Written by Matthew Widdis
Here comes the money! Shane McMahon walks out to a mixed (in flavor and in magnitude) response. Shane-O-Mac lets us all know that he’s short on time and that means that Greg Hamilton will have to get the introduction right on the first try. He manages it despite the crowd boos. Shane is fine with the introduction but what he isn’t fine with is Roman Reigns flooring his dad, Vince McMahon, with a Superman punch to close out last week’s episode of Smackdown.
Shane lays the irony with a putty knife (considering his recent feud with The Miz) as he wonders “What kind of a man hits another man’s father like that?” Shane likens it to desecrating the American flag or “Rount Mushmore(?)” because the founder and CEO of WWE is an American institution. Shane runs a few punishment options by the crowd. Suspension? No. Heavy fines? No. Termination? No. (Although there were some cheers in there.) Shane thinks they should confront the issue in the ring and, as a McMahon, orders Roman to the ring. “Ro-man!” chants as The Big Dog walks to the ring, stares at his microphone for a second and tosses it aside. Shane tosses his down and it’s on!
And by “it,” I mean the double team. Elias comes out to the apron and distracts Roman for Shane to get in a cheap shot and batter him in the corner. Roman powers out and turns the tables on Shane but Elias comes in and it’s two-on-one. Roman fights back throughout but ends up beaten in a heap in the middle of the ring as Elias’ music play and the heels walk to the back, where we see them revel in their victory despite their lumps.
The announce team gives us a recap of last week when Kevin Owens became “Big O” to join The New Day while Big E recovers from surgery.
Backstage, Kayla Braxton welcomes WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston, who faces Shinsuke Nakamura later tonight. He says that the magic the WWE Universe gave him for Wrestlemania is still in him and growing every day. Xavier Woods comes in to give his support. Kofi tells us that they are dealing with the big change of Big E being out but… “Big O” jumps into frame to let us all know that New Day rocks!
Finn Balor comes to the ring as we recap his loss (courtesy of a Zelina-canrana) to Andrade. From gorilla position, El Idolo and his business manager say that Finn tried to get away from them in the Superstar Shakeup but they are staying on Smackdown to destroy the myth of Finn Balor.
WWE Intercontinental Champion, Finn Balor vs Andrade (w/Zelina Vega)
Curiously enough, considering the technical acumen of these two, it starts out with brawling. Andrade traps Finn in the corner and unloads but then Finn turns it around and does the same. Finn gets warned off but goes right back to stomps after the clean break. He starts to drag Andrade into the center of the ring but Zelina grabs Andrade’s hands for the save and is dragged along with him. Finn protests to the referee and it’s all the time Andrade needs to toss him out of the ring and follow up with a rebounding corkscrew pescado! He pulls Finn back into the ring and stays on him with strikes and a shoulder lock. Finn gets out but is still on the ropes. He rolls through a sunset flip attempt to hit a basement dropkick and then sends Andrade outside. Finn gets ready for the tope con helo but El Idolo recovers in time to slide back into the ring and drop him with a back elbow for a two count.
Back to the shoulder lock and body shots. Andrade goes for a power bomb but Finn turns it into a sunset flip for two and Andrade is getting angry. He goes for the power bomb again but, again, Finn reverses it, this time into a DDT. Finn gets in a double leg and follows up with a double stomp. A pendulum kick from the apron stops Andrade’s bull rush and Finn goes up top but Andrade crotches him on the top turnbuckle before it gets any further. Andrade pulls off the Frankensteiner but Finn rolls it through for another sunset flip and another two count. He back drops Andrade to the floor outside and hits the tope con helo. Finn tries to set up the Sling Blade but Andrade blocks it and feints a kick to hit the back elbow. Finn lands in the corner and Andrade nails him with the running double knees. One… two… and a kick out!
