Recapping American wrestling since 2013. Not only following the current stuff in WWE, Impact and ROH but also going back in time and doing stuff from back then as well.
Kassius Ohno beats Aiden English in English's first recorded match in eight months.
Harper beats Dominik Dijakovic in his first match in five months and since undergoing wrist surgery. After the match, both men shake hands.
The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) beat SAnitY (Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain), then continue to attack Killian Dain until Eric Young fights them off.
It's time for Miz TV with special guests The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) to start tonight's show. Miz says he and The Bludgeon Brothers have something in common as they know how to decimate Daniel Bryan, then he asks them why they did it. The Bludgeon Brothers give no answer as the crowd chants "Daniel Bryan," and The Miz tells the crowd to shut up. We then Daniel Bryan's interview from last week on the TitanTron. The Miz says that this is what Hollywood calls "Act 1," and The Bludgeon Brothers almost take offense to Miz telling them they would not understand. We then see footage of what Daniel Bryan coming into contact with The Bludgeon Brothers last week. Miz calls this "Act 2," and says that Daniel Bryan tried to steal The Bludgeon Brothers' thunder with his "Yes!" chants and made himself "the villain of this movie." We then see The Bludgeon Brothers' attack on Daniel Bryan, which Miz calls "Act 3." Miz tells The Bludgeon Brothers they did a fantastic job dealing with Daniel Bryan, and says that they look like they are trying to audition for another Miztourage. Rowan slaps the microphone out of The Miz's hand, then Daniel Bryan shows up. Daniel Bryan says The Bludgeon Brothers may be big, bad and scary, but size is not as important as heart and he is not afraid of them or Miz after they cost him a shot at the WWE Championship. Daniel Bryan then asks which of them will fight him first, and Harper asks Daniel if he ever learns before telling him that he will tonight.
Backstage, Mr. Bootysworth makes a pancake and maple syrup milkshake for The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods).
Daniel Bryan vs. Harper is official for later tonight.
Rusev beats Xavier Woods with the Accolade. After the match, Rusev says tonight was not about Xavier Woods, trombones, pancakes or Booty-O's; instead, it was about "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles. He says he knows Styles is watching and that he is scared, and he has not forgotten how he slapped Aiden English in the face last week. As the crowd alternates between "AJ Styles" and "Rusev Day," Rusev says tonight is a preview of what will happen at Extreme Rules when he comes to Styles' house, beats him up, takes his title and becomes WWE Champion to make the day a great Rusev Day.
We hear from Jeff Hardy, who says that adrenaline is rushing through his body and sharpening his senses. He is ready to take flight and fight.
It is announced that "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura suffered an injury last night and will not be able to compete last night. Instead, Jeff Hardy is issuing an open challenge for the WWE United States Championship, and he is issuing it next.
We get a closer look at The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso), courtesy of Sonic Drive-Ins.
Backstage, Lana and Naomi argue. Lana insists she won last week's dance-off when all of a sudden, the cast of Netflix original series Glow show up. One of the stars does a nice Russian accent, but Lana responds by saying something in Russian. The cast then says Lana and Rusev should be working together. Naomi admits Lana is a good dancer, and says if they were on the same page, they would be ravishing together. After that, everyone would be feeling the glow.
Jeff Hardy's open challenge opponent is Eric Young.
Eric Young vs. Jeff Hardy for the WWE United States Championship ends when The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) come out of the timekeeper's area and brawl with Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain at ringside. Eric Young tosses one of the Usos into the ring and brawls with them, ending the match. After the match, Jeff Hardy and The Usos brawl with SAnitY (Young, Wolfe, Dain), and quickly clean house.
Jeff Hardy and The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) beat SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain).
Becky Lynch beats Sonya Deville with the Dis-Arm-Her when Mandy Rose is attacked by Becky, distracting Sonya.
Backstage, James Ellsworth puts on an Asuka mask and looks around until he sees "The Perfect Ten" Tye Dillinger. Dillinger puts the mask back over Ellering's face, then tells him he's a ten with the mask and one without it before walking away.
We hear from Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega. Three weeks ago, Almas put Sin Cara on the shelf, and Vega says the locker room should be afraid. She warns the locker room to stay out of their way if they know what is good for them.
