February 28, 2014
Taped 2/25/14
BMO Bradley Harris Center
Milwaukee, WI
Tonight’s Smackdown is dedicated to the memory of Nelson Frazier, Jr. aka “Big Daddy V”. Rest in peace.
Ring
Michael Cole welcomes us to Smackdown and talks about a six man tag team main event and a rematch from Elimination Chamber: AJ Lee vs. Cameron. All of a sudden Batista’s music hits and he passes by a BOO-Tista sign on is way to the ring. He does not look happy and he gets in the face of a fan who isn’t doing anything. The fan is just smiling at him and Batista flinches at him like a tough guy. So WWE is trying to salvage Batista by turning him heel on the fans. Okay, but get him out of the main event at Wrestlemania! Heel vs heel is a bad idea for that match!
Batista is on the mic and says he loves the business and WWE. He didn’t come back to be like. Well, that’s good. Because you aren’t. He came back to be WWE Champion. That’s not good.
Batista claims to be better than Hulk Hogan and The Rock. He doesn’t understand what happened to the business. Where is the attitude? Small guys? What’s up with that? He then takes his shirt off for some reason. He talks about being champ and the crowd chants “No!” Batista finishes up and JBL agrees with everything he said. The commentators are basically cartoon characters these days after all.
Batista’s music shuts off and Dolph Ziggler’s music starts up! Ziggler walks to the ring and calls Batista a dinosaur. He challenges Batista to a match which is accepted. A dropkick floors Batista and Ziggler backs out of the ring. Batista goes wide eyed as Ziggler heads up the ramp.
Backstage
The Real Americans split a screen with Big E and Mark Henry as they all walk towards the ring.
-Commercial-
Ring
Big E and Mark Henry approach the ring for the first match of the night.
Match 1
Tag Team Match
The Real Americans vs. Big E (IC Champ) & Mark Henry
Big E and Swagger push each other around the ring in a tie up until Big E grabs Swagger and throws him with a belly to belly overhead suplex. Big E then gives Swagger a running shoulder to the gut in the corner, tags in Mark Henry, and avalanches Swagger before leaving the ring.
A few headbutts has Swagger reeling. He tries to fight back with a boot but Henry hits a big power slam and tags in Big E. Big E shows his incredible strength with a trio of rib breakers but only gets Swagger own for a 1 count. Swagger has had enough and tags out.
Big E presses Cesaro overhead but he lands on his feet and pushes Big E to the apron. He follows up with a kick and rams Big E’s head into the post. Cesaro now shows his incredible strength by suplexing Big E from the second rope into the ring. He goes for a cover but Swagger made a blind tag while Cesaro was in mid suplex. The real Americans are not on the same page.
Swagger rams Big E into the corner and hits a Swagger Bomb for a 1 count. Cesaro is tagged back in and the two work in tandem for a double team splash in the corner. A short arm clothesline gets barely a 2 count for Cesaro.
Cesaro sits Big E down with a chin lock but he fights out and tags in Mark Henry. Swagger gets the tag as well but is dominated by the bigger man. Henry hits a running power slam looks for the World’s Strongest Slam but a big boot from Cesaro stops him. Big E is back in the ring and avalanches Cesaro who he follows to the outside. Cesaro slams Big E into the post again as Cesaro takes Henry out at the knee.
Swagger applies the Patriot Lock but Cesaro tags himself in. He hits the Neutralizer on Henry and covers him for the victory.
Result
The Real Americans win via pinfall (Cesaro on Mark Henry after the Neutralizer)
Match Thoughts
Okay match, but the issues between Swagger and Cesaro have the two wrestling on separate pages. Their continuity as a team is suffering and it hurt the match. It makes sense for the storyline but I prefer when they work together. Having them try to show each other up made Mark Henry and Big E look weaker than they should have.
Backstage
Del Rio tells Vickie that she should congratulate him for beating Batista on RAW and that he was going to ask for a tie breaker. She already put Batista in a match though. He says he might as well take the night off and compliments her hair. Sheamus walks up and compliments Del Rio’s hair. Vickie makes a match and Del Rio is displeased.
-Commercial-
Ring
Sheamus’ music plays as he heads to the ring for the next match. They play a clip of Christian pushing him off the ropes after their match last week and Sheamus thinks about it.
Match 2
Singles Match
Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
Sheamus looks beat up. He has tape on his ribs and multiple bruises that show up very prominently on his pale skin. The two men tie up and have to be separated by the referee. Del Rio kicks Sheamus in his injured ribs out of the break. Sheamus grabs Del Rio’s foot as he tries another kick and dumps him out to the floor.
Sheamus performs a running shoulder block from the apron to the floor and rams Del Rio into the announce table before rolling him back into the ring. He drops a few knees to Del Rio and uppercuts him into the ropes. He whips Del Rio into the ropes but Del Rio holds on. Sheamus rushes him but Del Rio ducks and elevates him onto the apron. Sheamus hits a knee life through the ropes but takes a hangman. Del Rio follows up with a dropkick to the ribs that sends Sheamus to the floor. All of a sudden Christian’s music plays and he makes his way to the ring.
