WWE SmackDown Live Review // 20th March 2018

With three weeks until WrestleMania, this week's SmackDown was perhaps the most important episode on the road to WrestleMania and will almost certainly prove to be the most memorable for the majority of the fanbase. This week saw Daniel Bryan announce his return to in-ring competition and call out Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn for their assault on Shane McMahon last week, Charlotte Flair and Natalya renew their rivalry, SmackDown Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso go one on one with the Bludgeon Brother's Harper, Shinsuke Nakamura face Rusev in a rematch from Fastlane and Jinder Mahal talk about being added to the United States title match at WrestleMania...but was it any good? Here's our review. 

Daniel Bryan addresses being cleared to compete 

If it's possible to feel all of the emotions at the same time, then that's exactly what I experienced whilst watching Daniel Bryan speak about being able to wrestle again on SmackDown this week. Honestly, Bryan could have come out and said absolutely anything and everyone would have been over the moon because he can wrestle again, but what happened on 20th March was so much more than that. Obviously this being a very real situation helped a lot, but listening to the emotion in Bryan's voice as he talked about how his wife, Brie Bella, had helped him to keep fighting and to keep pushing to get back in the ring, as well as the passion with which he talked about professional wrestling was wonderful and left me somewhere between being one big pimpley goose and a human tear. Whatever happens next is a bonus for me, as the story of Bryan's return is strong enough to drive multiple storylines for years and I'm not sure it will ever be matched. Also all the crowd pointing at the WrestleMania sign when Bryan said he didn't know when he'd get to wrestle his first match might be my favourite thing that has ever happened inside a wrestling arena. 

After the segment - Charles Robinson congratulated Daniel Bryan on his return, before Dolph Ziggler told Bryan that he couldn't wait to beat him - Daniel Bryan was informed that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn had arrived at the building.

Daniel Bryan calls out Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn 

Wow, what a rollercoaster this segment was, moving from comedy heat for Kevin Owens saying "everyone's dumber in Texas" to a vicious assault on Daniel Bryan on his first night back as an active competitor all within the space of ten or fifteen minutes. There was a lot packed into the fifteen minutes, but the segment essentially boiled down to Owens & Zayn assaulting Bryan because he was forced to fire them for attacking Shane McMahon on last week's episode, but because of Bryan's lengthy absence from anything resembling physicality it ended up being so much more than the sum of its parts. Watching Bryan nailing running dropkicks in the corner, like he'd never been away became an emotional experience the likes of which I never thought I'd experience watching some hit a dropkick or two, whilst the beatdown from Owens and Zayn that came after the pair had regained control got a great deal of heat as they threw punches at the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The conclusion with Owens hitting a powerbomb onto the apron was difficult to watch, a good piece of booking to throw doubt over Bryan will be able to compete at WrestleMania, with the whole picture involving the three and Shane McMahon being wide open at the conclusion of the show. A special note on Owens performance here, as as always Kevin's attention to detail was wonderful and him screaming repeatedly, showing confliction and frustration with his action was a lovely touch that added to an already brilliant segment.

SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya

Before the match - We got a hype package for Asuka, who seemingly isn't on the show tonight - Natalya tried to wind up Charlotte Flair, saying she was scared about facing Asuka at WrestleMania, with Flair agreeing to a match with Natty later on the show. 

An intriguing development at the end of a good match between Natalya and Charlotte Flair saw Carmella attempt to cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase and whilst Flair nailed Carmella with the Queen's Boot before the cash-in could occur it did allow Natalya to pick up a surprise victory with a school-boy roll up. I'm not quite sure how this factors into Flair's match with Asuka at WrestleMania, but its at least WWE trying to do something different on SmackDown, rather than what could have been a paint-by-numbers victory for Flair. The match itself took a while to get into, mostly because there was a feeling that I'd seen it all before, with the having competed in eleven TV singles matches in the last two years, but the build towards the interference featured some lovely action between the pair. Natalya pulled out a gorgeous spinning sit-out powerbomb, but the highlight was a superb sequence involving the figure four leglock, that would conclude with Flair holding onto the move whilst hanging outside of the ring, after the two had rolled to the ropes. I would suspect we could see Natty & Carmella vs. Flair & Asuka at some point over the next two weeks, with Natalya's victory perhaps being used to make her Asuka's first challenger after the Empress wins the belt at WrestleMania.