James Ellsworth shows up. Ellsworth says there are two types of men: men who like to wear sandals, have graduated from high school and talk about their feelings, and men who fight for what they believe in. He says that Asuka attacked him for no reason last week, and tells Asuka that this is a man's world and that when you mess with the bull, you get the horns. Ellsworth tells everyone he loves and respects women, and has a love life so hot you can fry an egg on it. However, there is no love between and Asuka, and absolutely no respect, and while he was not ready for last week, he is this week. He takes off his jacket and coat and dares Asuka to come to the ring and kick him again. Instead of getting Asuka, he gets General Manager Paige instead. Paige says Asuka is not here tonight, and says Ellsworth's sudden return warrants some love and respect from her. She then announces that Carmella will defend the SmackDown Women's Championship against Asuka at Extreme Rules. After Ellsworth says Asuka is not deserving of a rematch, Ellsworth thinks that Paige is also here to ask him out on a date. Paige asks how next Tuesday sounds, and when Ellsworth says yes, she says she will see him then when Ellsworth faces Asuka in the ring.
Daniel Bryan vs. Harper ends when Rowan gets involved. After the match, The Bludgeon Brothers are about to lay Daniel Bryan out when Kane makes a surprise appearance for the first time in months. Kane almost choke slams The Bludgeon Brothers, and Daniel Bryan hits a double drop kick on them. Kane and Daniel Bryan quickly clean house. Afterwards, Daniel Bryan and Kane stare down, then Kane offers to hug it out with Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan is not exactly in the mood for it at first, but then changes his mind and hugs it out with Kane. As Daniel Bryan and Kane celebrate, General Manager Paige shows up and declares that The Bludgeon Brothers will defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against a reunited Team Hell No at Extreme Rules.
"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles shows up to start tonight's show. Styles says that you can tell a lot about a man through his failures, and that we have learned all we need to know about "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura. He says that he dreamed about their WrestleMania match, and in the end, he succeeded and Nakamura failed, and that Nakamura showed his true colors and proved himself a con artist after the match. Last week, he should have been celebrating, but all he had on his mind was retribution against Nakamura. He was also presented with a real dream match against Daniel Bryan. During the match, Nakamura then showed his true colors again and ruined that match. He refuses to let it go, and he will not leave the match until he confronts Nakamura. He says that Nakamura may have conveniently forgotten how to speak English, but he is here for a fight, not a conversation. Instead of Nakamura, however, Styles gets Aiden English and Rusev. Aiden English sings that he knows it is not them he wanted, and that Nakamura is not here tonight. He then raps that if Styles wants a fight, he can have it with Rusev. Styles then says that since it is Rusev Day and Nakamura has no spine, they might as well fight right now. This starts a match that ends as quickly as it began after Aiden English interferes. As Rusev and English stomp Styles, Daniel Bryan runs into the ring and helps even the odds for Styles.
Backstage, Commissioner Shane McMahon is met by General Manager Paige, who makes a tag team match between the team of Rusev and Aiden English and the team of "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan official for tonight. Shane also confirms that The Miz is coming back to SmackDown Live "by Daniel Bryan's request."
Shelton Benjamin - now without Chad Gable due to Gable being moved over to Raw during the Superstar Shake-up - shows up. Last night on Twitter, Shelton says he called Gable "an inspirational partner" and that he sees a bright future for him. He also says his Twitter account got hacked and that he would not say anything like that as he never needed Chad Gable; instead, Gable needed him. Benjamin says he needs the respect he deserves and championship opportunities that he is owed, as he is one of the biggest threats on SmackDown Live. He has asked General Manager Paige to send him some big competition. Big competition comes to Shelton Benjamin comes in the form of Randy Orton. Orton stops halfway down the ramp, however, and he is accompanied by Jeff Hardy, who officially brings the WWE United States Championship from Raw to SmackDown Live. Orton is beside himself, as Hardy ends up getting in the ring with Shelton instead of him.
Jeff Hardy beats Shelton Benjamin.
We hear from The Miz. He says Daniel Bryan directed a tweet at him asking how long he has to wait to punch Miz's face. After asking the crowd if they want to see it, he then says he is in Los Angeles with Maryse and his daughter Monroe Sky. He then announces he will make his SmackDown Live premiere next week, and if Daniel Bryan tries to troll him again, he will kick his ass. After Maryse warns him about his language in front of his daughter, Miz says next week will be awesome.
