On the Road to WrestleMania, it’s a massive SmackDown In A Nutshell as Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns face off tonight.
Also Read: Speak your mind about the latest SmackDown on our all-new Fightline forum!
Simple theme, but after a few shows of Rock and Rhodes, or just The Rock, it’s about time we focused on what’s really important. Our WrestleMania night 2 main event, for all the marbles.
It isn’t all about that massive main event of course. We have loads of other fun to deal with, and there are still some matches to fill out. Tonight gives us two more qualifiers for the six pack ladder match…even if I am hoping for a surprise team in Philly. Then there is all the Damage CTRL drama. Bayley has her hands full and her friends are…well they are hard to come by. Will Naomi get some more on her side?
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But, as important as that all is…the feature, the focus, for good reason? It’s all about when Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns face off. So let’s buckle up and get down to it!
SmackDown In A Nutshell: Cody Rhodes And Roman Reigns Face Off
Let’s crack this one open and find out how things go!
Best Match of the night:
Naomi and IYO was great. Ended with a lot of interference, which maybe took it down a notch…but it was the best match for me tonight. Best segment had to be the main event one, but we had a few others in the show worth talking about.
Jade got a nice piece. Can’t help but think she factors in last minute for Philly, or becomes an immediate factor right after. Bron Breakker gets another superb package. Big things coming there.
Worst match of the night:
I have no complaints really. I would have liked to see The OC win and move on, but something tells me we will get a team like Waller and Theory there, only to be destroyed by a nice cameo.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Bayley
Rocky sucks
Roman sucks
Naomi
Star of the Night
Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. For any who were thinking the duo needed more focus and that we were getting too much Rock, your prayers were answered tonight. And I will note, everything is lining up, whether at WrestleMania or around that time, for another member of the Bloodline to emerge.
Spot of the Night:
Kevin Owens has done it again! One punch, two guys.
Jobber of the Night:
None
Upset of the Night:
I have to think AJ was pretty upset he got a visit from LA Knight.
Rey maybe too, because Dom.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
Staged as it was, I liked the LA Knight/AJ Styles clash at Styles’ home.
After all, AJ did tell us he wouldn’t be around until WrestleMania. And well, LA Knight wasn’t having any of that.
Botch of the night:
I mean I know it was done on purpose…but…Charles Robinson looked right at Damage CTRL interfering and allowed it.
LOL Moment of the night:
Best lines of the night…
#1: Nick Aldis: I wouldn’t stand so close to each other
#2: Kevin Owens, after Pretty Deadly didn’t listen: I did it! Hey Randy, I did it!
This is solid too and I think it made Roman chuckle.
Noteworthy Moment:
I know we saw this with Jey and some faces (like Drew) who refused to ignore what he had done in the Bloodline.
It’s nice to see it again with Bianca not being quick to forgive Bayley.
Of course…it sure looks like Bayley, Naomi and Bianca could have that common enemy of Damage CTRL. That trio could use a fourth…
And while I thought we knew this weeks ago, Jade Cargill is officially on SmackDown. Her first appearance (officially) as a SmackDown Superstar will be next Friday.
KO and Orton tag next week against Pretty Deadly. Nice.
Overall lowlights:
Nothing to complain about here and now.
Overall highlights:
Loved the final segment. Roman doesn’t want Cody to trust Seth Rollins. Rhodes continues to do what he can to make The Rock and Reigns doubt each other. And in the midst of it all, Rhodes continues to match wits with The Tribal Chief. Even if you knew once Roman was like…sure I came alone. And Rhodes answered…well if you did, so did I. Start to finish, it was a good show.
After the final bell:
Just a really nice show this week. With just one more left before things hit Philly, next week should be a pretty big deal. The Road to WrestleMania is winding down and things are heating up!