Jimmy Uso (with Jey Uso) vs. Harper (with Rowan) 

Before the match - The Usos cut one of signature fiery promos, promising to not lie down when faced with the threat of the Bludgeon Brothers as they looked for their first match on the main card of a WrestleMania. 

The match was a fairly straight-forward affair with Jimmy Uso able to stay in the match by using his speed, before Harper put him away with a pretty weak looking lariat. The match was raised past a regular squash thanks to a stellar near fall from Uso, which saw the SmackDown Tag Team Champion able to dodge distraction from Rowan, before that same distraction allowed for both Usos to hit superkicks for a long two count on Harper

Rusev (with Aiden English) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Whilst not as good as their clash at Fastlane, Shinsuke Nakamura's victory over Rusev with a roll-up still provided a solid slice of television wrestling. The match ended up coming up a little short time-wise, with only around five minutes airing on TV, but still got a few decent moments and sequences in there. A lot of it was either going over ground covered in the PPV bout and using a couple of signature spots like the "Come on" thing that Nakkers does, but there was also a nice forearm sequence and a surprising amount of dominance from the Bulgarian Brute, including a near fall off a big kick after Nakamura escaped the Accolade. The finishing sequence was very well done, with Nakamura missing a couple of roundhouse kicks, before going for his rolling crossarmbreaker and then being able to reverse a Rusev roll-up (major alliteration scenes) to pick up a straight-forward victory. Not quite good enough to go out of your way to see, but enjoyable if you're a regular watcher of the product nonetheless. 

After the match - Rusev & Aiden English assaulted Shinsuke Nakamura, with AJ Styles taking so long to make the save from the guest commentary position that Nakamura ended up being able to fight off both of his attackers - Backstage, Shinsuke Nakamura told AJ Styles that he didn't need his help and that he'd beat him at WrestleMania with a "knee to face" 

Jinder Mahal addresses his United States title shot at WrestleMania

More of the same from Jinder Mahal, Bobby Roode and Untied States Champion Randy Orton this week, after Mahal had addressed being added to the US title match at WrestleMania. Honestly, I was over this storyline about a month ago and I'm looking forward to being able to move passed it in April, because the booking continues to be lazy, the writing continues to be juvenile and the performers continue to look like they'd rather be doing anything else (well, Roode and Orton do, I suppose Mahal is just buzzing to still be riding the wave of his awful WWE title run). Mahal left Sunil Singh to Roode & Orton, with Singh taking DDTs rope-hung and Glorious, before Orton and Roode tried to hit their finishers on each other and still nobody gave a fuck. 

Also on the show

- Baron Corbin squashed Tye Dillinger in a few minutes, with the match going a little longer because Corbin botched his own finish and they had to do it again. 

- Becky Lynch & Naomi squashed the Riott Squad's Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan with Lynch tapping out Morgan with the Dis-armer after a nothing match 

- The "Hungry for Mania" moment was the entirety of WrestleMania I.

ATPW Scale Rating // 

5.88 out of 10 

Written by James Marston //

@IAmNotAlanDale

WWE SmackDown Live Review // 13th March 2018

2 days after Fastlane, WWE's SmackDown brand set its sight on WrestleMania. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura came face to face before Styles took on Rusev, Shane McMahon had an announcement to make about WrestleMania, Randy Orton celebrated his first WWE United States Championship before Jinder Mahal faced former champion Bobby Roode, The Bludgeon Brothers challenged any fit members of The New Day and The Usos to a match, SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair shared a ring with WrestleMania opponent Asuka and "Ms. Money in the Bank" Carmella went one on one with Naomi. But was the Indianapolis show any good? Lets take a look!

