SmackDown Live Recap: Feb 28, 2017
Hard to believe there’s ever been a hotter SmackDown Live than one that literally ended in flames …
Since last week’s Battle Royal Match for the rights to face Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania didn’t have a clear winner due to lack of cameras (yes, it is 2017), we got to see the final two competitors of that match, AJ Styles and Luke Harper, duke it out. With Styles being a high-flying striker, and Harper being more ground/pound/throw-you-around, this match had plenty of potential, and I don’t think I’m the only one who thinks it lived up to it.
Harper showed that he means business and shouldn’t just a be known as shoulder ornament for Bray Wyatt, while Styles confirmed he doesn’t need a belt to be considered the champ that runs the camp. At one point, Styles pinned Harper for the three-count but the referee didn’t see Harper’s foot on the bottom rope. Is WWE in a referee lockout, and if so, where can I sign up?
This prompted Shane McMahon to come out and restart the match, which didn’t end up making a difference as Styles picked up another pinfall, this time with no controversy. The WrestleMania stage is officially set: Bray Wyatt vs. AJ Styles. There’s no way anything can change from now until April 2 … right?
Cena Cancels Miz TV
To kick off the show, Miz aired quite a few grievances to the 16-time World Champion. Miz believes Cena is jealous of the Miz and all of his success, which is like Frank Sinatra Jr. calling his dad a fraud. The basis for Miz’s argument was because when Cena fought The Rock a few years back, he lectured The Rock about how he was no longer a full-timer, and that’s basically who Cena became, even though Miz’s shtick is being a Hollywood A-Lister.
Once Cena got a chance to speak (Miz had Cena’s mic turned off because he has that kind of power), he made Miz’s spiel sound like it came from the mouth of a toddler by comparison. The electricity that Cena can organically create is only superseded by The Rock, and barely at that. The specifics of the promo don’t matter (though there was a fun Tropic Thunder reference thrown in), just know that it’s going to be a fun month of these two trying to out-talk each other, and of course, there will be some fisticuffs sprinkled in.
After Cena dropped the mic, he was slapped by Maryse, which I knew was a bad sign for WrestleMania; it meant there’s almost a zero percent chance this match will be a one-on-one between Miz and Cena and will most likely include their female partners in a mixed-tag match. Nikki came out to defend her man, calling Maryse the B-word, which everyone knows is a declaration of war.
A little later in the show, Cena and Nikki challenged James Ellsworth and Carmella in an “interspecies tag match,” (JBL’s words, not mine) which makes it seem like it’s going to be a practice run to build Cena and Nikki some in-ring chemistry. Some believe this is a great idea for Nikki’s farewell match, while others (like myself) think it’s a nice gesture but ultimately a waste of Cena and Miz’s talents. According to ProFightDB.com, Maryse hasn’t fought since 2011, not even in a house show. The idea of Maryse being in the same ‘Mania match with John Cena, who is one title match away from breaking Flair’s all-time record that he tied at the Royal Rumble by defeating AJ Styles, is almost insulting. Not as insulting as Ellsworth implying that Nikki Bella’s breasts are phony, but still.
Mickie Falls Twice, Natalya Calls Out Champ
Becky Lynch went from being SmackDown Live’s first female draft pick to not even close to sniffing Bliss’ title; Lynch is going to need a bit of a resurgence if she’s going to have her big moment at WrestleMania. On the surface, Lynch vs. Mickie James in a Two-Out-Of-Three Falls Match seemed like a good idea, and it was even executed pretty well with Lynch picking up the 3rd fall, but this match had no real merit as the Women’s Division is clearly Alexa Bliss’. While not being involved in any physical confrontations this week, Bliss did get to flaunt her Women’s Championship in an interview before Natalya gave her condescending congratulations.
