WWE Fastlane 2018 Review

Fastlane 2018 was the final WWE PPV before WrestleMania XXXIV, coming four weeks before the Showcase of the Immortals, as the SmackDown brand hosted their final solo PPV before dual events return. The show was main evented by AJ Styles defending his WWE Championship in a six-pack challenge involving John Cena, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, as The Phenomenal One looked to head into WrestleMania as WWE Champion. But how did it all go down in Colombus? Lets take a look! 

Commentary - Tom Phillips, Corey Graves & Byron Saxton
Kick-Off Panel - Renee Young, Booker T, Sam Roberts & David Otunga
Ring Announcer - Greg Hamilton
Interviewer - Charly Caruso

WWE Championship // 

John Cena vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles (C)

Before the match - Dolph Ziggler answered questions from social media, saying he didn't regret dropping the WWE United States title, put himself over for not getting injured and then Sam Roberts asked him if it would be his last chance at the WWF Championship. Fuck - Sami Zayn tried to convince Kevin Owens that they were still pals, but KO walked out on him - Shinsuke Nakamura wished AJ Styles good luck ahead of the six pack challenge.

AJ Styles retained the WWE Championship, pinning Kevin Owens with a Phenomenal Forearm, in a thrill-ride of a scramble main event. The bout took in a number of different storylines, drifting from one section to the next smoothly, keeping a ridiculous pace with a feeling that there was something going on from the very beginning. John Cena's attempt to find a Road to WrestleMania, tension building between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens and an escalation of their issues with Shane McMahon once more, as well as AJ Styles' doing anything he could to hold onto his title, reprising the sweeper role he played on Tuesday night, whilst Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler made up the numbers (with both men doing great jobs in this role, featuring in some lovely sequences throughout the match) there was a lot of narrative to play with. All the stories could have ended up dragging the match down, but they ended up blending together well, highlighted by a sequence involving Styles, Cena, Owens and Zayn on the outside that saw Styles initially try to put Owens through the announce table, only to eventually end up taking a massive Attitude Adjustment from Cena, after a number of twists and turns thanks to Styles looking to take out as many people as possible. 

The strongest story of the bout was Zayn/Owens/McMahon stuff, with the trio involved in a rich interplay that left a number of questions open for Tuesday's SmackDown with just four episodes before WrestleMania. A sequence where Zayn offered to lay down for Owens as promised two weeks' earlier, with Owens grabbing his friend to attempt a Pop-Up Powerbomb, only to get caught with small package for a near fall was handled beautifully by both men, with Zayn particularly owning the moment as he took his time to lie down, seemingly hoping that someone would recover in time to make the save. McMahon's involvement was teased throughout the match, through a number of funky over-the-shoulder camera angles as he sat ringside, but it wasn't until Zayn got in the Commissioner's face and a stray Owens superkick connected with that face that things got truly interesting. Two very good near falls followed with Owens coming close with Pop-up Powerbomb on Ziggler and Zayn with a Helluva Kick on Owens, but on both occasions McMahon pulled the ref and Zayn respectively out of the ring. He looked a bit of a dick and there's arguments to be made for the character abusing his power, but after a kick to the face he also has clear motive. The near falls also keep Owens & Zayn looking strong heading into WrestleMania, whilst barely denting Styles' reputation as he was down after the Attitude Adjustment through the table. I'm not sure where this goes, but I'm at least interested to see what they do on Tuesday! 

The finish had a real kinetic feel to it (as did the majority of the match, tbh) as Corbin cleaned house with the steel steps, before taking an Attitude Adjustment on the metal for a near fall with Ziggler taking the save, leading into Cena no-selling a superkick, hitting an Attitude Adjustment then rolling through for another, only for Owens to re-enter and nail a Pop-Up Powerbomb, leaving himself open for a Phenomenal Forearm for the finish. Whilst the match didn't fall into the same tropes (tower of power etc.) as usual multi-mans, it was nice to see as many guys as possible crammed into the final sequence, with a feeling that by the end of the match everyone's stock had risen for taking part in it and their paths to WrestleMania had been enriched for their involvement. Even guys like Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin came out better off, because their performances were polished and they featured in a handful of the matches best sequences (Ziggler's Fameasser reversal out of an Attitude Adjustment was gorgeous), whilst Zayn & Owens looked to have the match won and furthered their issues, Cena looked devasted at the loss after the match and AJ Styles looked every inch of the brilliant World Champion that he is ahead of his big clash with Shinsuke Nakamura in four weeks time. All over this match was real good fun to watch and did a lot for everyone involved, thumbs up.

After the match - Shane McMahon turned up on Talking Smack, putting in a good performance, whilst actually not saying a whole lot at all. The character was non-commital over whether he felt bad about his action and also repeated some stuff about how he feels Daniel Bryan is trying to live vicariously through Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.

WWE United States Championship // 

"The Viper" Randy Orton vs. "The Glorious" Bobby Roode (C)

Before the match - Jinder Mahal joined the Kick-Off panel and stumbled through a promo, whilst getting loud "Jinder sucks" chants. 