On-Air Personnel 

Commentary - Corey Graves, Byron Saxton & Tom Phillips 

Interviewers - Dasha Fuentes & Renee Young

Ring Announcer - Greg Hamilton

Order 

1. Face-to-Face: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles vs. Rusev

2. Shane McMahon's WrestleMania Announcement 

3. Randy Orton's US title Celebration and Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal 

4. The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Big E & Jimmy Uso 

5. Face-to-Face: Charlotte Flair and Asuka

6. Carmella vs. Naomi

Face-to-Face: AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura

A solid opening segment between the competitors in SmackDown's main event at WrestleMania, as Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted WWE Champion AJ Styles. We didn't really learn a lot from either man's promo, but it was cool to see the two finally share the ring, after their WrestleMania match had been rumoured for so long. In fact, I think it was the fact that we've waited so long to see it that actually managed to carry the segment, because the crowd was super hyped for it, with duelling chants and all that jazz. Styles' promo went over some old ground about his road to get to WWE and what it means to go into WrestleMania as champion, whilst Nakamura's was limited to explaining his dream was to knee Styles in the face and become champion, whilst the crowd "What"'ed him because English isn't his first language. The interruption by Rusev just as things looked to be escalating between Nakamura and Styles was well-placed and should help to rise the interest in the WWE title match at WrestleMania a little more as we begin to anticipate what the clash might look like when it finally happens. 

AJ Styles vs. Rusev (with Aiden English)

AJ Styles and Rusev battled in a good match, until Aiden English interfered to give Styles the disqualification win as Styles looked to locking in the Calf Crusher on Rusev. This a physical clash with slight elements of power vs. speed in places, but was mostly centered around the pairs various strike based offence, with plenty of forearms and kicks in this one. The best stuff of the match was a minute or so that was used to build for the Ushigoroshi from Styles, with the Phenomenal One attempting the move three or four times, before a Pele Kick would eventually allow him to it, only for Rusev's weight across Styles' knee meaning he couldn't get a pinfall. This was a nice example of making a signature move mean something and there was even a good near fall thrown into the mix when RuRu dropped off Styles' shoulders for a Roundhouse Kick that looked super snug. The little sequence before the interference was also quite lovely with Styles going for what would have been an impressive Styles Clash, Rusev escaping and going for the Accolade and Styles reversing and eventually being able to roll-through into a Styles Clash. A bit more time and bit more importance and these two could have a great match together. The finish seems to be to extend the feud a little and pad sometime for WrestleMania, because of what would follow.

After the match - Rusev & Aiden English attempted to beatdown AJ Styles, before Shinsuke Nakamura would make the save with a pair of Kinshasas, I guess we'll see Styles & Nakamura vs. Rusev & English next week - Backstage, Shinsuke Nakamura told AJ Styles he would protect him til WrestleMania so he could beat him with "Knee to face" 

Shane McMahon's WrestleMania announcement

Before the segment - Sami Zayn blamed Shane McMahon's obsession with Kevin Owens for him not being WWE Champion right now, before promising to never be guilty by association to Owens ever again. - Kevin Owens replied to Sami Zayn, blaming Shane McMahon and calling Zayn a liar and delusional. 

A surprisingly violent angle to close the show as Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens' hatred for Shane McMahon united them once more as they laid waste to the SmackDown Commissioner, moments after McMahon had announced he was taking time away from the position and placed Owens against Zayn at WrestleMania. McMahon's promo was a little rambling, seemingly thinking out loud as he wondered whether he crossed the line at Fastlane and honestly lacked the emotion that it needed to be genuinely interesting. However, once we got past McMahon's detached rhetoric and we got two performers out there in Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn the segment was energised and became a fascinating and uncomfortable piece of television. Owens & Zayn taking out referees (including a ridiculous bump to the floor by Ryan Tran) got a great shocked pop from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the vicious assault including a Pop-up Powerbomb and McMahon getting sent into the post with a steel chair around his neck, grabbed you and made you pay attention, because it felt different to the usual WWE beatdown. But the most bracing moment came when Owens & Zayn began dragging McMahon up the ramp and into the back, with an increasing sense of foreboding that some real shit was about to go down. That real shit was a nasty looking powerbomb onto some big hunk of metal, that looked super painful to take for McMahon. If you look past the fact that no one came to McMahon's aid apart from a few referees, this was a great angle, that opened up a number of questions to be answered over the next three weeks. How will McMahon look to gain his revenge? What does this mean for Owens & Zayn's friendship, that appeared to be in tatters? Will we get Owens vs. Zayn on the biggest stage? 

