I Wanna Be Where The Strowmans Are – Smackdown Live Recap and Reactions – 3/6/2018

I wanna see, wanna see Braun dancing.

You’re making a Little Mermaid reference.  Shut up.

Smackdown is preparing to brave the blizzard on their way to Sunday night’s Fastlane in Columbus, Ohio.  As we know, everything that comes out of Ohio is gre…..I can’t even finish typing it.  Let’s see what Smackdown gives us to try and breed some excitement in WWE Fastlane, only on the WWE Network (and if you wait until this weekend to sign up for WWE Network, you’ll also get Wrestlemania with your 30 day free trial).

How many wonders can one cavern hold?

• Charlotte and Ruby exchange pleasantries in preparation for their Championship match on Sunday to open the show.  As the rest of the Riott Squad moves in for the anticipated beatdown of The Queen, here comes….. Bobby Roode to the rescue?  Ok, not really to the rescue, but he created enough distraction making his entrance that the Riott Squad abandoned their hopes of jumping Charlotte while she gawked like a high school girl with a crush at Roode making his way to the ring.  It was awkward.
• Roode’s entrance was multi-purpose, as he was on commentary as Randy Orton took on Jinder Mahal.  It was a fairly back and forth affair, but when Roode got on the apron and distracted Orton, Mahal was able to capitalize with The Khallas (sp?) as Mahal defeated Orton.
• Becky Lynch defeated Carmella with the Dis-Arm-Her, even though she got the hell beat out of her for the majority of the match.  At Fastlane (probably in the kickoff show), Becky will team with Naomi to take on Carmella and Natalia.  It’ll have to be in the kickoff show so Carmella can catch her breath.  She’s got a championship to steal on Sunday night.
• Shinsuke is interrupted during a backstage interview by Rusev and the injured Aiden English.  Rusev will not let Nakamura’s abuse of his friend stand, and he’s challenged the King of Strong Style to a match on Sunday.  It’ll be sad to see Rusev lose, again, but I’m actually excited about a match on this card now, so that’s good.

I’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty

• Prior to our pre-main event, AJ Styles makes his way out and talks about the odds being stacked against him again, but that he will be successful because he’s fighting for everyone, including himself, that wants to see that match nobody ever thought would ever happen on the grandest stage of them all, AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event of Wrestlemania.
• He’s interrupted by Dolph Ziggler who cut one of the best promos I’ve ever heard out of Ziggler.  He’s on fire since he’s come back.
• These two were intended to be the main event, but AJ doesn’t feel like waiting, so the main event (sort of) started about 9:15 PM ET.  They would wrestle a fantastic match for about 25 minutes before randomly it appeared the match would end as a no-contest as Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens charged the ring and proceeded to beat down both men.
• Shane O’Mac wouldn’t let it end that way, instead he did a little Teddy Long booking, sending the “best friends” back to the ring, and inviting Baron Corbin out as well, for the match that would have been on Sunday before John Cena was added to the mix, as a Fatal Five Way would happen right now.  “What’s up, Green Bay?”
• AJ Styles broke up probably 25 pin attempts throughout the actual main event, but as he, Corbin and Ziggler found themselves on the outside, Sami Zayn turned on KO, hitting a Helluva Kick on Owens and picking up the pinfall.  Well, I can tell you who won’t win on Sunday.

Overall Grade: B-

I give it a B- mostly because it did the one thing a go-home show is expected to do and built some excitement for the PPV event.  I’m actually excited for Nakamura-Rusev on Sunday night.  Let’s hope The New Day and The Usos can recapture lightning in a bottle and put on another master class in tag team wrestling.  I can hope, anyway, right?  I’ll check in tomorrow with your 205 Live review, as the Cruiserweights are ready for two more surefire excellent matches as Mustafa Ali challenges Buddy Murphy and Drew Gulak sees the lead singer of British Good Charlotte, Mark Andrews.  It’ll be awesome, no go watch it.  Quit reading.  I won’t be offended.