We saw how Raw was after the Rumble. With a Smackdown star as the Men’s Rumble winner, fans were curious. Curious about how WWE was going to present Shinsuke Nakamura. We also wonder what happens next to the WWE title picture. So here is my WWE SmackDown Summary.
The show opens with the 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn interrupt following AJ Styles to set up the main event.
Analysis: Good way to kick off the show. What was that “Rockstar” graphic during Nakamura’s entrance? Shinsuke is getting a little better with his mic skills. Still a little hard to understand him sometimes but there is an improvement.
Rusev def. Kofi Kingston, Jinder Mahal, and Zack Ryder to become #1 Contender for U.S. Title.
Analysis: Pretty good match. I’m glad it was Rusev that won. He’s got momentum with the Rusev Day gimmick.
The Usos cut a promo in the ring about being the best tag team of all time.
Analysis: They cut a really good promo. It really makes us question who will or can beat them. I can’t wait to see the rivalry they’ll probably have with The Bludgeon Brothers.The Bludgeon Brothers def. Local Competitors
Analysis: The Bludgeon Brothers dominated as usual. WWE should give them a tag team on the roster next week instead of two jobbers. It will get repetitive if they continue this trend.
Charlotte gets interviewed on the Women’s Royal Rumble Match. She gets attacked by the Riott Squad. Carmella attempts to cash in her Money In The Bank contract but knocks out the referee.
Analysis: This segment was okay. It did give me a little disbelief that Carmella would successfully cash in. A little disappointed though on how they planned this failed cash-in attempt.
Baron Corbin def. Tye Dillinger
Analysis: The match was okay. Couldn’t get into it. The match didn’t feel necessary to really have on the show. I wonder what their plans are for Baron at WrestleMania.Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable def. Breezango
Analysis: The match itself was alright. I wonder what they will do with Gable and Benjamin now that they are out of the title picture.
AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura def. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Analysis: Pretty good main event. Zayn walking out was a nice touch. The tension between Owens and Zayn was built well for next week when they face off.
Overall: This was a decent SmackDown Live. It was easy to sit through. I thought it was a good balance between promos and matches. Next week should be interesting with the U.S. title match and the Owens vs. Zayn match.