Poor Natalya. It’s not only that her character isn’t interesting (we get it, you’ve got a great family name), it’s also that not once will anyone consider her a favorite in any match she’ll ever be in. If she does fight Bliss for the Championship, despite not earning a shot at the title, does anyone think she can actually win? I know we said the same about Naomi a few weeks ago, but that was so unexpected that it was almost expected. Natalya has been in more big matches than Naomi and has a track record of losing most of them. She’s basically the female Dolph Ziggler.
Lunatic Life Lessons
Lesson one: Messing with Dean Ambrose is a very bad idea. If Ambrose put a couple more quarters in his parking meter, maybe we would have heard lesson two. One thing we do know is Ambrose is looking for a fight with Baron Corbin. Corbin may be the only person on SmackDown Live who can match the ability to not only dish out pain but also take it. Remember the Chairs Match with Kalisto at TLC? Corbin vs. Ambrose has that kind of potential times one hundred.
Dean Ambrose mentioned on Stone Cold’s Podcast last year that at last WrestleMania, Brock Lesnar was not willing to get as crazy and creative as Ambrose was in their Street Fight. It makes sense that Lesnar wouldn’t want that, as he’s the most valuable Superstar on the roster; Corbin, on the other hand, is the answer to Ambrose’s violent prayers. Their match hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it doesn’t seem like a matter of if it’ll happen, just a matter of what kind of match it will be, I think a Cage Match spliced with a Hardcore Match would be fun. Imagine a ring covered in weapons, with no escape? That already sounds better than any match from last year’s ‘Mania.
Have a Seat
In an exhibition of aluminum assault, Dolph Ziggler faced Apollo Crews in a Chairs Match. They both dealt serious damage to each other, which is wont to happen when objects that are meant for sitting on are involved. The match ended when Ziggler slammed Crews’ jewels on top of one of the chairs. Logic says this should finally end Ziggler’s feud with Apollo Crews, so what’s next for Dolph?
WWE has been pushing the Heel Ziggler angle for a little while now, so it’d be a shame if he was just an entrant in the Andre Battle Royal (not announced yet, but I’m guessing it’s coming). If he wins it, that’d be one thing, but with Ziggler’s track record as a midcard meddler, can you realistically see him getting that kind of push?
I’d like to see Ziggler succeed as a heel and eventually get involved with the WWE Championship scene. Right now, there’s obviously no room for him in that spotlight, so maybe it’s just best if he keeps whoopin’ on younger talent until the Wyatts sort out their family issues.
Viper Ignites Road To ‘Mania
Just when we thought we had our WWE Championship Match for WrestleMania set in stone, Randy Orton goes and (literally) burns those plans to the ground. Bray Wyatt was about to address AJ Styles in the ring when Orton appeared on the Titantron, in a setting familiar to Bray Wyatt; Orton was standing in the shed that was built on top of where Sister Abigail was buried.
In what may be the darkest segment this side of Mae Young giving birth to a hand, the camera showed a spot in the ground covered in worms that Orton had apparently dug up before Orton doused the place with gasoline and set it ablaze. I was half-expecting a Wyatt zombie to appear behind Orton, but his description of maggots and worms eating at Abigail’s flesh over the years was enough for me to get his point.
Now that the Wyatt Compound is a pile of ash, does that mean the same is in store for Bray Wyatt’s Championship run? Orton made it clear he wants Wyatt at WrestleMania, just two weeks after he said he didn’t. I understand he was lying, but didn’t he think that maybe he should tell Shane his plan to eventually turn on Bray, hoping Shane could maybe keep that spot reserved for a little while?
Next: Why Baron Corbin is WWE's next big money big man
Every week, the waters of the WWE Championship Match get murkier and deeper, so now that AJ Styles is in the mix (and I have a feeling Luke Harper won’t be too happy about the Wyatt Compound being burnt down, especially since a couple of his hoodies and DVDs were still in a bag outside the door), there is still much to settle with barely over a month until the WWE’s Super Bowl. One thing is certain: SmackDown Live always gives us a reason to tune in.