Smackdown, taped in Boston, Massachusetts, opens with an in-ring promo from Charlotte and her father, Ric Flair. Charlotte heels it up, as usual, to lead into the opening match of the night. Even if the format of opening with a promo is familiar, it’s an interesting twist to open with the Divas.
Also read: WWE WrestleMania 32: Date, place, tickets and what to watch
Here are the WWE Thursday Night Smackdown Results and Spoilers for 24 March, 2016:
Sasha Banks def. Charlotte (non-title match)
Banks, a Boston native, gets a large reaction from the crowd, but she is welcomed warmly everywhere, it seems. The victory comes when she reverses the Divas Champion’s signature Figure Eight finisher into a rollup. Afterward, Becky Lynch – who had been on commentary – takes out both of her WrestleMania 32 opponents before leaving, and then Banks hits Charlotte with a Backstabber.
Also read: WWE SmackDown Results: March 31, 2016
That’s an intriguing move from Lynch, who has been a clear face since being called up to the main roster. Coupled with actions in other divisions, specifically from Roman Reigns and the Usos, it’s a refreshing blur of the heel-face lines.
Speaking of moving across those lines, The New Day has done just that, and they’re up next for their typical promo fare. That gets interrupted by the League of Nations, which is missing Alberto Del Rio.
Sheamus def. Kofi Kingston
In an interesting blend of styles, Kofi rallies from an early beating before taking a Brogue Kick. Rusev and Wade Barrett interfere, as is to be expected.
The New Day story arc has worked out very nicely for the WWE. The trio got to develop the sarcastic characters they always wanted in the heel ranks before coming back to the face side of things, where WWE brass seemingly wanted them from the get-go. And because there was never really a clear turn besides feuding with the decidedly heel League of Nations, the New Day could easily transition back if need be at a later date.
The Usos def. The Ascension
Thankfully, this one doesn’t take long as Viktor eats a double superkick. Interestingly enough, The Usos steal The Dudley Boyz schtick and send the Ascension through tables with a pair of top rope splashes.
Naturally, that leads to a backstage interview between Renee Young and the Dudleys, who insult the Usos’ family. That includes Rikishi and the Wild Samoans, which is one bridge too far for Roman Reigns, son of Sika, one of the Wild Samoans. He challenges Bubba Ray Dudley to a match later.
Now, this is really good booking. Reigns needs to have a few matches to establish his momentum going into WrestleMania, but he’s obviously not going to be fighting Triple H on Smackdown. This tie-in makes sense, and it will provide fans with a unique match that hasn’t been seen on WWE programming like so many others have.
Sami Zayn/Dolph Ziggler def. The Miz/Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens has established that he isn’t a good teammate on multiple occasions, but these types of matches are obviously going to happen leading into a seven-man ladder match. True to form, after Ziggler rallies from an early hole to get Zayn in the match, Owens attempts to get out of the match. In comes Sin Cara, Zack Ryder and Stardust to get him back to the ring, and Miz turns on him for a Skull Crushing Finale. From there, it’s the expected “finisher party,” with Ryder as the surprise lone survivor after a Rough Ryder on Owens.
This is an obvious ploy to save some poor booking for the WrestleMania ladder match. Ryder isn’t a threat in the least to win that match, unless a major swerve is in order, but he, Sin Cara and Stardust will get a boost over the next couple weeks to appear stronger.
Roman Reigns vs. Bubba Ray Dudley
If you expected this to be a technical showdown with an actual finish, you’ll be disappointed. Reigns gets a big pop on his entrance, and before long, the match is a brawl outside the ring. Reigns takes the advantage until D-Von, who accompanied his brother to the ring, makes the save. That earns D-Von a Superman Punch and a trip through the ring steps, and Bubba catches a spear before Reigns makes his exit.
This darker version of Reigns is good. He’s still working as a face against the heel Dudley Boyz, but his less fan-friendly persona suits him well. This is the same route that was taken with Reigns leading into his last title reign, though, and he was back to the smiles as soon as he got the belt. That doesn’t need to be the case this time if he’s to be the company’s top champion again.
Next is a backstage conversation between Goldust and R-Truth, who worked together Monday on RAW. Perhaps they could be added to the Dudleys-Usos match, but maybe this is a build for down the road.
A second dialogue segment follows, this time between the Lucha Dragons, Sin Cara and Kalisto. Both have big title matches on the WrestleMania 32 card, and Kalisto – the United States Champion – runs into his challenger, Ryback, for a quick exchange about the match.
AJ Styles def. Tyler Breeze
Styles wins in quick fashion with a Phenomenal Forearm, the springboard arm shot that has been a favorite among fans.
Either or both of these performers should be in the Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania, but at the very least, it’s good that they’re working together here. It could lead to something down the road, but Breeze needs to be more competitive for that to matter.
Paul Heyman escorts his client, Brock Lesnar, to the ring, where he calls out Dean Ambrose for a fight. Instead, they get surrounded by the Wyatt Family. Ambrose doesn’t leave them waiting long, though, as his music hits and he and Lesnar clear the ring. This is an obvious play for a cheap pop, but it was surely a cool moment to see all that talent in the ring at once with Lesnar and Ambrose briefly on the same side.
That doesn’t last long, though, as Ambrose comes after his WrestleMania foe with a kendo stick before getting hit with an F5 to close out the show.
