'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The final episode of WWE SmackDown Live before Fastlane took place in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Tuesday night.
The show featured four matches, including an action-packed Fatal 5-Way main event, and mostly centered around the WWE title, United States title and SmackDown Women’s title ahead of Fastlane.
The upcoming SmackDown Tag Team title match between The Usos and The New Day was only highlighted in a video package, while it was confirmed in a backstage segment that Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura will face Rusev on Sunday.
In this article, we take a look at all five major segments and analyse what was good and bad about this week’s episode of the blue brand’s show.
#1 Charlotte Flair and Ruby Riott open the show
Storyline: Charlotte Flair will defend her SmackDown Women’s title against Ruby Riott on Sunday at Fastlane. Ruby has defeated two of Charlotte’s allies, Becky Lynch and Naomi, in recent weeks, while “The Queen” has won matches against Riott Squad members Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan.
Segment: The show began with an in-ring promo between Charlotte and Ruby. Most of the talking came from Ruby, who said she created the Riott Squad with the sole purpose of “destroying the myth that Charlotte is the personification of the Women’s Revolution”. Liv and Sarah were about to get involved but a 3-on-1 attack was prevented when Bobby Roode, Charlotte's Mixed Match Challenge partner, appeared ahead of the next segment.
Verdict: This storyline has been okay, if a little predictable, ever since it began, so credit to WWE for giving us something different this week. Ruby definitely delivered on the mic here but the sudden end to the segment felt somewhat underwhelming.
Grade: C+
#2 Jinder Mahal def. Randy Orton
Storyline: Jinder Mahal continually mocked Randy Orton for finishing below Bobby Roode in the SmackDown ‘Top 10 List’ – a power ranking voted for by fellow Superstars. This led to Orton earning an opportunity at Roode’s United States title at Fastlane.
Segment: Orton and Mahal went one-on-one in the first match of the show. The finish saw “The Viper” throw his opponent into Roode, who was on commentary, and the US champion interfered by complaining to the referee just as Orton was about to hit Mahal with an RKO. With his back turned, Orton received a Khallas from Mahal, who picked up the 1-2-3.
Verdict: Like most SmackDown storylines recently, this United States title rivalry hasn’t felt very compelling. Still, this was a decent match between two former WWE champions, with the fans hugely supportive of Orton from start to finish, and it feels like the title match could go either way on Sunday.
Grade: B
#3 Becky Lynch def. Carmella
Storyline: Carmella mocked Becky Lynch backstage during a Q&A on social media last week. Becky responded by challenging “Ms. Money In The Bank” to a match on this week’s SmackDown, vowing to make her opponent “trend and tap” by the end of the night.
Segment: Carmella was in control for much of the encounter but it was Becky who got the win, countering a takedown from her opponent before making her tap to the Dis-arm-her. It was confirmed in a backstage segment following the match that Carmella will team with Natalya to face Becky and Naomi at Fastlane.
Verdict: It’s crazy to think that Carmella, the biggest talking point of the women’s division when she won Money In The Bank, hadn’t competed in a televised one-on-one match for five months before this episode. Becky performed particularly well in this match and she’ll surely be in line for a title rivalry post-WrestleMania.
Grade: C
#4 AJ Styles addresses Fastlane match
Storyline: AJ Styles will defend his WWE title against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, John Cena and Dolph Ziggler at Fastlane. Cena said on Raw that, if he wins, he will allow Styles to invoke his rematch clause in a Triple Threat match (also involving Shinsuke Nakamura) at WrestleMania.
Segment: Acknowledging that the WWE Universe wants him to face Nakamura, Styles vowed to win at Fastlane so that fans can experience a match that will be “nothing short of phenomenal”. Ziggler then interrupted Styles and warned, speaking from experience, that his head “is in the wrong place” if he’s going into a match to win it for the fans.
Verdict: The numerous one-on-one matches between the six WWE title match participants has become tiresome over the last couple of weeks, so it was a refreshing change to have Styles and Ziggler hype up the match in a different way (at least initially) this week.
Grade: B
#5 AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler (no contest); Sami Zayn wins Fatal-5-Way
Segment #1: It looked like either one of AJ Styles or Dolph Ziggler could win an entertaining 10-minute match, with Styles just kicking out of a Zig Zag towards the end, but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens interfered and caused a no-contest finish. SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon then made the match a Fatal 5-Way, also involving Baron Corbin.
Segment #2: Zayn reiterated to Owens earlier in the night that he will lay down at Fastlane to help him win the WWE title. However, with Styles, Ziggler and Corbin recovering on the outside of the ring, he shockingly turned against his best friend in the finish to the chaotic five-man main event, hitting him with a Helluva Kick to pick up the win.
Verdict: It’s not very often you hear a “This is awesome!” chant on SmackDown, but this match was definitely worthy of it. Zayn’s betrayal was genuinely surprising and it adds a much-needed extra talking point to the six-pack challenge match ahead of Fastlane.
Grade: A