Andrade sets up the hammerlock DDT but Finn slips out and hits The Final Cut. Zelina Vega ascends the turnbuckles and leaps! Finn ducks and Andrade catches her safely but, once she’s out of harm’s way, shotgun dropkick into the corner and The Coup de Grace seals the deal.
Your winner by pinfall… Finn Balor
Backstage, Elias is singing about money, owning Smackdown, and challenges Roman to a one-on-one match at Money in the Bank. Shane asks Elias if he’s sure about that before telling him it’s a great idea, that Roman will never accept, and that they should get the hell out of there. They hop into a limo and leave the arena.
Kairi Sane (w/ Asuka & Paige) vs Peyton Royce (w/ Billie Kaye)
The IIconics do their usual shtick of cutting up the opponents with little wit and hammy delivery. Despite their best efforts, there are still some of the crowd who see through it and try to play heel Rock’s least favorite game, “Sing Along with the Champ(s).”
Once the bell rings, Peyton continues to clown Kairi until she gets thrown into a hammerlock. She insists that she was only joking but then elbows her way out and does an inverted 120 foot choke in the corner. Kairi weathers a storm of kicks to catch one and hit a dragon screw, following up with an axe kick to Peyton’s back. The little dynamo continues her assault with a running flipping neckbreaker and a surprisingly solid spear. Peyton is seated in the corner to take a sliding forearm shot to the chest. All academic from here as The Pirate Princess goes airborne for an In-Sane Elbow.
Your winner by pinfall… Kairi Sane!
Kairi Sane celebrates in-ring with her manager and teammate until the music that initiates Corey Graves’ Pavlov drool hits. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are still on Smackdown and they are still miffed about their former Absolution teammate, Paige, leaving them for the joshi puro duo. Not a word escapes their lips, though, as Jinder Mahal and The Singh Bros come out.
In a dark room somewhere, Aleister Black introduces himself with a bit of existential angst and self-aware deconstruction.
Jinder Mahal (w/ the Singh Bros) vs Chad Gable
Gable is back using the American Alpha music and graphics but never makes it to the ring. It’s Lars Sullivan time! Lars clobbers Gable from behind before lifting him up and driving him into the ring post. The Cro-Magnon Assassin turns his attention to Samir Singh who gets planted with The Freak Accident and Sunil gets a running powerbomb as Jinder beats feet.
R-Truth is no punk, though! His music plays and he’s ready to get it on after getting the short end of the stick last week. Forearms and headbutts from the former US Champion but the leg whip is caught and Truth hurts as Lars drives him into the mat twice. Lars finishes his night 4-0 with one “no contest.”
Club Mix Zarathustra hits and The Queen, Charlotte Flair, comes out to the ring in full gear and robes. She tells us that, at Wrestlemania 35, three of the very best (in the business, not just women!) were in a winner-take-all main event. Becky Lynch won by pinning Ronda Rousey… not The Queen. Charlotte didn’t tap out. She didn’t get pinned. That means that Rousey lost Flair’s title! Becky Lynch needs to come out and explain why she thinks that she is the rightful Smackdown title-holder when she didn’t beat The Queen.
Ask and ye shall receive. Out comes Becky Two Belts as the fans play her favorite game, “Sing Along with the Champ Champ.” She says that the match was “winner-take-all” and that is just what it sounds like. Besides, Becky couldn’t beat Charlotte because she was too busy beating the baddest woman on the planet, the woman nobody else could beat, and who Charlotte couldn’t beat. Charlotte says that she was in the match too but Becky says that she had to beat Ronda because she already knew that she could beat Charlotte. When it was over, she had both titles and there wasn’t anything they could do about it.