Randy Orton won the United States Championship for the first time, catching Bobby Roode with an RKO as Roode dived off the middle rope, at the conclusion of a good, yet flabby, contest. I'd spoken in my preview that I was worried that this match could turn out being a little dull and large swathes of bout confirmed my worries. Both men being babyfaces, but not really wrestling like babyfaces hurt the match, as the crowd was unsure who they wanted to cheer for and the action went through the motions for, at least, half of it's run length. Without an aggressor or the classic pacy face vs. face style, I found myself zoning out of portions of this and it seemed the crowd did too as they began a small chant for Bryon Saxton at one point. Both Orton and Roode are great professional wrestler, but can often can be overly clinical, meaning that whilst their moves are performed near perfectly, the X Factor that makes a great match is missing. Without a different type of performer to bounce off, the match ended up feeling a little cold and detached. 

Now, after reading the previous paragraph, you're probably asking the question "James, why did you call it a "good match"?" Well, constant reader, that's because the match had a nice story that built up well throughout and brilliant finish that I wasn't expecting. The main thrust of the narrative was based around the similarities of the performers, with both attempted their respective finishers three or four times only to have it quickly reversed, whilst we also see Orton have a number of signatures blocked before being able to hit the move a few moments later, hinting that the Viper might've had the upperhand over the Glorious One. It was subtle little hint at what was to come and a nice take on a familiar trope. There was also a handful of nice sequences, usually focused around the Glorious DDT and RKO, where the pace quickened before one of the lads would hit a signature or get a roll-up near fall. The finish with Roode getting caught with an RKO got a strong reaction from Columbus, because it felt like the match had another five or so minutes left due to the previous pacing. I hadn't expected Roode to lose the title so early, but it was a cool moment to see Orton win the only title missing from his collection, which creates a talking point that WWE can push to media outlets.  

After the match - Jinder Mahal attempted to attack Randy Orton, but Bobby Roode made the save, only to nail Orton with a Glorious DDT moments later, seemingly setting up a triple threat at WrestleMania and laying the foundations for a heel turn - Randy Orton appeared on Talking Smack, saying he'd have done the same as Jinder Mahal and Bobby Roode if he'd had the chance and putting himself over as the newest member of the Grand Slam club. Orton was also asked about John Cena's Road to WrestleMania, which was an interesting moment, with Orton putting over Cena, but also commending Renee Young for the interview on RAW Talk last month where Cena cried after losing the Elimination Chamber.

WWE SmackDown Women's Championship // 

Ruby Riott vs. Charlotte Flair (C)

In what was Charlotte Flair's best match since moving to SmackDown, the Queen retained her SmackDown Women's Championship over Ruby Riott, using the Figure Eight to get the submission victory. The match was packed with big spots, dramatic moments and featured a base of good solid wrestling, with the pair putting on one of the most technically sound WWE women's bouts for quite a while. Whilst the pacing was a little off kilter due to a Riott Kick near fall coming a bit too early to be convincing, the rest of the match was well put together as we saw Riott's Riott Squad stablemates Sarah Logan & Liv Morgan appear and get countered by Naomi & Becky Lynch, leading to a clever distraction spot, that would eventually see both pairings ejected from ringside by referee Mike Chioda. Spots wise there was a number of impressive bumps, including the two spilling through the middle rope early on, Flair bumping from the top rope into the barricade and an exploder suplex into the barricade all looked very good, adding an intensity and feeling of importance that the match didn't have in the build up. The highlight for me was Flair pulling out a spot that Drew McIntyre was using a lot on the indies, as Flair blocked a reverse rana attempt and hit an inverted alabama slam into the top turnbuckle, which would eventually lead to her hitting a spear and locking on the Figure Eight for the win. The two (alongside Logan, Morgan, Lynch and Naomi) did a stellar job of making this match feel like something valuable, rising above the lazy booking of the feud and creating a match that remained exciting for the duration and almost certainly raised the stock of Riott, even in defeat. 

After the match - Asuka arrived for a staredown with Flair before pointing at the WrestleMania sign, confirming Asuka vs. Flair for the Show of Shows. #EmpressVsQueen - Charlotte Flair was interviewed on Talking Smack, putting over Ruby Riott for her performance and putting over Asuka for her dominance whilst pushing their WrestleMania match. Flair also had to work hard to make a number of shitty questions from Sam Roberts sound good.

WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship // 

Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (with Big E) vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso (C)

Before the match - The New Day cut an entertaining promo on The Usos, managing to shift quickly from pancakes to serious chatter about winning tag titles and proving they're the best tag team, as they continued to show a much rougher side than we've seen in the last six months.

A tremendously fun SmackDown Tag Team title match was unfortunately cut short, with the Bludgeon Brothers hitting the ring and leaving the match as no-contest between The New Day and The Usos. Prior to that, the match had been an entertaining affair, that saw both teams essentially swap roles and pull out a number of the opposite teams signature moves (I can only imagine the groups had just watched ATTACK! latest Press Start show). It was a simple idea, based of the two teams familiarity with each other, but one that was extremely effective, with all four lads bringing lots of energy and despite what could've been a fairly lightweight structure, they also brought barrel loads of intensity from the very beginning as Xavier Woods and Jimmy Uso traded strikes. Particular highlights included a Boom Drop from Jimmy Uso, Kofi Kingston and Jimmy both missing Trouble in Paradise before The Usos hits Midnight Hour and The New Day getting a near fall after multiple superkicks from Woods and a splash from Kingston. It's a shame that we didn't get to see the idea reach its conclusion, but what followed was fun in a different way. 

