The March 27th episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Rusev Was Added To The United States Championship Match At WrestleMania 34
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Bobby Roode teamed up with Randy Orton to face Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh to kickoff this week’s episode of SmackDown. Mahal came down to the entrance ramp with Sunil, who was bandaged up and selling injuries. Jinder announced that he has found a replacement partner for Sunil and then Rusev came down to the ring to partner with Jinder Mahal.
The crowd immediately chanted “Rusev Day!” as Mahal and Roode started off the match. Jinder connected with a shoulder tackle and knocked Roode to the mat. Roode battled back and hit an Atomic Drop. Bobby knocked Rusev off the ring apron and hit a Blockbuster off the second rope on Mahal for a two count. Sunil Singh hopped up on the ring apron and Orton slammed him into the barricade as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Roode had Rusev trapped in the corner and hit him with a couple of chops. Orton aggressively tagged himself in and had a stare down with Roode. Orton slammed Rusev to the mat and then tagged Roode back in. Roode beatdown Rusev some more and quickly tagged Orton back in. Rusev booted Orton in the head for a two count and then tagged Jinder in.
Mahal stomped on Orton’s midsection a few times and tagged Rusev back into the match. Rusev planted Orton with a Suplex for a one count. Mahal got back in and applied a Chin Lock to Orton. Randy countered into a Suplex to break the hold. Orton tagged in Roode and Bobby leveled Mahal with a forearm to the face. Roode followed it up with a Neckbreaker and then knocked Rusev off the apron. Bobby climbed to the top rope and connected with a Clothesline.
Bobby went for the Glorious DDT but Mahal blocked it. Roode hit a Spinebuster and went for the cover, but Rusev hopped into the ring to break it up. Mahal battled back and hit a boot to the face for a two count as SmackDown went to a commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Mahal and Roode were trading shots in the ring. Jinder connected with a knee to the face for a two count.
Rusev tagged in and planted Roode with a Suplex. He hit a couple stomps on Roode and then quickly tagged Jinder back in. Mahal applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring but Bobby battled out of it. Roode chopped Jinder across the chest and Orton tagged himself. Bobby didn’t realize and started shouting at Orton that he had him.
Rusev tagged back in and Orton greeted him with a Powerslam. Orton followed it up with a DDT while Rusev was caught up in the ropes. Mahal got into the ring and Roode met him there. Mahal shoved Roode into Orton and knocked Randy to the mat. Roode Clotheslined Mahal out of the ring and turned around into an RKO from Orton. Rusev then hit Orton with the Machka Kick for the pinfall victory.
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After the match, Jinder Mahal was shown backstage with Rusev. Mahal thanked Rusev and said that he wanted to get him front row tickets to WrestleMania 34. Rusev boasted about pinning the U.S. Champion and said that he had a better idea and stated that he was going to find Daniel Bryan to make the United States Championship match a Fatal 4-Way at WrestleMania.
Opinion: Oh hell yes! Orton vs. Roode vs. Mahal has nothing going for it. The crowd loves Rusev Day and it will be one of the better reactions of the night when Rusev comes down to the ring at WrestleMania 34. I thought Rusev was just going to be thrown into the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. This is a much better option and I’d like to see Rusev actually win the title. This version of Rusev is much more entertaining than the stereotypical foreign heel he was portraying when he was United States Champion before. English and Rusev are entertaining together and Rusev has a connection with the crowd that WWE needs to capitalize on.
Becky Lynch Got The Better Of The Riott Squad
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Becky Lynch faced Ruby Riott tonight on SmackDown. Becky controlled the match early and connected with a Dropkick that knocked Ruby out of the ring. Becky followed her out there and booted her in the midsection. Becky threw Riott back into the ring and got distracted with Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan for a moment. Ruby took advantage and knocked Becky off the apron and to the floor outside the ring.
Riott launched Becky into the barricade and then threw her back into the ring. Ruby went for the cover but Becky kicked out at two. Ruby drove her knee into Becky’s back a couple of time and followed it up with a Clothesline for two. Sarah Logan delivered a cheap shot to Becky while the referee wasn’t paying attention.
Becky battled back and connected with a shoulder tackle. Becky followed it up with a flurry of forearms and then a couple of Clotheslines. Becky followed it up with a Dropkick and made her way to the top rope. Sarah Logan hopped up on the ring apron and the distraction allowed Riott to slam Becky’s face into the turnbuckle. Riott tried to pin Becky using the ropes for leverage, but the referee caught her. Becky went for the Dis-Arm-Her but Liv Morgan hopped onto the ring apron. Becky knocked Liv into Logan outside the ring and then rolled up Ruby for the victory. After the match, Becky fought off the Riott Squad and threw them over the top rope. Lynch and the Riott Squad will be in the women’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34.
Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Was Made Official For WrestleMania 34
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SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan came down to the entrance ramp and the crowd chanted his name. Bryan acknowledged the crowd and brought up what went down last week. Bryan said that last week was one of the greatest moments of his career, because after so long he finally got the news that he was cleared.
Bryan announced that he had a job to do as the GM of SmackDown Live. Bryan proposed to give Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens one more opportunity. Bryan said that his proposal was that Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn face Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 34. Bryan noted that Shane McMahon has been hospitalized, but he has good reason to believe that Shane will be ready to go.