Charlotte says that she’s in Becky’s head and the proof is that, in every promo and tweet about Lacey Evans, she mentions Flair. Becky says that she’s the champ and Charlotte’s in a slump but Charlotte says that Becky is scared because, after she defends the RAW title against Lacey Evans at Money in the Bank, she’s next in line and taking the Smackdown title back. Becky is fed up with Charlotte. She wants her to step aside so that she can take on the likes of Bayley, Mickie James, and Ember Moon, but Charlotte is the web (nice literary reference!) that management will not untangle her from. Becky says that she’ll still be “Becky Two Belts” after beating Lacey Evans so, if Charlotte can work her way back up, she can get another shot. Flair says that she’s done it eight times and that she’ll do it nine.
This brings out Bayley! She says that the Superstar Shakeup is supposed to be about fresh starts but all she sees is a rerun. She thanks Becky for the mention but reminds her that, although she may have lost count of how many times she’s beaten Charlotte, she has beaten Bayley exactly “zero” times! Becky admires the moxie but Charlotte puts her hand on Bayley’s shoulder and tells her to run along to the back of the line. Bayley smacks her hand away and tells her to start earning her opportunities: They both want a go at the title so they should settle it… right now! Charlotte starts to belittle her but Bayley is fresh out of chill and smacks the mic out of her hand! It’s on!
Bayley vs Charlotte Flair
The announce team lets us know that, as per the McMahons, the winner will get a future title opportunity. Bayley gets bullied into the corner but puts Charlotte on her butt with a shove. Charlotte charges but Bayley side steps for a side headlock. Flair gets a handful of side ponytail and a knee strike in to break out. She goes for a slam but Bayley floats over the shoulder and sends Charlotte into the corner where she performs a very familiar “up and over” to land on the apron. Falir ducks a swing and goes for shoulder thrust to the gut but Bayley catches her with a short stunner! As Charlotte stumbles around the corner of the ring, Bayley exits the ring, runs to the corner and hops into the ring for a sliding dropkick under the bottom turnbuckle. Back in the ring, Bayley hits a cross body block for a two count. A rolling back elbow and a sliding clothesline to a seated Charlotte do damage but The Queen sends Bayley across the middle rope when she gets too close.
An arm wrench into a neckbreaker and a hair whip to the mat turns the tide to Flair. The dirtiest player still in the game proceeds to stomp Bayley against the bottom rope before pulling her neck first across it until she gets the five count. Charlotte starts banging Bayley’s head off the turnbuckles but WWE’s girl-next-door won’t get slapped without giving one back. Whipped into the corner for her insolence to The Queen, Bayley pops up over Charlotte for an O’Connor Roll and a two count. Kicked off toward the ropes, Bayley uses the momentum to bounce twice and hit a reverse cross body off the second rope for another two count! Running knee strike, shoulder thrust, and back elbow into the corner are slowed down by Bayley still feeling the effects of the neck wrenching earlier.
One miscue and Charlotte takes control, dropping her knee across Bayley’s left leg repeatedly. Charlotte goes back to the bottom rope, stretching Bayley like taffy and stomping her like grapes, and all of it across the leg. Bayley can barely stand but still answers Flair’s chops with right forearms and nearly pulls off a schoolgirl pin. A diving chop block takes The Hugger off her feet, though not enough for a three count. She goes for the Figure Four but Bayley sends a right hand across her nose to back her off. Charlotte stomps the calf and goes to throw Bayley out of the ring. But Bayley is the one tossing Charlotte out onto the apron and, when Flair slingshots in for schoolgirl attempt, Bayley rolls through to her feet and nails Charlotte with a knee to the temple!
Bayley takes time to recover and runs right into a knee to her own head when she charges Charlotte but drops The Queen with a double clothesline immediately after. Only a two count out of it. Bayley paintbrushes Charlotte with slaps and sends her into the ropes. She ducks a big boot by Charlotte, who backflips out of a suplex attempt to hit it on the second try. Bayley kicks out at two.
