WWE SmackDown Recap time! As always, you can see a live play-by-play of the show as it comes right here! So watch this space!
Edge comes out to open the show. Says there’s a big contract signing tonight between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan but there’s some things he needs to address. Wants to start with Roman. Recently he said that a man like him he shouldn’t face a man like Roman. ‘Cause he’s a family man and whatnot. Says he picked up on something that seemed to fly over people’s heads because they’re great spin doctors. For weeks Roman wanted him to acknowledge him as the main event of WrestleMania so he made his choice: Roman.
But then he felt what he brought to the table, a table where on this show, he is the carpenter. Then he makes a U-Turn and goes to Daniel Bryan and he got suckered right in and got played. As far as Daniel Bryan goes, last week he said he deserves to be in the main event of Mania more than he does because he loves this and has wrestled more than him in the past three months. He wants to remind him of who he is, he was wrestling five times a week sometimes against a litany of huge names over decades. He’s back here not because he has to, because he loves this. Now, like everyone else, he has to wait to see who wins at Fastlane to see who he faces at WrestleMania…
Daniel Bryan interrupts.
As the WWE SmackDown Recap goes on, he says Edge talks about Roman Reigns getting sucked in, he thinks Edge got sucked in. He got really effected by his promo and that wasn’t even his intention. He would’ve thought the Ultimate Opportunist would’ve respected him going into business for himself for the first time in his career. But he has an infinite amount of respect for what Edge has done and has accomplished. He sees how hard he’s worked at this and loves this. But when he wanted to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship, that wasn’t about Edge.
He laid on the mat at Elimination Chamber watching him point at the sign, yeah he got demoralized. Not because of how few matches he’s had this year but because he was allowing himself to go into what might be his last WrestleMania on the backburner. He will give everything he’s got to be in the main event. Edge already has his spot, so this isn’t about him. If he wants to headline, he HAS to go to Fastlane and beat Roman Reigns, and that’s why he had to go into business for himself.
Edge says maybe he should’ve made himself clear. Roman’s already beaten him, beat him at the Chamber, and he knows the circumstances but a win is a win. He went over 60 minutes at the Rumble, which Bryan was in, by the way. He likes Daniel Bryan but he doesn’t like how he did this. Says he’s better than this, but he’s not better than him.
Street Profits & The Mysterios vs. Alpha Academy, Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler
Street Profits come to the ring for the opener, Mysterios also coming out but get jumped from behind by Alpha Academy and Roode & Ziggler! Profits go out there with them and get taken out too, heels standing tall before the bell.
Roode and Dawkins start. Dawkins with a few leapfrogs, bulldog. Dropkicks. One for Gable too. Ford tags in. Big dropkick from him as well. Dominik tags in, Wheelbarrow Legdrop double team, cover for 2. Heels take over, Gable works over a leg until he gets rana’d. Otis tags in, shoulder tackle. Throws him to the corner, Dominik with a floatover, gets to the apron, Springboards in but Otis nails him out of the air with an axehandle. Gable tags in, holds Dominik for a bodyshot. Now the heels work over Dominik with isolation. Dominik counters a Delayed Vertical Suplex with a DDT. Simultags to Dawkins and Ziggler, Angelo is a house of fire, big suplex on Ziggler. Corner charge, uppercut to the face, Ziggler charges right into a Spinebuster! Tag to Ford who goes up top but Gable drops him onto the ropes.
Commercial break, WWE SmackDown Recap will resume when the show comes back.
We return to see Ziggler holding Ford down in a headlock. Ford fights his way up, body shots. Ziggler shoves him away, dropkick lands. Forces him to the corner, Montez fights his way out but misses an enziguri, Dolph leaps onto his back for the sleeper. Ford staggers over to his corner with Dolph still on his back. Tag to Dawkins, and he comes in to batter Dolph – but the ref cuts him off, he didn’t see it! Dolph drags Ford to the heel corner and they continue isolating him.
Eventually he makes the tag to Rey. Nails everyone, Tornado DDT to Gable, Otis breaks up the count. Dominik comes off the top with a Crossbody but Otis catches him out of the air, Rey with a West Coast Pop brings them down! Drop toe hold to Gable to setup the 618 but he runs right into a Roode Spinebuster! Signature Flurry ensues, but it ends with Roode being dropkicked between the ropes for a Double 619! Mysterios with big topes taking out Alpha Academy, Ford with a From The Heavens to pin Roode.
Winners: Street Profits & The Mysterios
After the match, we see a segment from The Bump where Gregory Helms was talking to Molly Holly, and he let her know that she’s the first inductee into the Hall of Fame this year. Man, they took a long time announcing those this time.
Jey Uso wants to go into Roman’s office but Paul makes it clear it’s not a good idea after he lost to Daniel Bryan last week. Wants him to come back later, says he’ll be happy to see him by then.
