches Kofi over the top rope, but he is caught by Tucket and planted onto the floor. Big E then eats a dropkick as back in the ring, The Compactor connects.
Eliminated: New Day
Review: WOW, What a fast paced match
GAUNTLET MATCH #2
HEAVY MACHINERY vs LUCHA HOUSE PARTY
The Lucha House Party burst into the match with some pace as Lince Dorado hits the ropes and looks to send Tucker flying, but he simply cartwheels his way out of the situation and grounds the masked man. Otis enters the match and both Dorada and Metalik hit several chops to him.
The situation has no issues to him though as he simply dances around it and takes them both out. But the fresher team keeps battling and Otis is sent reeling to the outside as Lucha House Party fly from the top turnbuckles to attack Heavy Machinery.
After the break, Heavy Machinery has regained control as Tucker gets dumped on top of Dorado, but he is able to kick out. Otis then tags back in and stops Lince tagging out, locking in the bear hug. Lince tries to send Otis out of the ring, but he lands on his feet.
Yet back in the ring, Lince bounces off the ropes and connects with a stunner to Otis and the hot tags are made. Gran Metalik picks up the pace of the match and avoids Tucker’s offence smartly, wearing down the bigger man slowly.
Metalik drops Tucker down as Dorado jumps back in with a Frog Splash, but it doesn’t get the job done. Tucker responds by flattening Lince himself, and he then launches Lince across the ring with a huge throw. Otis hits a big splash and then the Caterpillar to score the win.
Eliminated: Lucha House Party
Review: Heavy machinery is the future. Another good match.
GAUNTLET MATCH #3
HEAVY MACHINERY vs THE USOS
The Usos quickly get in control of Tucker, who is in his third match of the night, with Jimmy Uso talking trash as he works on his arm. Jey then connects with a Superkick and as he goes for the cover, Tucker manages to reverse with a roll-up of his own to catch out Jey to advance!
Eliminated: The Usos
Review: This was Quick
GAUNTLET MATCH #4
HEAVY MACHINERY vs JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ
The Champions enter and look to pick the bones of Tucker straight away as he connects with a knee to the face with The Miz following up with a kick to the face. Morrison returns to the ring and continues to dominate Tucker, grounding him down and isolating him.
The bigger man tries to throw hands to get out of the situation and eventually levels Morrison with a clothesline. But just as Tucker aims for the tag, Miz rags Otis off the ring apron. He begins hitting his classic running knees into the corner.
Morrison then connects with a big Elbow Drop of his own after a forearm in the corner, but Tucker is saved by his tag partner. The champions hit a double kick to Otis and Miz is sent flying out of the ring to attack him again. However, With Miz out of the ring, Tucker catches Morrison with a roll-up and eliminates the champions!
Eliminated: John Morrison & The Miz
Review: Another good elimination
The champions are irate after the match and they take out their frustrations on Heavy Machinery as they beat them down. Otis is sent flying into the barricade which explodes upon impact.
Mandy Rose is then shown backstage watching, looking worried about Otis as Dolph Ziggler shows up. He tells her not to worry about that guy, as he is going to go and get the win, but he doesn’t need any luck
GAUNTLET MATCH #5
HEAVY MACHINERY vs DOLPH ZIGGLER and ROBERT ROODE
It’s time for the final match of the gauntlet, which will determine who will enter the Elimination Chamber last on Sunday. Robert Roode immediately takes control of Tucker while Otis is still out on the outside after being put through the barricade.
Tucker manages to keep fighting as he plants down Roode, but there is nobody to tag. Because of that, Roode regains control and brings in Dolph Ziggler who starts to attack Tucker. As that happens in the ring, Otis begins to show signs of life on the outside.
Roode tries to stop him, but Otis simply bounces Roode’s head off the ring apron and Otis makes it back to his corner. Roode gets back into the match as Tucker avoids Ziggler in the corner, and he finally gets the tag as Otis starts cleaning house with shoulder tackles.
Roode tries to hit Otis with several chops and punches, but it just fires Otis up and he launches Roode across the ring. He looks to follow it up and gets kicked in the face as Roode connects with a dropkick. However, he doesn’t see a blind tag to Dolph, although Otis blasts him off the apron when he hits a splash to Roode.
Otis continues to focus on Robert Roode and sets up for the Caterpillar, but before he hits it, Ziggler returns to the ring and connects with a Superkick to win the match.
Eliminated: Heavy Machinery
Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode win the gauntlet and will, therefore, enter the Elimination Chamber last on Sunday.
Review: Decent Exchange.
Match Review: 4/5 We don’t see Tag team elimination style matches in WWE these days. This felt different and in a good way. Heavy Machinery is the future of TAG TEAM DIVISION. I enjoyed the match. The end was predictable with Ziggler hitting a superkick but that’s not really a bad thing.
WWE SmackDown Review: 5.5/10
- An average episode overall which began with NWO burying the talented Sami Zayn.
- It was a promo heavy show. I am enjoying Daniel Bryan’s intensity. He might be facing Shaemus at Wrestlemania. Hope AJ Lee is not in the ringside on that particular day.
- Tag Team Gauntlet saved this week’s Smackdown. Heavy Machinery is GOAT. John Morrison and The Miz looked great too.
- Sasha Banks is back. She would add much needed depth in Smackdown Women Division.
- The other Women’s Match was a Yawn Fest.
- I look forward to the Tag Team Match inside the Elimination Chamber.
- Cena vs Fiend should have been for WWE Title at Mania. Goldberg Vs Roman isn’t that exciting but I know why WWE booked it. Mass Appeal!
TOP 3 Stars of the show
- Heavy Machinery
- Sasha Banks (Welcome Back)
- Dolf Ziggler (He executed the Super Kick very well)
Skippable Smackdown. Watch this edition of the show only for the main event tag team match.
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