The kickout and the crowd chants are getting to Charlotte. She goes up top for the moonsault but Bayley rolls out of the way (mostly!) It’s enough as she’s now behind Flair and hits a back suplex with speed that would make Akira Tozawa proud. Tozawa might have gotten a three count, though. Bayley clutches at Charlotte for a front headlock but is driven into the corner. Charlotte hooks Bayley’s leg across the middle rope and goes for an elevated stomp but Bayley gets free and whips Charlotte’s feet out from under her, sending her crashing face first hard to the canvas. Bayley sets up at the other corner and, as Charlotte gets to her feet, hits a sunset flip that sends Charlotte cerebellum first into the bottom turnbuckle. A kick out at two sees Bayley getting desperate. She goes to the top rope, likely looking for that diving elbow drop, but Charlotte brings her down hard. Bayley gets dragged into the center of the ring and Charlotte starts to set up the Figure Four but gets small packaged for a two count! Immediately off the break, Charlotte hits a spear for three!
Your winner by pinfall… Charlotte Flair!
Becky Lynch is shown watching the monitor backstage. Kayla Braxton asks if she’s taking on too much but Becky says she’s betting on herself: she’ll defend the RAW title against Lacey Evans and the Smackdown title against Charlotte Flair… both… at Money in the Bank!
The new New Day is in the locker room and the champ, Kofi Kingston, is warming up for his match against Shinsuke Nakamura.
We see a repeat of Bray Wyatt’s Firefly Fun House with host that we saw on RAW, complete with shots of the crowd trying their best to figure out what to make of it. Byron Saxton doesn’t know how to feel, either.
In gorilla position, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods tell “Big O” Kevin Owens to do the intro “from his plums” and I’m fairly certain he does just that.
WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Kevin Owens and Xavier Woods are at the ubiquitous New Day commentary table while Lana and Rusev are at ringside (and both in suits!) Nakamura and Kofi trade side headlocks until Nakamura hits a headbutt to the chest. Kofi plays “dodge the strong style” for about eight or nine passes off the ropes by Nakamura before hitting some dropkicks. Nakamura rolls to the outside but Kofi waits for him inside. Wristlocks and knee strikes before a session of Good Vibrations from Nakamura. Snapmare takes Kofi over but he moves before the knee drop connects. Kofi’s kick to Nak’s chest lands flush, though, before the champ slingshot splashes for a two count.
A standing armlock by Kofi pretzels Nakamura with a knee drop across the elbow for good measure. Nakamura slips out of a waistlock though and applies his own, dropping Kofi to a seated position body scissors before transitioning to an armbar and then a triangle. Kofi escapes to the corner and, when Shinsuke rushes him, Kofi is waiting with a pendulum kick and a top rope splash across the back!
Shinsuke takes a kick to the chest and a dropkick to send him off the apron but Kofi gets caught when he’s trying for a suicide dive. Nakamura hits a guillotine knee drop of the apron as the exclamation point. He grinds Kofi down with a front headlock but he punches his way out. Nakamura switches to knee strikes and the champion is still in trouble. Kofi gets kicked out to the apron and then the corner before being dumped to the outside floor.
Nak runs Kofi into the steel ring steps but Kofi hurdles them and tries to launch himself off for a leaping strike but The King of Strong Style catches him with a right hand to the belly and a sliding kick to the back of the head. Dragged back inside the ring, Kofi won’t stay down for a three count and Shinsuke kicks some heart back into the champ’s chest. On the third kick, Kofi catches it and Nakamura’s attempt to turn that into a Codebreaker sees Kofi flip over him onto his feet. Kofi imitates Nakamura’s signature “C’mon!” taunt and hits him with double chops and a dropkick when he rushes. Kofi misses a splash in the corner and gets a roundhouse kick for doing so. Nakamura tangles Kofi in the ropes for the slide-under German suplex.
Nakamura signals for the Kinshasa but Kofi intercepts with a leaping chest stomp! Kofi leads the claps for “New. Day. Rocks!” Nakamura ducks Trouble in Paradise and they take turns ducking each other’s kicks. Kofi catches Shinsuke with the SOS for 1… 2… and Rusev breaks up the count with a stomp!