After the match, Harper & Rowan cleaned house with all five wrestlers involved in the match, in a well-orchestrated beatdown. Whether the pairs new gimmick has fully clicked is up for debate, but they both looked great when bodying the Usos and The New Day here, with a number of big spots to emphasise the destruction. Harper nailing a blackhole slam on Kingston on the floor and Rowan catching Big E with a charging crossbody were memorable, but the highlight was a bodyslam spot involving the Usos. Both twins took slams on the floor, before Harper slapped Rowan and demanded he be slammed onto the Usos, with Rowan hitting an aided splash for the exclamation point. I've similar spots on the indies, but it was nonetheless cool to see these two big lads pull it out in a moment that put over their style and relationship well. Woods also took a powerbomb onto the steel steps and sold the move like it was the end of his life, twitching on the steps as he was loaded onto a stretcher. The team seems to be following a similar path to how WWE built up Braun Strowman over on RAW, which could eventually turn them babyface, because watching them smash through blokes is more fun than it should be. This would seem to set-up a triple threat at WrestleMania, but we'll have to wait and see.

After the match - Xavier Woods left on a stretcher, whilst the rest of the teams had to be helped out by WWE staff.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev (with Aiden English)

Before the match - Aiden English performed a special Rusev Day rap/song, ripping on Nakamura and the crowd with a delightful ditty. 

Shinsuke Nakamura picked up momentum ahead of his WWE Championship match at WrestleMania in a very good match with Rusev, with a pair of Kinshasas getting the pinfall for the Artist. There were times where I was worried that the match was a little slow, with plenty of stalling from Rusev as an attempt to seemingly slow down the Bulgarian's roaring popularity, but the final five minutes or so here featured some great action. In arguably Rusev's best match to date, the former WWE United States Champion stepped up to the challenge of putting over a WrestleMania title challenger, looking smooth on the offence, selling well for Nakker's strikes and even more so for a mid-match heel hook. Beyond his novelty "Rusev Day" popularity, this performance should be enough to earn Rusev a more sustained push coming out of the Granddaddy of Them All. The best action came off the back of a good strikes sequence, which leads into some wonderful action as both men got near falls of roll-ups and Rusev attempted to apply the Accolade to a nice pop. Despite the match feeling like a forgone conclusion throughout, the two lads worked a strong false finish into the mix as Nakamura ran straight into a Machka Kick, with the kick-out being left just long enough to allow the audience to suspend disbelief and imagine that Rusev could've pulled off the upset. Hopefully, this match was promising precursor for WrestleMania and we'll Nakamura kill it on the Grandest Stage.

Naomi & Becky Lynch vs. "Ms. Money in the Bank" Carmella & Natalya

Carmella pinned Becky Lynch with a superkick to pick up a big win for her and Natalya in mixed-bag of a tag team match. The bout featured a number of nice ideas, whilst sticking a simplistic tag team formula, but often those ideas would result in sloppy wrestling. The biggest culprit of this was surprisingly Natalya, who made a number of slip ups with Naomi in their pacy sequence early on, before later seemingly forgetting that she was supposed to be sent to the floor by Becky Lynch with the moment taking a unnecessary amount of time as Natalya fumbled around. The Queen of Harts did however hit a nice sitout powerbomb that folded Naomi end over end. Carmella continued to impress me with her fundamental heel work and sound moveset, as she used Naomi's braid to control the match, with a couple of nice spots involving that, whilst also pulling out the handstand frankensteiner and a Candylicious, whilst Becky Lynch also looked solid when coming in for the hot tag. The finish was a little scrappy after Natalya dicked around with the briefcase on the apron, but it was good to see Mella get the win and see WWE actually build some momentum behind the Money in the Bank winner.

Tyler Breeze, Fandango & Tye Dillinger vs. Shelton Benjamin, Chad Gable & Mojo Rawley 

Before the match - In a clip from the Fashion Files, Mojo Rawley, Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable challenged Tyler Breeze, Fandango & Tye Dillinger to a match.

Tye Dillinger picked up the win for his team with bringing back the Perfect 10 to pin Mojo Rawley in a weak six man tag team match. The match actually started alright, with some comedy from Breezango, whilst the crowd was hot for their first match of the evening, getting loudly behind Dillinger, whilst also pulling out a loud "You can't wrestle" chant for Breezango. The pop for the hot tag from Tyler Breeze to Dillinger got a big pop, but unfortunately everything after the tag had been cut off was poorly put together. There was a lot of energy and movement, but most of that movement was sloppy, including a poor looking O'Connor roll from Gable, as all six men looked like they were rushing to get their shit in, resulting in a number of strikes that looked way off the mark. I'm surprised to see Rawley take the pin to Dillinger, as it had seemed like WWE had something planned for Mojo after his break-up with Zack Ryder a few months ago, but that's clearly not the case anymore. 

