Our WWE SmackDown results for tonight include Kit Wilson calling out Jelly Roll, The MFTs defending the WWE Tag Team Championships against Damian Priest and R-Truth, Motor City Machine Guns taking on Fraxiom, The Bella Twins challenging The Irresistible Forces for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, and Drew McIntyre clashing with Jacob Fatu. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
WWE SmackDown Card:
- Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match | The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) (c) vs. The Bella Twins
- Motor City Machine Guns vs. Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom)
- WWE Tag Team Championship Match | The MFTs (c) vs. Damian Priest and R-Truth
- Kit Wilson calls out Jelly Roll
WWE SmackDown Results:
As the show kicks off, Jelly Roll pulls up backstage. Security runs by Jelly Roll, and we see a car accident in the parking lot.
… GTA, ************!
Drew McIntyre rips the windshield off a car that he apparently smashed into. Jacob Fatu is inside, clearly dazed from the accident. McIntyre drags Fatu out of the car and pounds on his face. Fatu’s forehead splits open. As McIntyre is pulled away, a bloody Fatu gets checked on by officials.
That Table Had a Family!
McIntyre storms into the arena and says anyone who gets in his way will be destroyed. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis storms down to the ringside with security. Aldis calls McIntyre a spoiled child. McIntyre says Aldis’s son should be ashamed to have such a corporate stooge for a father. A still bloody Jacob Fatu storms down the ramp and rushes the ring.
McIntyre and Fatu brawl. Fatu sends McIntyre into the ring steps. McIntyre gets laid out on the commentary desk. Fatu gets dragged through the crowd by security. Fatu breaks away, leaps on the barricade, and puts McIntyre through the commentary table with a splash, completely. onlbiterating the table in the process.
Grade: A
This writer is completely and utterly sports-entertained. What a hot start to SmackDown. McIntyre recalimed his heat by apparently committing attempted vehicular homicide, while Fatu is back to being a totally unhinged monster, who gets a car rammed into him just to whoop feet less than five minutes later? This is exactly what we need from both of these guys. No notes.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match | The MFTs (JC Mateo and Tama Tonga) (c) vs. Damian Priest and R-Truth
Priest and Truth double team Mateo. After the break, Tama is working over Priest. Priest manages to tag in Truth. Truth hits Tama with a Stone Cold Stunner. Solo Sikoa distracts the referee while Truth has Mateo in the STF. Talla Tonga pulls Truth out of the ring and chokeslams him on the ring apron.
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The referee is none the wiser. The Wyatt Sicks hit the ring and fight the MFTS outside of the ring. Uncle Howdy appears and puts Sikoa in the Mandible Claw. In the confusion, Truth picks up Mateo and hits an AA! Truth pins Mateo!
Winners and NEW WWE Tag Team Champions, R-Truth and Damian Priest!
Grade: B-
This wa s fun tag match. Some would say Truth and Priest were thrown together, but the fact of the matter is these two have been in each other’s orbit for several years at this point. Weirdly, all of the Judgement Day stuff led to this moment. Now, as far as WHY they are the tag champs heading into WrestleMania… the only thing that makes sense is this is just a way to get these two on the Mania card. Not mad at that.
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Backstage, Danhausen scares Candice LeRae by just appearing. Johnny Gargano is still planking in sadness. LeRae asks Danhausen if he can help. Danhausen asks for “20 Human Dollars.” LeRae hands it over, and Danhausen promplty dissapears.
Grade: B
LOVE THAT DANHAUSEN!
Motor City Machine Guns vs. Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom)
Sabin and Shelley are in control early. After the break, Axiom and Frazer fire up and land some pretty convoluted tag team offense. Candice LeRae walks down to ringside and decks Frazer while the referee isn’t looking. Sabin rolls up Frazer for the win.
Winners- Motor City Machine Guns
Grade: C+
These four have had better matches. If this was going to end with an angle, it should have ended quicker. Let’s just move on to something that matters.
He hears Voices in his Head…
Randy Orton grabs a chair and sits in the middle of the ring. Orton notes that when the fan sings his song, he tries to give that same energy back, slapping hands with fans and signing autographs. It puts a smile on his face. That feeling is the emptiest feeling he has ever felt in his life. Orton doesn’t want his legacy to be giving high-fives; he wants his legacy to be about how many championships he has put around his waist. Orton was ready to do what needed to be done to beat Drew McIntyre.
Cody Rhodes, whom Orton loves like a brother, swooped in and won the title from McIntyre. Rhodes took the weight off his shoulders. Rhodes says he wants Orton to be at his best. He wants Orton to listen to the voices. So Orton did. Orton is going to win his 15th world championship. Orton says he hears voices in his head; they counsel him, they understand. They tell him he’s going to beat Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. And he is going to do it at the main event of WrestleMania.
Grade: A
Orton is on fire. No notes. The entire arena at WrestleMania is going to be cheering for Orton, and you know what? They should.
Aleister Black w/Zelina vs. Sami Zayn
Trick Williams sits at the commentary desk to watch the match. In the ring, Zayn is in control early, beating Black down in the corner. Zayn misses the Helluva Kick. Black flattens Zayn with a meteora off the top. Zayn kicks out. Zayn sends Black over the top. Black gets to his feet. Zayn sends Black into the barricade. Zayn slaps Williams’ foot off the desk. Williams throws a drink at Zayn. Zayn starts to go back in the ring, but he decides to go back and attack Williams. After laying Williams out, Zayn rolls back in and eats a Black Mass. Black pins Zayn.
Winner- Trick Williams
Grade: C+
This writer could have used another 10 minutes of this one. A hard-hitting match that had to end in shenanigans.