Daniel then laid out the stipulations for the match. If he and Shane win, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn remain fired. If Owens and Zayn win, they will be reinstated to SmackDown. Daniel claimed that he has given Owens and Zayn a ton of opportunities because he has known them for 15 years and he has fought with them in the past.
Bryan went on to list all the things he had to do as a GM, like sit in board meetings and wear suits. Daniel added that he is sick of meetings, paperwork and blazers. Bryan ripped off his blazer and stated that Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens tried to take his ability to wrestle away from him. Bryan got fired up and said that he is back and that he will fight at WrestleMania. The crowd chanted “yes!” as Bryan said that there are a lot of things that he has tried to avoid saying. Daniel went on a rant and shouted that he is going to kick Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s ass at WrestleMania and the crowd erupted.
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Sami Zayn posted the following on Twitter shortly after Daniel Bryan issued the challenge:
Opinion: The reaction for Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 34 is going to be amazing. I can’t imagine Bryan being SmackDown GM for much longer. He clearly wants to return to being a WWE Superstar. The stipulation for this match is pretty interesting, as I would be surprised in Daniel Bryan loses his first match back. Owens and Zayn could lose at WrestleMania and then return to RAW following the PPV. I’m just looking forward to this match and the energy that is going to be in the crowd when Bryan gets back in the ring.
The SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match For WrestleMania 34 Was Announced
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New Day came down to the ring and cut a promo about the Bludgeon Brothers interfering in their tag title match at WWE Fastlane. New Day vowed to defeat the Bludgeon Brothers and faced Harper and Rowan next.
Harper and Rowan dominated the match early. Xavier Woods was trapped in the ring and Rowan planted him with a Backbreaker and tagged Harper in. Harper raked at Woods’ eyes and then shoved him to the corner. Harper chopped Xavier across the chest, but Woods battled back with a forearm to the face. Rowan threw Kofi Kingston into Big E on the apron and Big E fell to the floor.
Rowan slammed Big E on the apron and then rolled him into the ring. Rowan grabbed the two mallets and started walking towards the ring but The Usos came to the rescue. The referee called for the ball as a brawl broke out. New Day teamed up and knocked Harper out of the ring. The Usos and New Day started arguing in the ring and that allowed Harper and Rowan to get back into the ring with their mallets. New Day and The Usos rolled out of the ring and retreated as Harper and Rowan stood tall again.
It was announced right before the main event of SmackDown that The Usos will defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Bludgeon Brothers and New Day in a Triple Threat Tag Team match.
Opinion: I’m glad this match was finally announced, I was getting a bit worried that The Usos would be left off the WrestleMania card again. WWE has done a nice job of building up the Bludgeon Brothers over the past few weeks and they seem unbeatable. The Bludgeon Brothers was a gimmick that I thought was destined to fail and I was completely wrong. Harper & Rowan have done excellent with it and now have a title match at WrestleMania. That is very impressive and congratulations to them because they have earned it.
Shinsuke Nakamura Continued To Play Mind Games With AJ Styles
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Shinsuke Nakamura approached AJ Styles backstage early in the show. Nakamura pointed out that it looked like AJ Styles was losing confidence and AJ denied it. Shinsuke said that he needed AJ in his corner tonight against Shelton Benhjamin and AJ stated he would be there. AJ added that he is only going to be there to ensure that Nakamura is at 100% leading into WrestleMania 34.
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Nakamura faced Shelton Benjamin in the main event of this week’s episode of SmackDown. Nakamura controlled the beginning of the match and knocked Shelton out of the ring as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Benjamin was in control as Gable was cheering him ringside. WWE Champion AJ Styles casually looked on as Nakamura battled back with a kick to the face.
Shinsuke shouted “come on!” to Benajamin and kneed him in the face. Nakamura draped Benjamin across the top rope and kneed him in the ribs. Nakamura geared up for the Kinshasa, but Chad Gable hopped up on the ring apron. AJ dragged Gable down to the floor as Benjamin planted Shinsuke with a Northern Lights Suplex for count.
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Nakamura applied an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Shelton countered into a Half Crab submission for a second, but Nakamura quickly countered into another Arm Bar. Shelton broke free and booted Shinsuke in the face. Nakamura responded with a flying knee off the second rope. Shinsuke then hit the Kinshasa for the pinfall victory.
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After the match, Shinsuke Nakamura asked AJ Styles to come into the ring. Nakamura thanked AJ for being in his corner but said that he never needed his help. Shinsuke stated that he only wanted AJ to see how he will beat him at WrestleMania. AJ said that he wont be playing any games at WrestleMania and noted that he and Nakamura are going to tear the house down at WrestleMania. Styles stated that when he defeats Nakamura at WrestleMania, it will prove that he is better than him and the best. Shinsuke accused AJ of being too emotional and that is why he is going to defeat him at WrestleMania.
Nakamura got out of the ring and Gable & Benjamin attacked Styles from behind. Shinsuke got into the ring and fought them off. Nakamura geared up for the Kinshasa on Styles but stopped short. Nakamura then shouted “knee to face” and mockingly patted AJ Styles on the top of the head as SmackDown went off the air.
Opinion: I thought this was a great promo by Nakamura and Styles to close the show. Shinsuke is amusing and the pat on the head to close the show was very funny. Whether you like the build or not for this match, there is no denying that this match has the potential to be incredible and I cannot wait to see it. We are only 12 days away from seeing two of the best wrestlers in the world perform in the ring at the biggest show of the year.
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