Also on the show

- For some reason we got a look at the feud between Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey and Triple H & Stephanie McMahon, despite that having absolutely nothing to do with this PPV. 

- The New Day auditioned to be the host of next year's Nickolodean Kids Choice Awards, only to end up getting gunged by this year's host, John Cena.

- We also got a look at the story between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, despite that match having nothing to do with what was on this show. 

ATPW Scale Rating // 6.32 out of 10

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale

WWE Fastlane 2018 Preview

It's the final PPV before WrestleMania XXXIV AND the last SmackDown exclusive PPV of the second brand split...so what have WWE got in store for us with Fastlane 2018 on 11th March? Traditionally, the PPV before WrestleMania has been a bit of a damp squib, often falling victim to a little predictability as the company focuses on getting the building blocks in place for the biggest show of the year. Will this be the case with Fastlane? 

WWE Championship // 

AJ Styles (C) vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin 

Based on last Tuesday's five-way match, featuring everyone but John Cena, this should be a cracking scramble match for the brand's top prize. There's a lot of talent here, with the SmackDown brand spending some time introducing a variety of relationships between the six guys following Royal Rumble in January. Obviously, Styles' feud with Kevin Owens (and then Sami Zayn) has been rumbling for the longest time, but we've seen Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin randomly get inserted into the mix, seemingly flipping between heel and babyface willy nilly. John Cena, of course, has had issues with pretty much everyone in the match at one time or another and after being absent from the match on SmackDown, it will be interesting to see how Cena's participation effects the flow and narrative that's picked for the main event. 

The most interesting element however came to life at the conclusion of SmackDown Live, when Sami Zayn pinned Kevin Owens with a Helluva Kick, after previously promising to lie down for his best friend at the PPV. It's currently unclear how the duo will interact during the match, but there's potential to tell a brilliant story as the two have to contend with four other men in order to get at each other. I'm looking forward to seeing the inverted version of this classic feud and how Kevin Owens does when steadily transitioned into a babyface role, something which he hasn't portrayed since his debut match in NXT. 

For me, it seems pretty clear that we'll have the same WWE Champion when this is all said and done, because AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura is the biggest match possible, considering Nakamura has already faced Cena on an episode of SmackDown. The predictability shouldn't be a massive issue if the action is strong and the six men work in a number of number falls along the way, which they are more than capable of. 

WWE SmackDown Women's Championship // 

Charlotte Flair (C) vs. Ruby Riott 

Lets be honest, WWE hasn't done the greatest job of building up Ruby Riott and her Riott Squad since their November and whilst that has improved over the last few weeks, it's difficult to see Riott as a threat to a Charlotte Flair who hasn't lost in singles action since July, especially with WrestleMania just around the corner. The issue between the pair has often felt contrived, whilst we didn't actually find out the reasons behind Riott's dislike for Flair until last Tuesday, so I think it's fair to say that despite it's length, this feud has often felt rushed and poorly thought through. However, both Riott and Flair are quality in the ring and have the potential to show us that on Sunday, if they receive the time and attention. Riott could do with a big performance to keep her in the mix following WrestleMania, whilst Flair still needs that top quality match that has evaded her since moving to SmackDown. 

Flair feels like pretty much a lock to retain, whilst part of me expects Asuka to appear after the match, setting up Asuka vs. Flair at Mania.

WWE United States Championship // 

Bobby Roode (C) vs. Randy Orton 

I'm a little bit worried about this one. As I alluded to in this week's SmackDown Live review, both Bobby Roode and Randy Orton are capable of great wrestling when they're 100% motivated, but also have the potential to put on utterly boring, through the motions wrestling when they're not completely invested in what's going on. If this was simply Roode vs. Orton, then I don't think we'd have a massive problem, especially with a heated issue between the pair, but unfortunately the feud has been built around Jinder Mahal's meddling and the SmackDown Top 10 rankings, with lazy writing and lame ideas. It would seem obvious that Mahal will be involved in this match in one way or another, possibly setting up a three way at WrestleMania (despite the Orton vs. Roode match having much more of a big time feel) and if that's the case I'd expect Orton and Roode to plod through this one and tread water until the interference. I'm hopeful that we get the match that both are capable of in the right environment, but I certainly won't be surprised if that isn't the case. 

This could go either way, but it would seem like Roode is the more likely to win because he's not held the title all that long.

WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship // 

The Usos (C) vs. The New Day 

This bout has the potential to steal the show as The Usos and The New Day renew their rivalry that was one of the highlights of last year. These two teams know each other very well and a have a rich history to draw upon to bring extra depth to this tag clash. A slight change to their original programme, as it appears that Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are transitioning back towards a heel role for the first time since the start of 2016, highlighted by both a cheap win over Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable and a fiery promo from Big E two weeks ago on SmackDown. How that change plays into the contest and what it allows the four (or five) to do creatively should be fascinating to watch unfold. Whether the two teams can top their matches at Hell in a Cell and SummerSlam Kick-Off, I'm not sure, but what am sure of is that they're going to give it a go and leave it all out there.

