WWE SmackDown Live Results: March 27th, 2018

Bryan is back at WrestleMania
Bryan is back at WrestleMania

The road to WrestleMania takes a trip to Pittsburgh, with less than two weeks remaining until the showcase of the immortals in New Orleans.

Storylines will be advanced and new matches will be booked, as we see which direction things turn in for the blue brand.


Mahal & Rusev vs. Orton & Roode

Rusev Day is here to stay
Rusev Day is here to stay

We kick things off with a recap of the beatdown from Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens on Daniel Bryan last week, which allowed Graves to confirm that we'll get an update on the situation later tonight. Bobby Roode, Randy Orton, Sunil Singh and Jinder Mahal come out for their scheduled tag team match.

Mahal confirms that Singh sustained an injury this week, meaning that Rusev will replace him in the match tonight - which delighted the fans. Roode and Mahal start things off in the ring, trading blows in the early stages of the tag match. We come back from the break and Orton is in full control of The Bulgarian Brute, although a big kick from Rusev hands the control back to his team as Jinder is tagged back into the match.

Orton gains some separation and hits the hot tag, but Roode can't follow through on securing the pinfall. A lethal superkick gives Mahal a close two fall. We go through yet another break with Mahal still going back and forth with Roode, as this tag team match has now taken up the first quarter of the show.

Some miscommunication between Orton and Bobby leads to a moment of confusion, as Orton begins to set up the final sequence of the contest. Randy hits Roode with the RKO after tensions boil over, only for Rusev to nail him with a superkick to secure the pin and the victory.

Rusev & Mahal defeated Orton & Roode via pinfall

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A match graphic promotes Nakamura vs Benjamin, as well as the aftermath of Daniel Bryan's attack last week and New Day vs Bludgeon Brothers.

Becky Lynch vs Ruby Riott

Lynch is on fire - pun not intended
Lynch is on fire - pun not intended

Mahal offers Rusev front row tickets, only for The Bulgarian Brute to respond by revealing that he's going to convince Daniel Bryan to make the United States Championship match a fatal four way involving himself.


We then cut to AJ Styles, who is confronted by Shinsuke Nakamura who asks if he's okay. Nakamura says he's worried about him and that he's lost his confidence, which Styles denies angrily.

Shinsuke wants both of them at their best, and he wants AJ in his corner for his match against Shelton Benjamin tonight. Styles says he'll be out there because he doesn't want anything to get in the way of their Mania match.


Following their entrances, Lynch vs Riott gets underway as both women prepare to enter the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal next weekend. The two trade some interesting sequences as the Lasskicker takes control early on. Morgan and Logan voice their displeasure, which gives Ruby Riott enough time to take over.

Riott continues to work on beating Lynch down, as we head towards her inevitable comeback. A knee to the stomach cuts down Becky's attempt to move back into the match, as Riott tries to fend off Lynch. Alas, the former SD Live Women's Champion keeps gaining momentum, and an attempted top rope move fails due to Riott Squad interference.

Riott attempts to use the ropes to score a cheap win, but the referee spots it. Becky Lynch counters a pin attempt by Riott with a roll-up of her own, which seals the win.

Becky Lynch defeated Ruby Riott via pinfall


Lynch fights off the challenge of Morgan and Logan following her triumph, before proclaiming that she'd win the WM Women's Battle Royal. Backstage, Daniel Bryan is shown to be arriving at the arena, and he'll address the WWE Universe soon.

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Bryan issues a challenge to Zayn and Owens: himself and Shane McMahon against the duo at WrestleMania 34. The fans got behind the GM as he got fired up talking about the journey he'd been on alongside Zayn and Owens.

If Z&O win they'll be reinstated to SD Live, but if they don't, then they'll remain fired. There's no word yet regarding whether or not Shane has been cleared to compete.

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The New Day vs Bludgeon Brothers

Mania will certainly be interesting
Mania will certainly be interesting

In a pre-match promo, all three members of The New Day cut a scathing promo on Rowan & Harper. They switched from comedic to serious seamlessly, as they prepared for a match against the high profile former Wyatt Family members.

Following a frantic opening to the match itself, a disqualification is made, which brings out SD Live champions The Usos. All seven men continue to cause chaos, as the mallet-swinging Brothers clear the ring once again.

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A video package is played for Charlotte Flair vs Asuka, which is still being heavily advertised alongside the rest of the Mania card despite the champions; supposed injury.


Dolph Ziggler vs Tyler Breeze

In the wake of much speculation regarding whether or not he'd take part in the tag team match alongside Daniel Bryan, it quickly became clear that Ziggler would be reverting back to the status quo with the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Dolph picked up the quick win, establishing himself as one of the favourites for the match at the Superdome.

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Shinsuke Nakamura vs Shelton Benjamin

What a contest
What a contest

Nakamura went back and forth with the high flying Benjamin to kick off this main event. The Japanese star had control of the match, but after the break, the former Intercontinental Champion took the advantage, as they traded blows which weren't quite as stiff as some would like with a bout of this calibre.

Nakamura then breaks away from Shelton and nailed him with a kick to the head, meanwhile AJ Styles and Chad Gable battle outside of the ring.

A Northern Lights suplex gets him a quick two count as both men trade submission attempts, but in the end, there's no way for Shelton to avoid the Kinshasa as Shinsuke takes another step towards WrestleMania.

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Shelton Benjamin via pinfall


Once again Shinsuke Nakamura thanks AJ Styles for being in his corner but reaffirms that it wasn't necessary. Styles believes that his opponent is playing mind games and he knows they'll tear the house down at New Orleans, before Shinsuke claims that the WWE champion is too emotional.

Gable and Benjamin assault AJ only for Nakamura to make the save again, before attempting the Kinshasa - only to reveal it was a fake out. SD Live goes off the air with Styles once again looking bemused at the actions of Nakamura, less than two weeks out from Mania.

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