Randy Orton celebrates United States Championship win 

A thoroughly unnecessary segment here, as no one said anything and Jinder Mahal continued to be a drag on the blue brand's product. Out of the three promos, Randy Orton's had the most behind it as he gave Bobby Roode props after their US title match, whilst also putting over what it meant to be a grand slam champion. Roode's promo revealed that he wanted his title rematch at WrestleMania, so at least there was that development, I suppose, even if it easily could've been handled in a thirty second backstage interview. Then we get to Jinder Mahal, who manages to make me want to turn off the TV every time he pops up, especially during this storyline. Why is his character that of a school boy? The quality of the writing for Mahal here has been especially poor, but he's not exactly blessed with great promo skills either. This segment saw Mahal try to stir the pot again between Orton and Roode, by mentioning that Roode had held the US title before Orton and that was something Orton was never going to change. Why the fuck would 13 time World Champion Randy Orton give a fuck that Bobby Roode had held the United States title before he did? Get in a bin, Jinder. Get in a bin, whoever "wrote" that promo. 

"The Glorious" Bobby Roode vs. "The Modern Day Maharajah" Jinder Mahal (with Sunil Singh) 

Not much to talk about in this match, as Jinder Mahal managed to beat the former WWE United States Champion, to supposedly set-up a triple threat at WrestleMania, after Sunil Singh had provided the distraction. There was one nice sequence here with the pair reversing each other's signatures, with Roode managing to counter a counter with a sunset flip for a decent near fall. 


After the match - Randy Orton gave Jinder Mahal an RKO.

Jimmy Uso & Big E vs. Harper & Rowan

Before the match - Big E & Jimmy Uso cut a pair of very good promos about the Bludgeon Brothers attack at Fastlane, as they spoke about Harper & Rowan had taken away from them  and promising to bring the attack to the pair tonight - Absolute chaos before the match began as Big E & Jimmy Uso attacked Harper & Rowan as they tried to take their jackets off, but the Bludgeon Brothers were able to take control later on despite Big E & Uso holding steel chairs.

The match itself was absolute domination from The Bludgeon Brothers, as they controlled the whole match, before sending Big E into the steel steps and pinning Uso with a Harper powerbomb. 

After the match - The Bludgeon Brothers went back after Big E, with Harper throwing E into a Rowan crossbody on the floor.

Face-to-Face: Charlotte Flair and Asuka

Similar to the Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles segment earlier in the night, this segment held the attention because it had been so anticipated. The two women arguably did a better job than the men did with their promos, but this was more about introducing the match scheduled for WrestleMania, rather than anything too complex or creative. Flair's promo in particular was laden with cliches, like "iron sharpens iron" and "I've never anyone like you, but you have never faced anyone like me", which she performed well, but it was hardly to get anything excited about. Asuka's performance was a step above, as she overcame the language barrier and had the crowd reacting nicely as she explained she "bows to no one". Having the two interrupt by Randy Orton as he came to the ring for his match was a strange decision and gives out the wrong signals regarding how WWE views its women's division. Had Randy had enough of the women talking about their match and decided to hit the ring so he could talk? I get that WWE needed a way to finish the segment without the women coming to blows and it would've been weird to have just cut away without any action, but was this the only way to reach that point? I'm not convinced.

Naomi vs. "Ms. Money in the Bank" Carmella

Before the match - Carmella announced that she'd be taking part in the Fabulous Moolah battle royal at WrestleMania, declaring herself the modern day equivalent to Moolah...perhaps not the person you want to be comparing yourself to, Mella. 

Carmella picked up a big win over Naomi in a disappointingly short match, that the pair managed to fill with physicality and a couple of really nice sequences. Carmella repeatedly ducking roundhouse kicks, only for Naomi to counter a forth duck with a massive knee to the face was particularly well done, before a creative finish was Mella trip Naomi as she went for a springboard, before hitting a hair-aided rope-hung neckbreaker for the win. 