-Commercial-
Christian is now on commentary as the match continues.
Del Rio is in control and stomps Sheamus in the ring. Del Rio climbs the ropes but Sheamus stops him and gets an electric chair drop out of the corner. Sheamus lands a series of blows and gets a 2 count from a power slam.
Sheamus misses a Brogue Kick and takes a backstabber from Del Rio for a 2 count. Del Rio misses a kick and slides out to the apron which leads to Sheamus’ series of forearms across the chest. Sheamus pulls Del Rio back into the ring with a fireman’s carry but Del Rio escapes and sends Sheamus into the corner ribs first. A kick to the ribs and a kick to the head get a 2 count for Del Rio.
Del Rio looks a little frustrated and calls for Sheamus to get up. He misses an enzuigiri in the corner and Sheamus tries to lock in the cloverleaf. Christian can’t take any more and attacks Sheamus from behind.
Result
Sheamus wins via DQ after Christian interferes
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. Del Rio’s attack in the injured Sheamus was well done and the match could’ve gone either way. Christian’s interference didn’t do much to detract from the quality of the match.
Ring
Sheamus dumps Christian out after his interference. Del Rio goes for the cross arm breaker but takes a Brogue Kick instead. Christian is back in the ring now and delivers a Kill Switch to Sheamus. Sheamus and Christian work well together and can put on a really good match. I’m looking forward to a feud of a decent length between them.
Video
Cole introduces a short replay of Daniel Bryan getting put in a match with Kane from RAW.
-Commercial-
Video
The commercials end with a video package of Hulk Hogan returning to WWE on RAW from this week. It seemed about as long as his actual appearance. We get a little bonus footage showing Hogan on the Today show from this week.
Ring
The Bulgarian Flag dominates the stage and Lana appears to introduce Alexander Rusev to his first appearance on Smackdown! He climbs some Bulgarian colored steps and says something intimidating. If he’s here then why doesn’t he wrestle? Or attack someone? Something.
Video
We are now shown a recap of Ambrose getting questioned by The Shield and Reigns’ match with Bray Wyatt from RAW.
Backstage
Reigns asks Ambrose is he’s ready for tonight. Ambrose yells. Ambrose doesn’t like being yelled at all the time. Rollins yells to calm everyone down. Rollins brings everyone together and reminds them that they are the hounds of justice. Rollins is really starting to shine due to the fracturing of The Shield. I like it.
Ring
Ziggler’s music play and he walks down the ramp towards the ring.
-Commercial-
Ring
Ziggler is in the ring as Batista’s music whips the crowd into a chorus of boos.
Match 3
Singles Match
Dolph Ziggler vs. Batista
Ziggler rushes Batista at the bell with a flurry of punches to the head. Batista rolls out of the ring and kicks the steps in frustration. Batista takes his time getting back into the ring. When he does get in, Ziggler continues the attack and grounds Batista with a dropkick. He rolls out again.
Batista pulls Ziggler to the outside and pushes him into the barricade and the ring apron. Ziggler rams Batista into the post, but Batista goes low and attacks Ziggler’s knee. Curiously the camera missed the attack though, so one has to wonder how it really looked. Missing something on a taped show doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Batista wraps Ziggler’s knee around the post. Batista suplexes Ziggler for a 2 count. He whips Ziggler hard into the corner and again goes after the knee. He misses a stomp that Ziggler sells. He goes for a shoulder but Ziggler moves and sends Batista into the post.
Ziggler mounts Batista in the corner for some punches but Batista grabs him in a power bomb position. Ziggler gets out and goes after Batista’s knee. He hits the Fameassser for a 2 count. He puts Batista in a sleeper hold but Batista shrugs him off and hits a spinebuster. And another. And another. Then a Batista Bomb. The end.
Result
Batista wins via pinfall after a Batista Bomb
Match Thoughts
This match was no surprise. Batista fought dirty, Ziggler had a bit of a comeback, then Batista won with a few power moves. Not a great match. Batista is boring and predictable. Boo.
Video
Cole introduces a recap of Cena facing the Wyatt Family from RAW.
-Commercial-
Ring
The sheep face interrupts the end of the commercial feed and the Wyatt Family is here. Bray Wyatt talks about how men buy things to impress women. He describes how women wear makeup asks masks. He talks about plastic smiles on billboards. Bray will slay the mighty dragon behind the plastic smile. Follow the buzzards. Enter The Shield.
Led by Ambrose, The Shield makes their way through the crowd with a purpose. They make it to the ring apron before Triple H comes out to put a stop to confrontation. Apparently this isn’t best for business. That actually makes sense. This is a money match and doesn’t really belong on Smackdown. Just another factor that proves that Smackdown is definitely the B show.
The Shield doesn’t care as Rollins and Ambrose dive out of the ring onto Rowan and Harper. Bray just smiles and backs away.