I'm picking the Usos to retain, because I feel like Jimmy & Jey vs. The Bludgeon Brothers is the most intriguing bout that SD tag division has for WrestleMania.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev 

Whilst this is one is a forgone conclusion match, with their being absolutely no chance that WWE would have Nakamura lose before getting a title shot at WrestleMania, there's still potential for an entertaining match here with Rusev. After disappointing matches with John Cena and Randy Orton last year, as well as an even more disappointing squash loss to The Big Show, Rusev needs to show that his in-ring work is up to his entertaining mic and character work, whilst Nakamura also could do with a good match after failing to show what he is truly capable of since switching to SmackDown from NXT last April. Their styles should match well with lots of heavy striking and submission wrestling that has the potential to produce a very good match if both turn up, whilst the crowd should produce a atmosphere conducive to great wrestling considering both men are still extremely popular right now. 

Obviously, Nakkers wins.  

Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Natalya & Carmella 

Scrambled together on SmackDown this week, we have this absolutely nothing tag team match. I'm all for having a second (or third or fourth or whatever) women's match on the card, but I would've liked to have seen one with anything resembling a build. Becky Lynch and Naomi have mostly been feuding with the Riott Squad and helping out Charlotte Flair lately, but WWE decided to go with a random Becky Lynch vs. Carmella match on SmackDown and then chuck together this match with a backstage segment. There's talent here to do an enjoyable match, but I've been given no reason whatsoever to care about this and there's very little chance that this won't come off as absolute filler. 

I'm not sure it matters who wins, but seeing as I've gone all-babyface so far, lets say Natalya & Carmella win this, for reasons.

Six matches doesn't seem enough for a full PPV and pre-show, so expect potential appearances from any of Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin, The Bludgeon Brothers, Breezango, Tye Dillinger, Zack Ryder, The Ascension or Mojo Rawley to beef up the card.

WWE SmackDown Live Review // 20th February 2018

This week's SmackDown continued to build towards Fastlane, building on the relationships between the competitors in the WWE title Fatal Five-way match with a pair of big singles matches. The main event had WWE Champion AJ Styles going one on one with Baron Corbin, whilst Kevin Owens found himself opposite Dolph Ziggler. But how did it all go down in Phoenix, Arizona? Lets take a look! 

Baron Corbin and Kevin Owens interrupted AJ Styles' interview

This week's main story included a lot of characters and took up around half of the show, beginning with Renee Young's interview with WWE Champion AJ Styles being interrupted by Baron Corbin and then Kevin Owens. This was going okay, not great, but okay, until Styles made a quip about Owens having a boil lanced off his back. The boil turned out to be some kind of metaphor for Sami Zayn and resulted in an audience grown from the Phoenix audience. Seriously, whoever wrote that line should be fired. It made Styles look like a goof, made even worse by the fact it was clear that the Phenomenal One wasn't at all behind the line. The rest of the segment included Styles discussing the dangers of a five-way match to his title run, Corbin claiming he could beat AJ (and indeed he did back on the 10th October SmackDown) and Owens both continuing his never-ending feud with Shane McMahon and burying Zayn for his loss to Dolph Ziggler last week. Eventually, McMahon did what Owens had been complaining about by placing him in a match with Ziggler that would happen immediately, whilst also booking Styles vs. Corbin as the main event. What should have been a simple segment ended up being a complete mess, because of awful dialogue and an awkward payoff.

then 

Kevin Owens def. Dolph Ziggler // Pinfall

Kevin Owens got back to winning ways for the first time since Boxing Day with a Sami Zayn-aided victory over Dolph Ziggler in what turned out to be the match of the show. Whilst Owens match with Baron Corbin last week had struggled because of it being unclear who was the heel, this match just kept the action coming so there was very little time to even worry about such a situation. Indeed, the back and forth nature of the match was felt more like an all-face contest, as the two started hot and kept going, with no one hitting more than two moves in a row. Phoenix was hot for this, pretty much throughout, surely helped by it being the first bout of the evening, popping for small things like Owens missing a senton, with the competitors lifting their game for a handful of very good alternating sequences. Whilst a sequence out of the corner that concluded with a Fameasser near fall felt like the peak, the highlight would come moments later after Owens blocked a ZigZag by grabbing the ropes, Ziggler countered a superkick with one of his own, which was in-turn blocked by Owens, who sent the Show Off into the ropes for a Pop-Up Powerbomb, with Ziggler escaping and hitting a ZigZag for a strong false finish. It was a shame to see Zayn heading out to result in the finish (which was vicious superkick to the back of the head from Owens), but the ending did open up a number of interesting questions regarding Owens and Zayn's relationship going forward, whilst also giving Ziggler an out for the loss. A backstage segment later on the show saw Zayn promise that he would lay down for KO in at Fastlane.

then

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles def. Baron Corbin // Pinfall