Your winner by disqualification… Kofi Kingston!
Xavier hits the ring to fend off Rusev but gets bulled into a corner. Big O doesn’t and sends The Bulgarian Brute to the floor outside. Xavier tosses out Nakamura and follows them out with an assisted tope con helo onto Rusev. Nakamura recovers enough to nail Xavier with a Kinshasa and gets back into the ring. Kofi protects his new teammate by shoving Big O out of the way and nailing Nakamura with Trouble in Paradise.
He’s repaid for it by way of a superkick right in the face courtesy of Kevin Owens! Well, that didn’t take long, did it? Kevin rips off The New Day shirt and proceeds to lay the boots to Kofi. He sends him out of the ring and hard into the barricade. And then the ring post. And back into the ring before grabbing the WWE title belt. He steps on Kofi’s head while holding the belt and then drags the champ to his feet. Kevin asks him if he thinks the belt is really his and says that he hopes Kofi and his kids had a good time because he’s coming for it.
Kofi is fired up to battle back but KO is fresher and gets the better end of their hockey fight. He takes Kofi outside and sets up for the powerbomb on the ring apron but Xavier makes the save with a diving dropkick. Owens levels Woods with a clothesline and Xavier ends up being the one who takes the power bomb. The PhD writhes in pain at ringside while Kevin Owens backs up the ramp to end the show.
Final Thoughts:
The inevitable Kevin Owens heel turn was not the slow burn we expected, huh? Kevin Owens reminds me of a DVD commentary from The Magnificent Seven; no matter who was speaking or what the emphasis of the scene was, Steve McQueen always made sure to keep some of the attention for himself with little motions or inflections. KO has that sort of awareness and nuance. I think that he can be a good a foil for Kofi as “the sadistic and brutal KO” plays better against him than it did against the likes of Roman Reigns.
Speaking of what doesn’t work for Roman… why are we back here? Why do they think that there is any sympathy built by having Roman Reigns get beaten into a puddle in the center of the ring, in the center of the country, by a 50-year-old executive and a comedy act (that was beaten up by half the “over 40” roster in past weeks) who were avenging Roman punching out a 72-year-old man? Nobody wants to see Roman struggle back from overwhelming odds (in the ring at least.) The crowd can no longer suspend disbelief that “The System” is against him. Get him cheers with what gets him his best reactions: dropping bodies and marking his territory. Having him stare laser beams into Kofi Kingston as a reminder that, eventually, “Big Dog’s gotta eat,” would work better than this.
Bayley stands up to Charlotte like she did in 2017 and she’s ultimately put down like she was in 2017. It was a fantastic match, though, and I’d say easily the best on the card tonight. Bayley reminded us why she garnered such reactions from the crowds and support from the office at one time. She sold, transitioned, and worked as good as anyone… and gave a promo better than I think I’ve ever heard out of her. Maybe she’s channeling some real-life frustrations via method acting. Maybe the writers finally gave her a square hole to fit into. Either way, it works. Personally, I’d have had The Hugger pull it out in the end, get beaten to a pulp for it, and then hold onto that “future title opportunity” like a de facto Money in the Bank.
Becky is another one who held her own versus Charlotte on the mic. This might have been the first time I’ve seen her assert herself this much and she really seemed to own the air between them like a “Champ Champ” should.
It’s nice to see Andrade and Zelina Vega still on Smackdown. I feel there’s more potentially great feuds there and, yes, it keeps them with their significant others. Many are quick to point to this as a possible favor to Charlotte Flair. To those, I’d remind them not to get “worked” up over it. Apparently, Charlotte used her influence to keep Naomi and Jimmy Uso on the same show as each other, too. Maybe Paige/Alberto and Carmella/Cass being on different shows added stress to those relationships and that resulted in bad publicity in the end? I guess “Charlotte” learned her lesson there.