-Commercial-
Ring
AJ Lee is already in the ring with Tamina and is ready to defend her title.
Match 4
Divas Title Match
AJ Lee (Divas Champ) vs Cameron
AJ immediately takes Cameron down and sends her into the corner. A clothesline gets AJ an early 1 count. Rear chin lock by AJ. Cameron fights out with a chin breaker and screams. A couple of clotheslines and a screaming bulldog get a 2 count for Cameron. She screams again for some reason. Frustration? Excitement? You can’t get a reading on her face. It’s kind of like when Kelly Kelly would scream for no reason. The scream even sounds similar. It’s kind of annoying.
Cameron whips AJ into the corner and goes for something, but Tamina pushes AJ out of harm’s way. The ref tosses Tamina out. Cameron takes advantage of the distraction and lands a cross body from the second rope for a 2 count.
AJ kicks Cameron in the gut and head and takes her time as she sets up the Black Widow. Cameron quickly taps.
Result
AJ Lee wins via submission with the Black Widow
Match Thoughts
Short match. Cameron had a little burst and looked better than she probably ever has, but that still doesn’t mean she’s good. AJ taking her time at the end made Cameron look foolish. As she should.
-Commercial-
Video
RAW Rebound featuring the return of The Undertaker. So far this is the only Wrestlemania match I’m looking forward to.
Ring
At the Pre/Post Show Panel area Josh Mathews talks with Big Show, Booker T, and Alex Riley about The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar. They all pick Undertaker to continue his streak.
Down on the stage, The Usos perform Siva Tau to get ready for tonight’s main event. Daniel Bryan follows them as we head to a…
-Commercial-
Match 5
Six Man Tag Team Match
The Usos & Daniel Bryan vs. Kane & The New Age Outlaws (Tag Champs)
Bryan and Gunn start the match. Gunn hits a shoulder block but takes a kitchen sink before being sent to the corner. Bryan throws some kicks his way and tags in Jey. Gunn immediately backs Jey into the corner and Kane tags in.
Kane whips Jey hard into the corner and lands an uppercut before tagging in Dogg. Dogg starts his dancing punch sequence but misses the last strike. He tries to whip Jey into the corner but Jey slides out of it and hits a leaping clothesline. He tags in his brother Jimmy.
Jimmy gets a 2 count off of a double team elbow drop. Jimmy looks for a superkick but Dogg sees it and quickly leaves the ring. Gunn goes over to console his partner who wants none of this match right now.
-Commercial-
Billy is now in the ring and whips Jimmy into the corner. Jimmy comes out of the corner and lands a couple of hip tosses and a chop that sends Gunn to the mat. Jimmy slides out of the ring from a whip by Gunn. He pulls Dogg off of the apron but takes a nice tilt a whirl power slam from Gunn when he gets back into the ring. 2 count for Gunn.
Kane is tagged in and takes control. He gets a 2 count off of a couple of clotheslines in the corner. Dogg is tagged back in and gets a 1 count. Kane is back in gets a 2 from a sidewalk slam. He puts a rear chin lock on Jimmy who fight out with a jaw breaker. Kane boots Bryan off the apron and clotheslines Jimmy before making a tag to Dogg.
Dogg knocks Jey off the apron but takes a dragon whip from Jimmy. Jimmy wants a tag but both of his partners have been knocked off the apron. Bryan makes it back to his feet and gets the tag. Gunn has been tagged in on the other side but he misses Bryan as he runs straight for Kane and dropkicks him to the floor!
Bryan then throws punches and kicks at Gunn, backflips over his head, and hits a running lariat! He repeatedly kicks Billy in the chest. As he’s going for a head kick, Road Dogg enters the ring only to be thrown out again. Bryan then lands a dropkick on Gunn that sends him to the floor. Bryan wants to dive but Kane stops him.
Both Usos go for Kane but they each get caught by the throat. Two kicks to the gut and a double superkick has The Usos building momentum. Jimmy leaps onto Dogg in one direction while Jey leaps onto Kane in another! Billy is now back in the ring and hits the Fame-asser on Bryan! He rolls Bryan up, hooking both legs, but only gets a 2 count! Billy is not happy.
Billy goes for a belly to back suplex but Bryan lands on his feet and explodes out of the corner with a running knee! 3 count!
Result
Daniel Bryan & The Usos wins via pinfall (Daniel Bryan on Billy Gunn after a running knee)
Match Thoughts
Good main event. Daniel Bryan always brings the excitement and The Usos are a great team. The Outlaws are great in their current roles and play it well.
Impressions
Pretty average show. Smackdown tends to be a place holder for story lines. No big advances but usually some solid wrestling. Kind of like a televised house show. That’s what tonight was. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; I like house shows.
Match of the Night
The Usos & Daniel Bryan vs. The New Age Outlaws (Tag Champs) & Kane
A good match from a bunch of good guys. It didn’t have much competition tonight though. With the shenanigans going on in the first two matches and the one-sidedness of the next two, the main event was an easy pick as the best match of Smackdown tonight.