Seth Rollins with a promo backstage. It’s a good excuse to show the big Giant Swing from two weeks ago again. He asks why we’re still talking about this. He came out there to help Cesaro. He’s had some success in WWE, not as much as him but a bit. He wanted to help him. For that he got embarrassed and disrespected. He’s done with Cesaro, biggest waste of potential he’s ever seen, biggest waste of potential in WWE. Hears about him having a rematch with Murphy this week and seems intrigued about it.
Nia Jax takes Reginald on a shopping spree.
He tries on a variety of suits and is still able to spin and leap around in them just fine, even in a very confined area. This just kinda keeps going, Nia likes all of his outfits. Eventually he leaps onto her lap. Asks what he could possibly do to repay her. She puts on, just an inexplicable smile.
Cesaro vs. Buddy Murphy
Seth Rollins comes out to watch this match from the stage. Murphy and Cesaro fight into the corner, Cesaro drops him with a big uppercut. Slams his face into the buckle. Big shot takes Murphy right to the floor. Cesaro pursues, Murphy with a V-Trigger like high knee stopping him dead! Takes him into the ring but Cesaro cuts him off as he comes back in, Deadlift Superplex! Charging uppercuts in the corners, Murphy with a boot up on a third attempt, comes off the second rope for a dropkick but Cesaro catches him out of the air, starts a-swinging. Rollins rushes the ring and assault Cesaro to break it up.
Winner: Cesaro (by DQ)
Rollins continues the attack, culminating in a Curb Stomp. Seth strips off his jacket and demands he stand up, challenges him to get on his level. Cesaro struggles up, Seth kicks his leg out from under him and there’s the Curb Stomp again, two in a row! Seth tells him he’ll never be on his level, rushes to the outside and grabs a chair, he wraps it around Cesaro’s head! Yells that nobody embarrasses him. He wants to end him with a chair-assisted Stomp but officials rush out to block the way and keep it from happening.
Seth has to leave and when he gets backstage, he’s confronted by Shinsuke Nakamura. Neat staredown.
Kevin Owens preparing for the KO Show. Sami Zayn appears and tells him he wants Owens to be part of the documentary. Are you seriously telling me this gimmick wasn’t written off last week? Kevin clearly isn’t interested but Sami acts like he might do it anyway.
Jey walking backstage, Edge stops him and wants to talk to him. Says he’s known his family for a long time. Remembers them getting in the ring with him and bouncing around when they were young. Says he’s treated like a second class citizen in his own family, what’s he doing? In 2015 he saw a match from the Usos that woke him up and made him realize how much he still wanted this. Now he’s walking around with his head down like a subordinate. How does his dad feel about this? Jey says he should worry about his own family. After Mania there won’t be any talk.
Now on the WWE SmackDown Recap, it’s KO Show time.
Kevin says the last few months have been pretty rough for him mentally and physically. Says it’s been a tough rollercoaster ride but he’ll always keep fighting. Tonight’s not about him it’s about his two guests who will face each other at WrestleMania for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Before that, for some reason they’re teaming at Fastlane to go after the Women’s Tag Titles. He introduces Bianca Belair and then Sasha Banks.
Owens says they have a chance to make their Mania match even bigger, walking in as Women’s Tag Champs. He can only think of two people to face each other for a title whilst holding the tag titles, and that’s John Cena and Shawn Michaels. Says this would go a long way to cement their legacies but first they have to beat Nia and Shayna, when they failed to do this at the Chamber. Owens talks about Reggie. Sasha says she can’t help that she looks this good and that he has a crush on him. Bianca says he’s no good for her and she’s been entertaining him too long.
Sasha calls herself the Michael Jordan of the Women’s Division and maybe some day Bianca can be LeBron James. They bicker for a bit. Sasha says she’ll be walking in and out of Mania as 2 Belts Banks. Bianca says she’s glad she has her eyes on the prize at Fastlane. She might be walking on the road that she paved but she’s in her own lane.
Nia and Shayna interrupt, with Reginald.
But before they even get to the ring, Natalya’s music hits and, okay this is a match nevermind…
Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair vs. Natalya & Tamina
Heels take control early. Stomping and isolating Sasha. Natalya with a big suplex for a 2 count. Chinlock. Sasha makes the hot tag, Bianca in with a couple of dropkicks. Spinebuster for a cover, Reginald on the apron with a distraction. Bianca has to give up on the pin and she admonishes the ref. Nattie fights out of the corner, Discus Clothesline! Tamina tags in. Reginald is showing off on the announce table, Sasha Banks goes up there with him. Reggie lures her into the ring and then slips out himself, Natalya attacks her from behind. Belair deposits her but Tamina rolls her up for a win.
Winners: Natalya & Tamina
Man. They really just had Nattie and Tamina beat the SmackDown Women’s Title match at Mania.
And this is the good show of the main two.
Sasha arguing with Bianca. Said she told her to get rid of him. Belair said to get rid of him, not slap him and slam the door in his face. Sasha is unwilling to take the blame for her L.
WWE SmackDown Recap rolls on…
Big E makes his return.
He comes out on a crutch and in a neckbrace, ankle brace, the works. He tosses the crutch away though and rips the braces off, he’s healed!! Makes his way to the ring. Says when Crews took him out he had plenty of time to think about what he did. Says he opened the Pandora’s Box, there is no going back from what he did. Big E says there’s no sorry to fix this, can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Because he made him go biblical! He’s gotta go Old Testament on him, it’s eye-for-an-eye. He takes one of his and he’ll take two of his! He comes to hurt him and he’ll maim him! Says once he steps on his lawn, he’ll bulldoze his house! Pinning him now is not enough. Now he’s gotta end him!
Says they don’t need to wait at all right here, demands he bring his behind down to him and get the opportunity he’s been waiting for. Crews doesn’t come out. Big E yells for it but he still doesn’t get it. Admits that he’s not surprised but he got all gussied up to defend his title so he’s putting on an Open Challenge. King Corbin comes out, says he’s not dressed to fight but he has no problem tearing up his suit. Sami Zayn rushes out to accept instead. Says this is the rematch he’s had coming for months and the perfect end to the documentary. They’re both coming down to the ring. Big E calls them fools and says whoever gets in the ring first gets the match, Sami easily wins the race and gloats to Corbin about it. Turns around to a big shot and eats a Belly To Belly!
When we come back for the WWE SmackDown Recap…
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Big E (c) vs. Sami Zayn
E and Sami lock up at the bell, E with a knee to the gut. Sami kicks him out of the corner, side headlock. E shoots him off, duck unders, leap frog, back elbow. Cover for a 2 count. E with a biiig power whip into the buckles! Charges, Sami with the knees up on a charge. Clothesline to the back of the head, mounted punches. Chokes E on the middle rope. Sami slams his face into the buckle. To the second rope, flying elbow for a 2 count. Zayn goes up top again, flies at him but this time E catches him for an Overhead Belly To Belly! And another! Sami powders before he takes any more. Big E follows him and pulls him back into the ring, batters him on the apron and keeps calling out Apollo’s name. E resets the count, goes for his splash but Sami rolls out of the way and he crashes and burns on the apron!
Commercial break, WWE SmackDown Recap will resume when the show does. E takes Sami up when we come back but Zayn counters with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb!! Nearfall! Sami slaps E around. Pulls him up, whip, E rams through a clothesline, flips him with a lariat! Hoists him up for the Big Ending, that’s that!
Winner: Big E
Aight broke the formula a little bit with how they came back from break there.
Apollo’s music hits, E is looking around for him but Crews manages to attack from behind anyway. Lands an Olympic Slam Pulls him up for another one! Crews grabs the steps and throws them into the ring. Demands E get up. He slams the steps into him and sends him out of the ring. Crews stands atop the steps proudly.
Reginald talking to Nia backstage, suggests challenging Sasha for her own title next week so SHE can walk into Mania as double champion! She likes that idea.
WWE SmackDown Recap will conclude with the contract signing up next.
Roman and company enter before the break, Bryan is there finishing his entrance when we come back. Adam Pearce is there with the contract table.
Says they will have a match at Fastlane and asks who would like to sign first. Roman gets in Pearce’s face and makes him pull his chair over for him. Roman tells Bryan he doesn’t want this. He gets it, he did everything he was supposed to do. He agreed to it a couple of weeks ago, but this week? He’s not feeling it. He won’t sign it. Bryan laughs and says he’s excited about it, he’ll sign it. Would’ve thought Roman Reigns would be a man of his word, wouldn’t have thought the Head of the Table would be afraid. Maybe last week things changed. He says a lot of people have always thought he was better than Roman, he always thought he was better than Roman! Last week he proved it when he did something he couldn’t do, he made Jey Uso quit!
Bryan gets all hyped up and says maybe he should be the new head of the table! Maybe he’ll be the self-proclaimed head of the table! Roman gets pissed and decides to sign it, says he’ll smash him. Bryan tells him he’ll tap him out just like he tapped out Jey Uso. Jey pulls the table away and yells in Bryan’s face. Says he’s sick of the disrespect, what this match needs is a special enforcer to make sure it’s called fair and square! And that enforcer is him!
Edge makes his way out!
He says that’s a good idea Jey has but wants to do him one better. Next week for the first time in 11 years he wrestles on SmackDown, facing off with Jey Uso and the winner is the special enforcer! Pearce says that’s a great idea. Fight breaks out in the ring, Bryan stands tall as the show fades!