Also on the show

- Kid Rock is going into the WWE Hall of Fame and we get the same look at his relationship with WWE that was aired on RAW. 

- WWE played the promo package for the Fabulous Moolah Battle Royal again...will they actually keep the name?

- Rusev & Lana and Bobby Roode & Charlotte Flair cut promos ahead of their Quarter Final match in the Mixed Match Challenge.

ATPW Scale Rating // 4.79 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 // 27th February 2018

It was the penultimate SmackDown Live before Fastlane as John Cena made his return to the show in an attempt to work out his Road to WrestleMania. That road would lead him to a main event match with WWE Champion AJ Styles, with the opportunity to be added to the WWE Championship match at 11th March PPV. But how did it all go down in Los Angeles? Lets take a look! 

Commentary - Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips & Kevin Owens.
Ring Announcer - Greg Hamilton 
Interviewers - Renee Young

Daniel Bryan gave John Cena an opportunity

The opening segment was nothing special, but managed to move from point A to point B relatively quickly, whilst continuing to develop the issues between Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. Basically, John Cena wanted in on the WWE title match at Fastlane, McMahon said some things about the Land of Opportunity but didn't seem too interested in putting Cena in the match, but then Bryan interrupted and booked Cena vs. AJ Styles in the main event, with Cena being added to the WWE title match if he could beat the WWE Champion. There's not really much else to talk about, Cena came across as a little entitled and there was nowhere near the same feel that his promo gave off on RAW, but we got a rematch of last year's best WWE match, so it's hard to complain that much.

John Cena def. AJ Styles // Pinfall 

Was this ever going to anything but great? Especially, considering it was on television and not PPV. After a high impact contest, John Cena walked out with a spot in a six-pack challenge at Fastlane after pinning the WWE Champion with an high-angle variant of the Attitude Adjustment, having escaped a Calf Crusher moments earlier. Whilst the early part of the match that included Cena hitting a tornado DDT that lead to Styles head connected with Cena's hip bone had me a little worried about where the match was heading, but a sequence that saw the two trade near falls with Styles coming close with an Ushigoroshi and a Rack Bomb and Cena almost getting pins with a TKO stunner and sitout electric chair front drop saw things begin to pick up. In an interesting piece of booking both men hit their finishers for two counts during the break with Styles kicking out of an Attitude Adjustment and Cena a Styles Clash, this meant that as soon as the show came back from the break it hooked in the audience, letting us know this wasn't a regular TV bout, whilst also making sure that Los Angeles was hot once SmackDown was back on air. Whilst the match wasn't as rich as their Royal Rumble match last year, there was a tonne of gorgeous action after the break, including Styles rolling into a pin whilst still hooked in the STF, Cena trying an failing to do the wrist control AA (he's obviously been watching a lot of Kazuchika Okada lately) and a really well-done countout spot after Styles had originally broke the count, only to get AA'ed through the announce table with Cena more than happy to take the countout victory this time round, which was a lovely bit of storytelling. The result leaves us with a ridiculously stacked six man scramble match at Fastlane, with Cena now joining Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin in the main event.

After the match - Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin blindsided John Cena & AJ Styles, with Dolph Ziggler initially coming down for the save, before taking a swing at Styles and getting an Attitude Adjustment from Cena for his trouble.