A solid main event saw AJ Styles pick up a straight-forward victory over Baron Corbin with a Phenomenal Forearm, before Corbin made the save for Styles after Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn headed to ringside. An interesting development for Corbin, for sure, but the match was another case of Corbin not quite looking ready for a spot at the top of the card. Whilst the match was held back by only going around ten minutes, it still felt like Corbin was lacking that special something needed in order to be a top star for the company. I'm not quite sure what it is that Corbin lacks in the ring, because he has a number of interesting signature sequences, like the Big Bossman spot on the outside and Deep Six (which might be my favourite move in WWE right now), but the whole package is certainly not coming together at the moment. What we did have here though was another example of why AJ Styles is considered the best in WWE right now (Seth Rollins put a big claim to that crown together on RAW, however) as the Phenomenal One excelled opposite the larger man. The spot where Styles got threw over the announce table, only to land on his feet, leap over the table and nail a Phenomenal Forearm to a kneeling Corbin was superb stuff, which the commentary sold for the spectacular moment that it was. 

With the post-match attack and subsequent Corbin save hinting that the Lone Wolf could be due a babyface turn, perhaps that could be the missing piece of the puzzle for Baron, who has clearly worked hard on his in-ring work over the last 12 to 18 months.

Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan & Liv Morgan def. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Naomi // Pinfall 

The never-ending, never-evolving feud between The Riott Squad and SmackDown's top female stars unsurprisingly continued this week, with Ruby Riott able to give her team their third win in a row, after pinning Becky Lynch with a Riott Kick. Whilst I'm still waiting for any kind of development in this feud, there was a lot to like in this one, particularly at the beginning and the end. Naomi's face shine concluding with a slingshot crossbody on Riott and Sarah Logan before Liv Morgan sent Naomi into the steps had a lot of energy and also began a pattern where Morgan actually looked like the star of the Riott Squad. The final two or three minutes were also lots of fun, with a pair of hot tags from Lynch and Charlotte Flair, leading into a strong one in, one out strikes fest and then a quality near fall for the face team with Morgan making the save for Riott after a lengthy period trapped in Lynch's Disarmer submission. It was a shame then that Logan ended up looking completely out of her depth. Her selling looked awkward and her offence looked sloppy and considering she was given a solid amount of time in the middle of the bout, it felt like she ended up completely fumbling the ball that she was given. This comes after a disappointing effort with Flair last week and I'm beginning to wonder where the hype surrounding her came from in the first place. 

Later in the show, Flair and Riott both cut handheld promos challenging each other to a match at Fastlane, with it being confirmed that the SmackDown Women's Championship will be on the line on 11th March moments later.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship #1 Contendership // Big E & Xavier Woods def. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable // Pinfall 

After a good outing last week, The New Day's beating Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable this week with questionable tactics after a short match ended up being the show's biggest disappointment. Five minutes of television wasn't enough for these two teams to tell a satisfying match and instead they went for a relatively generic tag bout, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but any regular watch would expect more. The one bright point was a superb sequence off of Big E's hot tag, as he went back an forth with Gable, as they blocked belly to belly suplex and did a ridiculous backslide trade before Gable actually came out on top, nailing a belly to belly on the former Intercontinental Champion. The finish seemed to suggest that New Day turning heel as Kofi Kingston popped up on the apron to distract the referee as Benjamin had Big E pinned after a Powebomb/diving clothesline combination, before Xavier Woods was able to take advantage and pin Benjamin with a Shining Wizard. Turning New Day would make logical sense if they're to face The Usos again for the tag belts, after a lengthy feud with the Usos as heels earlier in the year.

After the match, Harper & Rowan, the Bludgeon Brothers had a stare down with the New Day, before picking up a fun squash match victory over Eduardo Especiale & Norville Rogers.

Jinder Mahal outsmarted Bobby Roode and Randy Orton...again

Jinder Mahal continued to stir the pot between United States Champion Bobby Roode and Randy Orton in a segment, where a number of good ideas where hidden by a lame SmackDown Top 10 gimmick. Basically, Mahal said he had a secret about Roode, which turned out to be that he didn't include Orton in his SmackDown Top 10 list (but hilariously included Zack Ryder, who hasn't won a match since June). Who gives a fuck? The stuff about Roode wanting to become the new "Legend Killer" and having no respect for Orton's legacy is actually pretty damn cool, whilst having Jinder involved as the spoiler to help prolonge a feud towards WrestleMania is also another solid idea. The segment actually did more to help build up Mahal than his five and half month WWE title run, as whilst his promo wasn't the strongest, he ended up being the only man left standing. This was after a beautifully produced moment saw Mahal sneak back into the ring to hit Roode with the Khallas, with Roode's Glorious Domination theme still playing after the US Champ had left Orton laying with a Glorious DDT.

Later in the show, Shane McMahon booked Bobby Roode vs. Randy Orton for the United States Champion at Fastlane after having another argument with Daniel Bryan, which considering Jinder Mahal had just laid out the pair of them for the second week in a row made little to no sense.

Also this week 

- A hype package looking at Shinsuke Nakamura and his victory in the 2018 Royal Rumble match.

