Right to the point with this SmackDown in a Nutshell, but in case you haven’t noticed, there is just one week until we Rumble.
Yes, a week from Saturday, the attention of the entire WWE Universe will be focused on Tampa for the annual Royal Rumble.
So, tonight being the penultimate show ahead of the big event, we have lots going on.
For starters, there will be a contract signing for the fatal fourway match for Roman Reigns’ title.
Logan Paul is back, and slated to visit the KO Show. That won’t be chaotic at all…
Randy Orton gets Solo Sikoa in a match, and who knows what else.
Lots of things going on, lots to look forward to, so lets dive in to…
SmackDown In A Nutshell: One Week Until We Rumble
It’s time to crack this one open and see what happens!
Best Match of the night:
I liked Bate and Dunne against Pretty Deadly.
But, the last chunk of the show did a good thing for all involved in the fatal fourway.
LA Knight and AJ Styles had a good one, broken up by Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa.
Then, Solo took on Randy Orton.
Quietly, I feel they are doing a nice job building Solo (he’s been speaking more, even if he is taking losses).
Worst match of the night:
I am glad that there was one, but the women’s tag title match was a stinker.
3 minutes for a title match when it isn’t a squash of jobbers? Too short.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
This one was not a chant, but the Atlanta crowd sure sounded like it popped big when Pete Dunne’s name showed up on the Tron. Loved that.
Star of the Night
Can I give a little love to Pete Dunne? Of course I can.
Spot of the Night:
Paul Heyman told Nick Aldis that Roman wasn’t signing the contract.
Aldis said that it was fine, he didn’t have to. But, if he didn’t…Reigns would vacate the championship.
Wherever they are going with Aldis versus the Bloodline…I am in.
Not a spot, but good. And if you absolutely had to have a spot?
Jobber of the Night:
Unholy Union sure felt like they were doing a job, which is a shame.
Upset of the Night:
None to speak of.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
I mean, after last week we knew we were finally getting it…and I knew it when Pretty Deadly said they weren’t going to be surprised this week by Tyler Bate and Butch…
But…PETE DUNNE is back. Long live the Bruiserweight!
Botch of the night:
Nothing that I really felt like it needed to be called out.
Commentary of the night:
Graves on commentary made the Dunne return that much better.
LOL Moment of the night:
Pretty Deadly said they were prepared for Bate and Butch.
They lost to Bate and Dunne.
When asked after the match what happened, they said they weren’t prepared for a completely different person. Comic genios.
Noteworthy Moment:
Non-SmackDown news, but as we learned earlier in the day, Seth Rollins has a legitimate and reasonably significant knee injury.
It would seem likely that Rollins is either going to surrender the title, or be cashed in on during RAW next week.
During SmackDown, the RAW promos did confirm Rollins would be there to address his future.
Overall lowlights:
Honestly, I have no issues with the show tonight. We have a week until we Rumble, and things are lining up nicely.
Overall highlights:
A week before the first major PLE and the main title match on the card is shaping up nicely.
All three challengers look like legitimate threats, and Roman definitely looks ripe for the taking, even if he won’t be losing it yet.
The downside of a short women’s tag title can be balanced out by what Bayley said on commentary. WWE has a stacked women’s tag division.
After the final bell:
One week to go before the first of the big four on the WWE calendar. We can make guesses on the Rumble entrants, but thus far…plenty of room for surprises.
And, fans know we’ve got bangers on the menu too. Kevin Owens against Logan Paul should be top notch, and the fatal fourway looks solid too.