Baron Corbin def. Sami Zayn // Pinfall

The show's semi-main saw Baron Corbin level his series of matches with Sami Zayn at two a piece, after a clean victory with the End of Days. This was a solid outing for the pair, as Corbin begins to look more and more comfortable in his current spot and whilst I'm still waiting for his breakout singles match, it feels like it's getting closer and closer everytime he steps in the ring with competitors like Zayn. The pair did struggle to hold the crowd at times, with a "Rusev Day" chant moments after coming back from the ad break (which was split screened and mostly sleeper holds), which may have been down to both men being heels, even if Corbin was positioned as the bouts psuedo-babyface after Zayn weirdly slapped the Lone Wolf's chest in the corner before stalling. There was a few added elements for the viewers at home, that both hurt and improved the viewing experience. This included a funny turn by Kevin Owens on commentary, who repeatedly ripped into Corbin, which included the line "Corbin, if you're looking for your hairline, its on top of your head", as well as a number of weird cutaways to Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan, as they discussed Bryan's decision to allow Owens to appear on commentary, with no real consequence. What did have consequence and may have been the highlight of the bout (expect perhaps for a quality sequence into Corbin's Big Bossman lariat) was Dolph Ziggler jumping to barricade to nail a superkick on Owens, that looked vicious and got a nice pop from LA, with the high impact moment leading directly into Corbin's victory as the intriguing interplay between competitors in the WWE title match at Fastlane continued. 

After the match - Dolph Ziggler nailed Baron Corbin with a ZigZag - Daniel Bryan asked if he could go home to see his wife and daughter, Shane McMahon allowed this - Shane McMahon caught up with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, telling them to go after Daniel Bryan because "Brie doesn't like when [they're] late for dinner" - Dolph Ziggler cut a handheld promo putting himself over ahead of the Fastlane WWE title match

The New Day and The Usos renewed their rivalry, before The Bludgeon Brothers interrupted 

Before the segment - Actor Josh Duhamel appeared to promote his new TV show, Unsolved, in a fun backstage interaction with Breezango and The New Day.

Fuck, I loved this segment. Both teams bought their A-game on the microphone and completely changed my mind about wanting to see them feud again, because after this these teams can feud for the rest of time and I don't think I'd mind. New Day did some stuff where Kofi Kingston would repeatedly have to spritz Big E's crotch with water, which was odd, but actually lead pretty well into what SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos had to say, as they ripped on The New Day for being a comedy act and liking bright colours, comparing them to the old, face-paint wearing Jimmy & Jey. The stuff with the tag champs discussing never having appeared as a team on WrestleMania was very strong, with a real feeling of frustration and determination, that is easy to relate to and easy to get behind. After the year that these lads have had, they deserve a spot on the biggest show of the year. The New Day seemed closer to the heel turn that was teased during their match with Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable last week when Big E teed off on the twins with a couple of stingy zingers, including "We hosted WrestleMania when the two of you were in the back eating catering" and "We didn't get here because of our Daddies", whether they go full villain before Fastlane is yet to be seen, as The Bludgeon Brothers hit the ring with their styrofoam mallets and both teams bailed. The interruption felt a little unnecessary but I suppose creative needed a way to end the segment without the teams coming to blows.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Aiden English // Pinfall

Before the match - Aiden English and Rusev went to see Shane McMahon about not being on the show for the last few week's with English ending up booked in a match against Shinsuke Nakamura. - English sang a song about being the only true Artiste of WWE, before telling Los Angeles they didn't deserve to celebrate Rusev Day, which, of course, got loud "Rusev Day" chants anyway. 

Shinsuke Nakamura got a straight-forward victory in his first TV match in almost a month, pinning Aiden English in a filler bout. Whilst the action was fine and highlighted by a nice diving crossbody roll through, the only thing the match really had going for it was Rusev's interference on the outside, with the crowd being loudly split between Nakkers and RuRu producing a couple of cool duelling chants that lifted the action. Nakamura controlled most of the match, with Rusev interfering on a couple of occasions, including a nice looking roundhouse kick on the outside, but for a match that was so clearly a forgone conclusion it felt unnecessarily long and didn't feature anything that would've made it feel like anything other than an excuse to get Nakamura back on TV somehow. A match with Rusev at Fastlane would give Shinsuke a good warm-up bout for WrestleMania, but with only one show left before the PPV it comes across as incredibly rushed, as the booking of Nakamura post-Royal Rumble win has been less than inspiring.