- Roman Reigns and Mark Henry, alongside Noelle Trent (Director of Interpretations, Collections and Education at the National Civil Rights Museum) discussed the Lunch Counter Sit-ins as part of Black History Month. 

- Apollo & Nia Jax and Charlotte Flair & Bobby Roode cut promos to promote Mixed Match Challenge, which airs directly after SmackDown on Facebook Watch. 

ATPW Scale Rating // 4.29 out of 10 

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale 

WWE SmackDown Live Review // 13th February 2018

SmackDown continued to move towards Fastlane this week with some big changes made to the 11th March main event. The show featured a major storyline involving Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn interrupting a scheduled match between Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler, before Owens faced Corbin and Zayn took on Ziggler, with Corbin and Ziggler being added to the WWE title match at Fastlane if they were able to pick up the win. But how did it all go down in Bakersfield? Lets take a look! 

Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin didn't happened because Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn attacked both men

then...

Baron Corbin def. Kevin Owens // Pinfall

then...

Dolph Ziggler def. Sami Zayn // Pinfall 

There were some big changes on SmackDown Live this week, as Dolph Ziggler pinned Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin did the same to Kevin Owens to insert themselves into a WWE Championship match at Fastlane that will see AJ Styles defend against all four of the above. However, the advertised match had been Corbin vs. Ziggler for a place in the match, so how did we get here? Let's start at the beginning. The opening segment saw Corbin about to enter the arena to face Ziggler, only for the show to cut back to the backstage area where Owens and Zayn were assaulting the 2017 Money in the Bank winner. This was followed up by the pair heading out to the arena to leave Ziggler laying also. The segment had a tonne of energy and left a number of questions open for the rest of the show. The moment where Owens and Zayn had finished laying out Corbin and said they were heading for Ziggler was brilliantly done and helped to raise the tension for what was about to follow, aided by Zayn then attempted to go through the crowd to assault Ziggler from behind. It was cool to see what we thought the show was going to be shift in front of our eyes and the whole interaction felt fresh and different, with Owens & Zayn's motivation of wanting to make sure no one ended up joining their match with Styles came across very clear.

After Commissioner Shane McMahon had informed General Manager Daniel Bryan of his plans for the foursome, the first match was Baron Corbin's victory over Kevin Owens, thanks to an impressive End of Days. This was a solid contest, that struggled to draw the crowd in due to the ambiguity over Corbin's character. It was clear that Owens was the heel, but not massively clear if Corbin was still heel or had turned babyface and therefore it appeared like the audience struggled to get into what was going. This was especially clear when Owens looked on a rest hold and the crowd chanted "Rusev Day" (it's actually baffling that they'd even think about leaving the Bulgarian off the show). Corbin hadn't shown enough for the audience to get behind him and even if he sold the attack from earlier well on the way down to the ring and after the match, it wasn't particularly present in the match and therefore his "in" for gaining some sympathy was removed. This wasn't helped by the fact that Owens is generally the more exciting performer to watch. The back and forth finish was a lot of fun with the working well together before Corbin escaped a Pop-Up Powerbomb and hit his finish for the win. Whether Corbin is now a babyface going forward or not really isn't clear, but he's now got his first shot at the WWE title since failing to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase in August. 

The main event saw Dolph Ziggler defeat Sami Zayn with a superkick in the first ever televised match between the pair. This match didn't suffer from the same affliction as the Owens vs. Corbin match as it was made very clear that Ziggler was the underdog (not from the underground) and the Show-Off reached deep into his babyface bag, selling within an inch of his life throughout. Whilst the majority of the action was good stuff, including highlights like Ziggler hitting a picture perfect dropkick to Zayn's gut as he dived off the top rope and a big exploder suplex off the top from Sami, it was in the final minute or so that the match excelled. After a strong near fall from a ZigZag, Zayn's vicious side came to the fore as he threw Dolph shoulder first into the ringpost repeatedly, with Ziggler selling like he'd been hit by a truck, completely out on his feet, only to sneak a two count with a roll-up after Zayn took too long going for a Blue Thunder Bomb he really didn't need to hit. This set up Zayn's out for the subsequent loss as he clearly had the match won, only to end up costing himself as Ziggler blocked a Helluva Kick with a kick of his own, this time of the super variety. Crisp and fluid wrestling throughout, that did a good job of getting the character shift over with a great conclusion, the main event was easily the best match on the show this week.

Charlotte Flair def. Sarah Logan // Pinfall 

This week's only women's action saw SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair walk out victorious over Riott Squad member Sarah Logan, winning with Natural Selection, after a poor match. The match had started fairly inconspicuously, with nothing much of note either good or bad, but during the split-screen advert break something seemed to fall apart and it appeared like everything Flair and Logan attempted went wrong in one way or another. I had been looking forward to seeing what the pair did together, so I was more than a little disappointed while watching them botch sunset flips. The match did pick up later on with Logan hitting what looked like a crotch clutch suplex after Flair had missed a big boot and got her foot caught up on the top rope standing out. After the match Corey Graves said on commentary "I have a feeling this rivalry is just getting started!" and I had to wonder "Where the fuck have you been, Graves?". The feud (also involving Becky Lynch & Naomi, who were present at ringside) has been going on since November and I'm still not quite sure why. The Riott Squad haven't felt like a threat to SmackDown's top three women since their debut, not helped by the fact that Logan is yet to win a singles match in WWE or NXT.

Kofi Kingston & Big E def. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable // Pinfall 

Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable's crusade to rid the SmackDown tag team division of comedy acts came to sudden half this week as they suffered a loss to Kofi Kingston & Big E of the New Day's Midnight Hour, after initially interrupting Big E's pancake eating world record attempt. New Day have gone pretty mad for p-cakes lately and it seemed only sensible that they'd have a big Shrove Tuesday celebration, before giving up their eggs, milk and flour for lent. The segment was a little long winded, but came good in the end when Benjamin and Gable started throwing those pan-based deserts to the mat one by one, whilst Big E furiously attempted to stop their blasphemous acts. It probably shouldn't have worked, but it was played very well by all involved, with Benjamin & Gable being particularly entertaining. The tag match that followed might have been for the dignity of pancakes everywhere, but was actually a rather lovely tag bout. The classic New Day tandem of Kingston & E was back together for the first time in 2018 and both excelled in their roles as Kingston took face-in-peril and Big E came soaring in with his magnificent hot tag. The best action actually came with Kofi battling against Benjamin & Gable, as the trio worked in a number of strong hope spots, with Kingston firing up for the tag only to run straight into a rolling koppu kick. It appears that The Usos are moving into a feud with the Bludgeon Brothers, so I'm not quite sure where this result leaves the rest of the tag team division, but I'd be very surprised if The New Day don't have a role at WrestleMania.

Jinder Mahal interrupted Randy Orton accepting Bobby Roode's US Open Challenge

A United States Championship open challenge from Bobby Roode, appeared to be delivering us a match between Roode and Randy Orton, only for Jinder Mahal to come out and spoil the party before it could begin. I'm unsure how I feel about Mahal, because his involvement in this feud will undoubtedly bring down the quality of any resulting matches from this storyline, but he was actually used well here, acting as the spoiler for the two babyfaces. His appearance made me groan, but I'm sure that was the exact reaction I was suppose to have. Whilst Mahal stirring up the pot went on for a little bit too long and using the "SmackDown Top 10" rankings (that WWE decided not to change this week, with no explanation of how often they will be updated) to drive a storyline is more than a little lame, the idea at the heart of it was a good one and it was fun to see the tension build between Orton and Roode. Mahal would end up standing tall, getting the best of both men with a pair of Khallas, after Orton had RKO'd Samir Singh. Considering we'll almost inevitably have to get a couple of Mahal matches during it, this very well could be the peak of this storyline.

Also this week

- Seth Rollins discussed the Montgomery Bus Boycott, as part of Black History Month. 

- In a well-directed segment, The Usos cut a promo about their tag team dominance, only for the Bludgeon Brothers to cut the segment short as they attacked the television playing the promo with their big ol' hammers. 

ATPW Scale Rating // 5.21 out of 10

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale

WWE Mixed Match Challenge Review // 6th February 2018

The first round of Mixed Match Challenge continued in Kansas City, Missouri this week, as RAW's Goldust & Mandy Rose faced of with SmackDown's Naomi & Jimmy Uso. But how did it all go down? Let's have a look.

Mixed Match Challenge First Round Match // Naomi & Jimmy Uso def. Goldust & Mandy Rose // Pinfall

Naomi & Jimmy Uso became the first SmackDown tandem to make it through to the Quarter Finals of Mixed Match Challenge, as they picked up a victory over Goldust & Mandy Rose, after Goldust received the Rear View from Naomi and a Superfly Splash from Uso. Whilst hardly a wrestling classic, I found myself thoroughly enjoying this easy watch of a match, that pushed the comedy elements of the character, with Uso in particular getting a chance for creative, clearly enjoying himself in there with the veteran of laughs, Goldust. This was helped by a crowd who were happy to play along with the jokes, mostly regarding Goldust being unable to keep up with Jimmy. The wrestling that there was solid stuff and featured a fun sequence where both teams hit signature moves in tandem and a solid near fall for Goldie off a sloppy Final Cut. The highlight of the match was Rose hiding behind the Bizarre One on the outside to avoid Naomi, only for the former SmackDown Women's Champion to slingshot right over Goldust's head and flatten Rose anyway. The most off-putting part of the presentation was having Michael Cole tell us what Rusev and Lana were saying in the Facebook comments section on the feed, because surely the point is that if you're interested in what they're saying you'll be reading the comments. The Bulgarian Brute and the Ravishing Russian actually came out after the match, claiming to be the strongest husband and wife team and getting the crowd to sing a cute little song ahead of their First Round match with Bayley & Elias next week. Naomi & Uso will return to face Alexa Bliss & Braun Strowman in the Quarter Finals in four weeks. 

Also this week...

- Elias and Bayley cut a promo on next week's match with Elias not letting Bayley sing along and also refusing a hug.

ATPW Scale Rating - 4.5/10

Written by James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale)