TUESDAY’S SmackDown LIVE was the very last stop on the road to WrestleMania 34, which happens this Sunday April 8 in New Orleans.
What could WWE possibly do to create even more the excitement for the Show of Shows? Here are five things we learnt from the “go home” edition of SmackDown.
Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon have hugged and made up
Shane made his return to SmackDown – his first appearance since Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn gave him a savage beating several weeks ago.
Shane sold his injuries and could barely even manage his trademark shuffle (that’s probably true after his recent real-life hernia).
Shane and Daniel Bryan talked about their upcoming tag match against KO and Zayn, then apologised to each other for recent mistakes and stubbornness.
They took a page out of Bryan and old partner Kane’s book by hugging it out to a big reaction from fans.
It’s a lucky coincidence Bryan’s being medically cleared. The storyline between them that was going nowhere has suddenly turned into Mania’s most anticipated collision.
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Carmella has failed to cash-in again
Mirroring events from two weeks ago, Carmella interrupted a Charlotte Flair v Natalya match and attempted to cash-in her Money in the Bank.
But Charlotte booted the briefcase from Carmella’s hands and then trapped Natalya in the Figure-8 for the win.
After the match, Asuka arrived for a stare-down with Charlotte, which ended with them babbling on about who is the most ready for their WrestleMania match.
But Carmella’s failed cash-in is surely more interesting.
After several failed attempts, this has to be leading somewhere.
Will she shock the world by cashing-in at Mania?
Perhaps Carmella will ruin Asuka or Charlotte’s big moment? Or swerve us all by cashing-in during (or after) Alexa Bliss v Nia Jax for the Raw Women’s Championship?
Rusev is a game changer for the US title
Ahead of the US title Fatal 4-Way, Rusev defeated Jinder Mahal in singles competition – followed by post-match appearances from Randy Orton and Bobby Roode.
It was the usual US title guff – Orton, Roode, and Mahal were deathly dull and everyone exchanged crafty finishers afterwards.
But this time fans actually cared – because Rusev and his lackey Aiden English were involved.
Rusev has been reportedly added to the US title match because of his merch sales, but he’s
saved this feud already – he’s massively over with fans. If he wins the belt this Sunday, WrestleMania really could be Rusev Day.
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Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn crashed the show
The biggest moment of last night came when KO and Zayn came through the crowd and hijacked the show with a searing promo on Shane and Bryan.
They apologised to Bryan’s wife and child for the beating they’re going to give him – and promised to send Shane back to WWE HQ where he can cry in his old man’s lap.
It was great stuff on the mic – and worth watching for Kevin Owens’ updated “KO-Mania III” t-shirt, this time lampooning the WrestleMania III poster.
Owens and Zayn have also found themselves in a great position thanks to Bryan’s return – they’ve got from a lower mid-card spot at Mania to a potential headline match.
The “dream match” is a dreary storyline
The show ended with WrestleMania opponents AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura teaming up to defeat Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin.
We all know that AJ v Nak for the WWE Championship at Mania is a dream matchup, but is that enough?
So far their programme has consisted of some backstage promos and each man pretending to execute his finisher on the other, before pulling back at the last second.
Nak did it to AJ last week, teasing the Kinshasa Knee Strike, and AJ returned the favour last night, teasing the Phenomenal Forearm.
Mind games, so WWE keeps telling us. Yawn. WWE is coasting on the notion of the “dream match” without putting the effort in to make fans invest emotionally.
(The dream match build between Charlotte Flair and Asuka has been done with similar
lethargy – just a couple of bland exchanges on the mic.)
There’s no doubt AJ and Nakamura will have a stellar match on the night, but will this half- hearted booking work for Nakamura in the long run?
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