Ruby Riott def. Naomi // Pinfall

The only women's bout on the show and the one that felt like it had the least focus was Ruby Riott's victory over Naomi, with the Riott Kick. The match itself was alright, with a number of moments where Naomi showed glimmers of the promise we've occasionally seen out of her over the last few years. The sequence where both missed roundhouse kicks at pace, before connecting at the same time was well-timed and easily the highlight of a match that felt like it never got the chance to get going. Riott's victory appeared to come out of nowhere as she deflected a running bulldog that sent Naomi into the top turnbuckle before connecting with the overhead wind-up kick for the win, this would seem to be a way of building up the move for the title match with Charlotte Flair at Fastlane, but didn't come across well on television. 

Also This Week

- Randy Orton interrupted a Bobby Roode interview, claiming his issue wasn't with the SmackDown Top 10 list, but that the Viper just wanted to win the United States title for the first time in his career 

- Noelle Trent from the National Civil Rights Museum was joined by Titus O'Neil, Mark Henry and Alexa Bliss to discuss the Freedom Rides as part of Black History Month.

- Highlights of The Festival of Friendship with Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens from the 13th February 2017 episode of RAW aired for some reason. 

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.29 out of 10 

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale

WWE Clash of Champions 2017 DVD Review

WWE have released the 2017 edition of Clash of Champions on DVD in the UK, available here. But is it any good? Lets take a look!  

Top Matches include: 

- Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn's WWE Contract // Special Guest Referees - Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon // Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn 

- WWE Championship // AJ Styles (C) vs. Jinder Mahal

- SmackDown Women's Championship // Lumberjack Match // Charlotte Flair (C) vs. Natalya 

The event kicks off with it's best match as a triple threat over the United States Championship, with Baron Corbin defending against Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode, features some great action, with the three combining their signature offence for a number of exciting sequences and surprisingly strong near falls. Backstage, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon discuss both being the referee in the Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn match later on, without clearing up how the gimmick is actually going to work. After an interview with Dasha Fuentes, Baron Corbin threw a bin at a door. The good times keep rolling with an exciting Fatal Four-Way match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with The Usos defending against Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable, Kofi Kingston & Big E of the New Day and Rusev & Aiden English, in a match that is helped by a crowd that is massively into Rusev & English. The beginning and ending, including a brilliant performance from Gable, feature some wonderful action, although the match is let down by some weird rules that have a member of each team in the ring at the same time, leading to some awkwardness during the middle portion. 

Charlotte Flair puts the SmackDown Women's Championship on the line against Natalya in a disjointed Lumberjack match, where the gimmick does more to hold the pair back than create any genuine excitement. There's some solid action in there, but there's also a lot of treading water, whilst every single lumberjack receiving their own entrance is over-kill. The Singh Brothers get interviewed by Fuentes, with the end result once again being that we find out nothing about their potential involvement in the Jinder Mahal vs. AJ Styles match later on. The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper & Rowan) vs. Breezango (Fandango & Tyler Breeze) doesn't stick around long, but has a couple of nice moments, whilst en route to the squash result. 

Fuentes (who is seemingly all over the place here) catches up with Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn backstage, with the duo their usual jovial selves until Dasha brings up that they could be fired if they lose their match against Orton & Nakamura. The match between Owens & Zayn and Orton & Nakamura features an overkill of stipulation with Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan operating as special guest referees and Owens & Zayn getting fired if they lose the match. These stipulations are not conducive to producing a good match with a lot of time spent on setting out the dual referee gimmick and a number of hokey spots like McMahon & Bryan drawing a line down the middle of the ring, whilst the top talent end up going through the motions for, at least, fifteen minutes of the bout. The finishing stretch however does feature some engrossing action between Orton and Zayn, as well as a big spot on the outside featuring Owens and Nakamura, whilst a handful of nearfalls are worked in surrounding the dual refs situation. 

The WWE Championship match features Jinder Mahal's best performance of his main event run as he challenges AJ Styles for the brand's top prize. The action isn't always thrilling, but there's a strong narrative, with both men working over injures body parts, as well as a couple of sturdy near falls in the scrappy closing match. The Singh Brothers play their part well, including a brutal looking spot on the floor, before the contest comes to a satisfying conclusion that pays off the matches major story thread. The disc concludes with it's only special feature as Zack Ryder faces former tag team partner Mojo Rawley in a match that is exactly what it needed to be.

ATPW Scale Rating // 5.23/10

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale