WWE SmackDown this week emanated from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. The night was capped by some of the most remarkable in-ring bouts in recent memory, and further implications set for WrestleMania 41, set to happen in less than a week.
Moreover, the night ended on a high note as Jacob Fatu arrived at the scene to lay waste to his WrestleMania opponent, LA Knight, and make a huge statement heading into The Show of Shows.
Quick Results
- Bayley and Lyra Valkyria won the Tag Team Gauntlet match to become No.1 contenders for the WWE Women’s tag team titles at WrestleMania 41.
- Rey Fenix defeated Berto in a singles match.
- Zelina Vega defeated Chelsea Green via count-out in a non-title match.
- Tiffany Stratton defeated Roxanne Perez in a singles match.
- LA Knight & Randy Orton defeated Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga in a tag team match.
Best match
The best match of the night, which garnered the loud ‘This is Awesome’ chants, was the opening contest. It was a multi-women tag team gauntlet match to determine Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez’s opponents for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles at WrestleMania. The action kicked off with Bayley and Lyra Valkyria starting the match against Shayna Baszler.
Lyra and Bayley delivered an impressive showing as they eliminated all the teams that came after. The decision came down between them, Piper Niven, and Alba Fyre. The last moments featured some jaw-dropping spots and ended with a combination move by Bayley and Lyra Valkyria to pick up the win and get their title match at WrestleMania 41.
Worst Match
The worst match of the night was very much evident. A non-title match was scheduled between WWE Women’s US Champion Chelsea Green and Zelina Vega. The match ended in mere minutes as Green was unexpectedly counted out, with fans getting to witness no action at all.
Noteworthy Moments
One of the biggest highlights of the night was Rey Fenix delivering an impressive bout against Berto. Both Mexican stars put on one of the most captivating bouts of the night that had the fans on their feet and ended with Fenix’s second victory on the blue brand.
Another noteworthy moment of the night was witnessing the epic clash between former NXT standouts Tiffany Stratton and Roxanne Perez. The duo put up an excellent match, which was an equally matched showdown. Despite Perez coming close to beating her, Stratton put her away with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to pick up the win. However, she suffered a huge beatdown at the hands of Charlotte Flair right after.
The last noteworthy moment from WWE SmackDown this week was Cody Rhodes’ address in the ring. Rhodes was surrounded by countless versions of the WWE Championships. He gave shoutouts to multiple legends like Eddie Guerrero and Undertaker, and even turned his attention to John Cena upon seeing the Spinner WWE Title. Rhodes promised to defend the title for the entire WWE Universe at WrestleMania 41 and made sure that John Cena left Las Vegas with nothing.
Holy Sh!@ Moments
The biggest Holy Sh!@ Moment of this week’s WWE SmackDown came during the segment between Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest. McIntyre attacked Priest as he was making his way to the ring. He then revealed that his eye injury had healed up and he was ready for his Sin City Street Fight against Damian Priest at WrestleMania 41. Priest came back to the ringside to brawl with him. Instead, McIntyre raked his eyes and delivered a Future Shock DDT to him on the steel steps.
Another jaw-dropping moment came at the start of the show. As Nick Aldis was trying to reason with Randy Orton regarding his WrestleMania 41 status, Orton dropped the bomb by provoking him to battle him and even mentioned his wife, WWE legend Mickie James.
Lowlights
Despite being the main event of the night, the tag team match between LA Knight and Randy Orton against Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga was a good match. However, except for the worst match of the night we picked, it was not able to match the level of the bouts that happened before it on WWE SmackDown. Although it did end on a high note as Jacob Fatu decimated the Megastar with multiple moonsaults as the show went off the air.
What’s in store for WWE SmackDown next week
WWE SmackDown next week will be the final show before WrestleMania 41. The show will feature the return of John Cena who will address the audience of Las Vegas. Also, the traditional Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal will also take place at the show.
Apart from that, two more matches were also announced for the show. The first was a six-woman tag team match between Zelina Vega, Kayden Carter, and Katana Chance against the team of Chelsea Green, Piper Niver, and Alba Fyre. The last match announced will see The Street Profits defend their WWE Tag Team Championships against the Motor City Machine Guns.
Also read: WWE Rumors: John Cena’s Heel Turn Was Originally Planned To Mirror Another Legendary Turn