This was a good episode of Friday Night SmackDown: the matches were ok, but the best parts of this show were the storytelling elements. Easily the highlight of the show was the segment with Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. The winner of the Royal Rumble finally came face to face with the undisputed champion and the war of words did not disappoint. The lead-up to Wrestlemania will be interesting to watch. The lowlight of the show was the promo segment that had Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, and others. Way too much going on with that segment and I'm not really sure what they were trying to accomplish.
The main event was good but other than that none of the matches were memorable. The show started off hot but felt slow throughout. The atmosphere was good but the crowd noise varied significantly throughout the show. The Cody-Roman segment moved their storyline along and Sami Zayn continues to be involved with the Bloodline. However, a few of the women’s matches did not have a ton of story to them. The storytelling was good as usual but this was just a normal SmackDown so no theme.
Tonight on SmackDown: Roman Reigns meets with his Wrestlemania opponent: Cody Rhodes. What will the Tribal Chief have to say to the American Nightmare? Sami Zayn battles with Solo Sikoa. How will Zayn’s latest bout with the Bloodline go? And Liv Morgan has a match with Rhea Ripley. Who will come out on top in this matchup of the top two finishers at the Royal Rumble?
AMAZING Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes:
Cody came to the ring to speak with Roman one on one, which was acknowledged when the Tribal Chief sent Paul Heyman, Solo SIkoa, and Jimmy Uso from the ring. Cody Rhodes then said while it is impossible for others to beat Roman for the title, Rhodes has a history of taking on challenges. Roman Reigns responded with the fact that Cody hasn’t won a heavyweight title in WWE nor has he ever challenged for one. Then, he got personal by bringing up his own relationship with Dusty Rhodes and saying the American Dream never mentioned Cody. implying Dusty cared more about Roman’s career than his own son. Finally, Cody Rhodes passionately told that if all of that is true, it only heightens his desire to beat Roman.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 4 stars
ABOVE AVERAGE Rhea Ripley (w/Domenik Mysterio) vs Liv Morgan:
Morgan started out hot but Ripley quickly turned the momentum around. She dropped Morgan with a knee to the face. Going into the commercial break, Liv Morgan attempted a suicide dive but got hung up in the ropes. Just when Morgan had the advantage, Rhea Ripley countered a corner move. She hit Morgan with Rip Tide and an inverted cloverleaf to defeat her opponent.
Results: Rhea Ripley by Submission via Inverted Cloverleaf
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 2.5 Stars
Roman Reigns told Jimmy Uso he is running out of patience with Jey.
GOOD Domenik Mysterio (w/Rhea Ripley) vs Santos Escobar: (Make Subheading)
Escobar held Mysterio’s face up against one of Rey’s masks and asked Dom if he respected his father’s legacy. Domenik emphatically responded no After some trash talk from Domenik Mysterio, Escobar nearly got the pinfall with a leg drop. The turning point came when Domenik tried to use brass knuckles. As the ref tried to wrestle them away, Rhea Ripley hit Santos Escobar with a Rip Tide. Domenik Mysterio landed a Frog Splash to pick up the win. Domenik then tore up the mask that Santos Escobar brought to the ring. He then punched his father who had come out to retrieve the mask.
Results: Domenik Mysterio by Pinfall via Frog Splash
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3 Stars
AVERAGE Drew McIntyre and Sheamus…and LA Knight…and the New Day…and Karrion Kross:
McIntyre started solo by challenging Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. Then Sheamus came out and told Drew he felt betrayed. This is because McIntyre supposedly knows how much winning the IC means to Sheamus. LA Knight and the New Day then joined the party. Karrions finally showed up and all the participants brawled.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 2 Stars
SQUASH – Shayna Baszler significantly damaged Knox’s right arm with a series of strikes and submission moves. She submitted Knox with an arm bar.
Gunther complained about not having a challenger for the IC at Wrestlemania.
ABOVE AVERAGE Bobby Lashley attacked by Uncle Howdy:
Lashley came to SmackDown because he wanted to face Bray Wyatt in person. Then, Uncle Howdy attacked Bobby Lashley from behind but Wyatt quickly fought him off. The lights went dark and when they came back, Howdy was gone.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 2.5 Stars
His patience running thin, Roman Reigns told Paul Heyman that Jimmy Uso has one more week to reel in his brother. Otherwise, they’re both out of the Bloodline.
GOOD Solo Sikoa vs Sami Zayn:
Zayn went right after Sikoa the second he entered the ring. He also landed a move over the top rope onto Sikoa and Jimmy Uso, all before the bell even rang. Solo Sikoa controlled much of the actual match, dropping Zayn with a Samoan Drop. After failing to convert on a Helluva kick, Solo Sikoa won the match on a Samoan Spike. Jimmy Uso joined Sikoa in continuing the attack after the match. However, hesitation on a chair spot allowed Sami Zayn to escape further damage.
Results: Solo Sikoa by Pinfall via Samoan Spike
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
Overall…
This was a good episode of Friday Night SmackDown: the matches were ok, but the best parts of this show were the storytelling elements. Easily the highlight of the show was the segment with Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. The winner of the Royal Rumble finally came face to face with the undisputed champion and the war of words did not disappoint. The lead-up to Wrestlemania will be interesting to watch. The lowlight of the show was the promo segment that had Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, and others. Way too much going on with that segment and I’m not really sure what they were trying to accomplish.
The main event was good but other than that none of the matches were memorable. The show started off hot but felt slow throughout. The atmosphere was good but the crowd noise varied significantly throughout the show. The Cody-Roman segment moved their storyline along and Sami Zayn continues to be involved with the Bloodline. However, a few of the women’s matches did not have a ton of story to them. The storytelling was good as usual but this was just a normal SmackDown so no theme.
Matches: 0.25/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.5/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.5/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.75/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3/5 Stars
Photo Credit: WWE
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