Harper beats Jey Uso. After the match, The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) attack The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso). They are about to hit Jimmy with their mallets when Naomi runs down to the ring to protect him. The Bludgeon Brothers decide to leave Jimmy and Naomi alone and slowly walk backwards up the entrance ramp.
Samoa Joe beats Sin Cara with the Coaquina Clutch in his SmackDown Live debut. After the match, Samoa Joe says SmackDown Live is more like "the land of hand-outs" than "the land of opportunities," as everyone has had it easy on SmackDown Live in his absence. He says the blue brand has been coddled, catered to, and convinced they are better than they are before saying that this all changes now and that he will put Daniel Bryan to sleep, defang Randy Orton and emasculate and decimate "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles. He then says if there are any non-believers, he will make them believers at Greatest Royal Rumble and Backlash, and he will promise that whatever is left of Roman Reigns after Brock Lesnar beats his ass again will be shredded and put out to pasture for good. However, if by some miraculous happenstance, Roman Reigns is victorious, then he will bring back his newly-won Intercontinental Championship and tear the Universal Championship from his waist. He then ends by saying "Believe that.".
SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain, Nikki Cross) is coming to SmackDown Live!
Renee Young interviews Daniel Bryan, who says he saved "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles because he respects him. He says that he has wanted to face AJ Styles in WWE, for he is the best. Daniel Bryan wanted to prove he had not lost a step against Styles, but "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura ruined the match. Nevertheless, he is glad to team with Styles, as they will face each other again. All of a sudden, Big Cass shows up, wondering what all the fuss about Daniel Bryan is about before calling Daniel "little man." He then leaves.
Carmella shows up for her SmackDown Women's Championship "'Mellabration." Carmella accuses the crowd of jumping on her bandwagon now that she is a champion when they never supported her to begin with, then says she is not "The Princess of Staten Island" anymore; instead, she is the Crown Princess of SmackDown Live. She then says she waited 287 long days to take her time and pick her moment to become SmackDown Women's Champion, and that she beat Charlotte Flair to do it. Carmella goes on to beat the woman who broke Asuka's undefeated streak all on her own, and that all she had to do is wait for Charlotte to be blinded by her own ego. She then says to be the woman, you've got to be the woman, and that she is indeed the woman. She calls her title win historic and says it will be the biggest moment not only in the Women's Revolution, but all of women's history. Carmella then shows a video package on the TitanTron that chronicles her road to becoming SmackDown Women's Championship from winning the Women's Money In The Bank briefcase to her title win last week. Carmella then admits she will miss her Money In The Break briefcase, affectionately named "Frankie," and says she will keep the SmackDown Women's title - which she calls "Cleopatra" - longer than she kept "Frankie." All of a sudden, Charlotte Flair shows up. She tells Carmella that her title reign is a lot like her memory - short - and that the only reason she had the briefcase was because of James Ellsworth and the only reason she has the title is because of The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce). She then says she knows "the dirtiest player in the game" and that "game respects game." After congratulating Carmella on her title win, she tells her it is much harder to stay on top than it is to get there, and she has something of hers. Suddenly, The IIconics show up. Billie tells Charlotte that it is pathetic that she is blaming them for her failure, then Peyton calls Charlotte "a big baby" as she mocks her. Billie says Peyton's mockery of Charlotte is spot-on, then asks what Charlotte is crying about as she asked for magic and they gave it to her when they made the SmackDown Women's title disappear from her waist. Peyton then says this moment will last forever, and it is all because of them. They then say Charlotte is looking at the future and that the future is iconic. Charlotte looks at Carmella form the apron, then gets down and tries to fight The IIconics off at ringsde. The numbers game takes over until Becky Lynch runs out and makes the save for Charlotte. Referees have to break up the brawl.
Carmella guests at the commentary table for the next match.
Charlotte Flair beats Billie Kay with the Figure Eight. After the match, Carmella attacks Charlotte from behind with the SmackDown Women's Championship. Becky Lynch goes after Carmella, but she is ganged up on by Carmella and Peyton Royce. Carmmella and Peyton continue to attack Charlotte and Becky until Asuka shows up. Asuka runs into the ring and quickly decimates The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) and Carmella along with Becky and Charlotte.