Jaded
The WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill struts to the ring. Cargill says she knows Rhea Ripley is here, so she doesn’t want to waste any time. Cargill calls out Ripley. Rhea Ripley’s music hits. Ripley joins Cargill in the ring. Ripley asks Cargill if they are going to talk or finally do something. Cargill says Ripley needs the title, but she doesn’t need the title, the ring, or the fans. With or without wrestling, Cargill is that b*tch, and will always be that b*tch. The goal is to make money, not friends. Ripley says she does need this. She lives for this. Cargill doesn’t care about Ripley or the women in the back.
More bickering ensues. Ripley says she doesn’t need the title, the title needs her. Ripley welcomes Cargill to the big leagues, b*tch; Ripley wants to fight and offers Cargill the first shot. Cargill says nah, on her time. Cargill backs away and leaves the ring. Michin and B-Fab cut Cargill off on the ramp. Cargill is trapped. Cargill smiles and B-Fab and Michin, who is holding a kendo stick, surround the ring. B-Fab eats a kick from Ripley, but Michin cracks Ripley with the kendo stick. Michin and B-Fab hold Ripley in place while Cargill lands a big boot. Jaded by Cargill.
Grade: B-
Way too much talking to get to the point. We have heard all of this before. JUST GET TO THE PUNCHING. Happy to see B-Fab and Michin getting put in the position to get more TV time. Cargill works even better when she has lackeys. Ripley is eating a pin at WrestleMania, and she should.
Backstage, Sikoa rages at the MFTS for losing the championship. Tama tells Sikoa he sounds like Roman Reigns. Before Sikoa can respond, McIntyre and Fatu fight into the frame and crash into a garage door.
United States Championship Match: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Ilja Dragunov
Hayes kicks off the match by slapping Dragunov in the face. Dragunov slaps himself and drives Hayes into the corner. Hayes eats a barrage of strikes. Hayes misses a springboard and gets turned inside out by the Constantine Special. After the break, Hayes lands a dive, but ends up crashing into the commentary desk, ribs first. Dragunov catches Hayes mid-springboard and hits a German suplex. Top rope senton by Dragunov. Hayes kicks out. Dragunov dives off the top into the First 48! Dragunov stumbles and drops the H-Bomb on Hayes! Hayes gets his foot on the bottom rope to break the pin.
After the break, Dragunov drops Hayes with a DVD on the apron. Dragunov sets up a superplex. Hayes counters in mid-air with a cutter! Dragunov kicks at two! Hayes and Dragunov trade stiff strikes. Leaping boot by Dragunov. Dragunov lands a powerbomb. Hayes kicks out. Gutbuster by Dragunov. Hayes kicks out again! Dragunov calls for the Torpedo. Hayes counters with the First 48! Dragunov kicks out! Dragunov kicks out! Hayes misses Nothing but Net. Dragunov tries another powerbomb. Hayes reverses it into a sunset flip bomb for the win!
Winner and STILL United States Champion, Carmelo Hayes!
Grade: A
THIS IS PRO WRESTLING. This writer has seen enough. Give us a best-of-seven series for the United States Championship that ends at WrestleMania, you cowards!
Kit Wilson and Jelly Roll play the dozens. Wilson lays out Jelly Roll and hits his finish.
Grade: C
The jokes were funny but get this off my TV, please.
Backstage, Jelly Rolls tells GM Aldis he wants Wilson. Aldis says he can have his match next week.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match | The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) (c) vs. The Bella Twins
The Bellas double team Jax. Legend tags in and floors Brie. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss walk to ringside. After the break, Brie lights up Jax with the Yes kicks. Pop-up headbutt by Jax. Jax is sent over the top. Nikki lands a dive that takes out Legend and Jax. Jax lands a Samaon drop off the second rope. Legend follows that with a frog splash. Brie breaks up the pin. Brie locks Legend in the Fearless lock. Outside the ring, Jax tries to hit Nikki with one of the title belts. Flair breaks it up. Flair decks Jax, causing a disqualification.
Winners- The Irresistible Forces
After the match, everyone brawls. Jax and Legend are the only ones left standing. Legend and Jax destroy Flair with the Vegomatic.
Grade: C+
This match wasn’t exactly The Hart Foundation against the Rockers. Jax and Legend using that Vegomatic as a finish is still astonishing.
Backstage, Randy Orton is on the phone. Orton tells whoever he is on the line with that they are right and he is going to go to the ring and fix this right now.
The Viper, Take 2
Orton walks to the ring carrying a chair, slapping hands with the fans, contrary to what he said in the ring earlier tonight. Orton says he has an apology he needs to give to everyone, including Matt Cardona. Cardona joins Orton in the ring. Orton says he’s been out of his head and is truly sorry. Cardona is skeptical. Orton hugs Cardona. After a handshake, Orton kicks Cardona in the balls. RKO by Orton. Orton tries to set up the ring step as he did to Rhodes last week. Security and officials pull Orton back. Orton backs off.
Someone tells Orton to think of WrestleMania, which sends Orton into a rage. Orton tosses Cardona back into the ring and wraps a chair around his arm. Orton thinks about it, but eventually stomps the chair. Cardona screams in pain. Aldis tries to talk sense to Orton. On the ‘tron we see McIntyre and Fatu fighting. Aldis runs to the back. Fatu and McIntyre are fighting on a ledge. Fatu knocks McIntyre off, but McIntyre pulls Fatu down with him. Aldis screams for medical as the screen fades to black.
Grade: B
Man, Nick Aldis is having a rough night.
WWE SmackDown Review:
Tonight’s show had tight in-ring action (mostly) and almost too many chaotic segments. This show was all over the place in the best possible way. Hayes and Dragunov stole the show, while Fatu and McIntyre gave Peter Griffin and the Giant Chicken a run for their money. The road to WrestleMania is heating up. How will they top next week? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Rating: B
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