The One Where Allegiances are Honored – Smackdown/205 Live – February 14, 2017

Smackdown Live from Anaheim, California, with our good friend and podcast mate @MickiFitz in attendance.  I was worried, coming off a big PPV on Sunday night that Smackdown might tread water for a few weeks on the Road to Wrestlemania.  I also worried that I might find disappointment in this show after how good Monday Night Raw was this week (and you don’t hear me saying that very often).  She picked a good one to attend, and Smackdown is showing no signs of slowing as they are barreling down the Road to Orlando.

I’m a day late, on account of the lover’s holiday, but that’s ok.  Today’s late recap gets to be brought to you by Big Show’s Abs.  Yes, you read that correctly:

With my trainer Dodd. We’re training for ‘Mania — hope you are too, @Shaq. #CountingTheWeeks @WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/OPco8Lw2BP

— Big Show (@WWETheBigShow) February 15, 2017

The Wyatt Era has Begun…maybe

Bray Wyatt, if you missed Elimination Chamber or my Recap, is your new WWE Champion after a damn fine EC match.  So he opens our Smackdown and promises to lead us to the promised land, as he walks us down the Road to Wrestlemania and beyond as our new WWE Champion.

He’s interrupted by Cena, who’s owed a rematch.  AJ Styles also happens to be owed a rematch, so he comes out too.  Inevitably, we get a Triple Threat Match playa, Holla, Holla, Holla.  Congrats to Teddy Long on his Hall of Fame selection.

The match is exactly what you’d expect from these three.  Lots of false finishes and 2 counts after finishing moves that look more violent than normal.  It watched a lot like a PPV match.  The really important parts were the opening, as AJ and Cena awaited the long dark walk of Bray down the ramp, the lights came up and Luke Harper was waiting for him, beating the hell out of the Champion before being escorted to the backstage area by security/officials.

Second, after Wyatt retains the title, Randy Orton comes to the ring for what you would think is the moment where he sets up the turn on Wyatt leading to their contest at Mania.  Instead, Orton pledges his allegiance to the Face of Fear and refuses to face him at Wrestlemania.  It was later noted on @WWE Twitter that Daniel Bryan has announced that a Battle Royale will determine the Number One Contender to face Wyatt at Wrestlemania.  Some part of me wants Luke Harper to win the Battle Royale.  Another part of me expects it to be The Undertaker.  If they’re really starting to put faith in Wyatt, letting him take the reigns from Taker by beating him at Mania is huge, and also sets up for a future Wyatt vs Lesnar match which could be pretty good, now that they’re seemingly ok with people beating Lesnar.

Bray Wyatt retains.

The Rest of the Show:

• American Alpha defeated The Ascension with Grand Amplitude, but The Ascension got to look incredibly strong yet again, of course it was wasted as they pretty much guaranteed that they’re just going to put Alpha back into it with The Usos, because the Usos aren’t boring as sh**.  It’s really ok if they let Samoans just sort of tread water while they push other people.  I’m not sure if they realize that.
• Mickie James defeated Becky Lynch in a rematch from Elimination Chamber after James faked a shoulder injury and the referee was holding back Lynch while medics came to check, only to distract her long enough for a Mick Kick to end it.
• Dean Ambrose was supposedly going to take on James Ellsworth, but with Ellsworth waiting in the ring, Baron Corbin drug a seemingly lifeless Ambrose out from the backstage area.  Ambrose would bounce back and the two would brawl, only for Ambrose to go through a stage side table.
• Angry Ziggler hates the younger generation and will continue to annihilate them with chairs.
• Alexa Bliss isn’t waiting until Wrestlemania, she wants a rematch next week.
• Nikki Bella and Natalya will likely main event next week, as Daniel Bryan booked them in a Falls Count Anywhere match to finally end this whole thing.

Not a bad show at all.  Holla!

I miss Edge.

The 205 Live where Gran Metalik Debuts

• Rich Swann and Noam Dar had a fantastic match.  Swann lands a Phoenix Splash for the victory in a match he dedicated to Alicia Foooooooooooccckkkkksssss for Valentine’s Day.
• Neville and TJP have one of those stupid split screen arguments from various backstage locations, the same thing they did with Natalya and Nikki Bella.  I hate these damn things and I wish they would stop.
• A Metalik promo package only got me that much more excited for this guy to finally be on 205 Live and potentially get lots of time on Raw.  Metalik vs Tozawa.  Doesn’t that just sound like a Cruiserweight Dream Match?
• Gran Metalik vs Drew Gulak.  Gulak came out of the gate firing, but you had to know the new guy was going to get to show off a bit here.  I think they like Gulak there’s just a logjam in a heavily populated division that only has one championship belt.  Gulak did get to look strong throughout, so at least they aren’t booking him like a straight up jobber.  Metalik would turn it around and hit the Metalik Driver for the victory.
  • I wanted to highlight this very, very astute observation that I found in the Bleacher Report recap for 205 Live, as it is absolutely on the money:  “Do not take the comments about Gulak being a jobber as an insult toward him. He is an amazing wrestler who has not been used properly since the CWC. He could be the Dean Malenko of this generation.”
• The Brian Kendrick met in the locker room with Tozawa and offered to let Akira be his protege.  It was quickly turned down.  This feud could be pretty good.  I like the way they’re booking Kendrick.
• I just don’t like TJP.  I’m sorry if you do, but based on the things I’m finding in the IWC, I think most people are souring on his dabbing ass.  His new shirt even irritates me.  I wanted Aries to get up and put a thumb in his eye before Neville even came to the ring.
• Neville vs TJP (non-title).  This was a solid match.  Neville would lock in the Rings of Saturn to pick up the win here, but he would not get to gloat as Gentleman Jack would run down to the ring, take a short beating before turning it around and driving Neville to the outside with a headbutt to end the broadcast.

Watch NXT Tonight.  I think you’re going to enjoy it, mostly because you’ll get to see this:

Tyler Bate will defend his WWE United Kingdom Championship against The King of Moustache Mountain, Trent Seven.