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Triple H kicked off the special episode of SmackDown in an empty Performance Center and Sasha Banks and Bayley were the first ones out and they demanded to know where Paige was. Cole said that Paige was not able to make it due to travel issues.
Out came Bliss and Cross to challenge the Boss N' Hug connection in order to prove themselves to the WWE Tag Team Champions, The Kabuki Warriors.
Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss & Bayley
Bayley and Banks separated Bliss from her tag team partner early on and it was apparent from the silence that things were a little unusual. Nikki Cross tried to get an empty arena to chant "Lexi" which was a little awkward.
Cross tagged in and nearly countered a Meteora before several close roll-ups left Banks flustered. Asuka showed up and took out Bliss while the ref was watching the action. Cross was forced to tap to the Bank Statement in the ring.
Result: Sasha Banks & Bayley def. Alexa Bliss & Bayley
Match rating: B
Roman Reigns was in an interview with Michael Cole and he brought up the critics who believe Roman Reigns didn't deserve to be in the main event at WrestleMania. He responded by saying if he can main event any other night of the year, why shouldn't he be able to main event the biggest show of the year?
Cole said that Goldberg claimed he'll bulldoze Reigns at Mania. Reigns questioned if Goldberg was even smart enough to operate a bulldozer. Reigns stated that he was going to whoop Goldberg.
Backstage, we got an interview where Kayla Braxton was talking to Jeff Hardy. Well, she attempted to, but Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Nakamura interrupted them. As they left, Hardy talked about how excited he is to be back on SmackDown.
King Corbin came in and challenged him to walk a straight line, recite the ABCs backward, or touch his finger to his nose.
Hardy responded by stating that he'll be taking on the King later tonight in his return match. As he walked off, Elias came in to try and play the King a song. Corbin walked off, frustrated.
Backstage, Daniel Bryan found Drew Gulak and thanked the former Cruiserweight Champion for showing him his weaknesses. Going forward, he wanted Gulak to teach him more.
Sami Zayn and his "Artists" insulted them both, claiming that Bryan had fallen from grace before calling Gulak a nobody. Cesaro stepped in between Bryan and Zayn, setting up their match.
We got a rerun of the chamber match from last Sunday before Miz and Morrison were in the middle of the ring. They asked if anyone thinks they aren't the greatest tag team of all time, playing off the empty arena concept.
We have a lot of rumours going around which say former NFL star, Rob Gronkowski was going to sign with WWE. Mojo Rawley, Gronkowski's friend, said the former NFL star will be on SmackDown next week to address the situation.
Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro
Sami Zayn joined Cole & HHH at commentary while Bryan and Cesaro traded strikes. It was high kicks vs. European uppercuts early on. Back from a break, Cesaro yanked Bryan over the apron with a deadlift superplex.
Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro (contd...)
Cesaro popped Bryan up for a nasty European uppercut and transitioned into a cross-face before Bryan countered with a rollup on Cesaro.
Result: Daniel Bryan def. Cesaro
After the match, Gulak and Nakamura rushed the ring and started fighting. Nakamura and Cesaro teamed up against Gulak before Bryan came to his aid and the teams were separated by officials.
Match rating: B
Jeff Hardy vs. Baron Corbin
Hardy was dropped early on with a massive Deep Six for two-count. Corbin was distracted by Elias, who began to play his guitar. Because of that, Hardy countered End of Days with the Twist of Fury and hit the Swanton Bomb for the win.
Result: Jeff Hardy def. Baron Corbin
Match rating: B-
Triple H reminded us that they were missing the most important part of the show, the fans before John Cena came out and joined Michael Cole in the ring. John said that Wyatt wasn't the only one blaming him for their own failures. He said Wyatt got lazy and lost his edge.
He added that WWE should stop giving chances over and over to 'overpriviledged' superstars before Wyatt showed up. He said the voices in his head lead him to the Fiend and it was all John's fault.
He said at WrestleMania, it was going to be a slaughter, before the lights went out.
Episode rating: A
This was a unique show for the WWE fans and the Superstars did their best. HHH did provide a lot of fun for us watching from home.