Gallows & Anderson (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) are officially coming to SmackDown Live.
We hear from Sheamus and Cesaro. They list off their accomplishments on Raw, then announce they are coming to SmackDown Live to raise the bar on the tag team division.
Backstage, The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) make fun of Sheamus and Cesaro when they run into R-Truth. All of a sudden, "The Perfect Ten" Tye Dillinger confronts R-Truth before they do their own custom handshake. R-Truth then says they are all together on Raw. He is quickly corrected, then R-Truth says "My bad," before saying he will see them all tomorrow.
We hear from Zelina Vega and Andrade "Cien" Almas. Vega announces they are taking over SmackDown Live.
It is announced that Rusev will face The Undertaker in a Casket Match at Greatest Royal Rumble.
"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan beat Rusev and Aiden English following a low blow to Styles by "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura and big boot to Daniel Bryan by Big Cass. Afterwards, Renee Young interviews "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura, who simply says "No speak English."
The show starts with a video package of General Manager Daniel Bryan having to leave full-time competition two years ago. Suddenly, the breaking news that has swept the Internet today is mentioned, and it is announced that Daniel Bryan is now clear to compete in WWE once again after two years.
General Manager Daniel Bryan shows up to start tonight's show. Daniel Bryan brings up what happened to Commissioner Shane McMahon, and says that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are not here yet. He then decides to talk about something else. He talks about how he was forced to retire and focused on being grateful. He admits that he was upset, angry and mad about not being able to compete again, but he focused on gratefulness. He says he is grateful for having amazing family, friends and fans around the world, and he has an amazing wife in Brie Bella. He talks about how his wife told him it was nice to be grateful and how she also told him to fight for his dreams and see multiple specialists. The crowd chants "Thank you Brie!" After being cleared by three specialists, she told him to fight for his dreams, which is what he has always had done. He went from being grateful to fighting for his dreams so his dreams can fight for him. Daniel then says every hard thing seems impossible until it becomes real, and for the last two months, he has asked WWE to re-look at his case. He has been sent to numerous neurologists, and all of them have said that he is cleared. He says that there was a time when being cleared to compete in the ring was impossible, but now, it is real. He has a lot of "thank yous" to send to the WWE and their doctors for looking at him as a person and not a wrestler. He thanks them for giving his case a second look, and he thanks every single person in the arena and everyone watching at home, as they have all supported him this entire time. Daniel says that people have chanted for him week after week, and for that, he thanks the fans. He then thanks his wife Brie Bella, and says the fans cannot understand how much of a help she has been throughout. For that, he is grateful. Daniel says he does not know when or where he will get back in the ring, and the fans chant "WrestleMania" and point at the WrestleMania sign. Daniel asks if that sounds like a good idea, and the crowd erupts while chanting "Yes." He does not know for sure if that will happen, but he says he will compete in a WWE ring again. He then leads an enthusiastic "Yes" chant before heading to the back.
Referee Charles Robinson congratulates General Manager Daniel Bryan on the news. Daniel asks him to send Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to his office when they show up. Dolph Ziggler shows up and tells Daniel he cannot wait to beat him. Daniel responds by saying "Well...you can certainly try."
"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles guests on commentary for the next match.
"The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura beats Rusev with a roll-up after Rusev tries to roll out of an arm breaker. After the match, Rusev and Aiden English stomp Nakamura and proceed to double-team him, and "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles gets up just before Nakamura fights back.
We see a video package of what has led Asuka to a match against Charlotte for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania. Backstage, Charlotte Flair has watched the video package. Natalya shows up and says Charlotte is scared, but Charlotte says Asuka will be her biggest challenge. Natalya says she can beat them both, and says Asuka is only undefeated because she hasn't faced HER yet. She also says that should be her WrestleMania moment. This leads to Charlotte challenging Natalya for later tonight.
Backstage, "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura tells "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles he did not need his help. AJ Styles says that he knows that Nakamura will tell him he will beat him at WrestleMania with a knee to the face, and Nakamura tells Styles he should have more confidence.
Baron Corbin beats "The Perfect Ten" Tye Dillinger.
Natalya beats Charlotte Flair. During the match, Carmella shows up to cash in her Money In The Bank Briefcase only to eat a big boot from Charlotte. Natalya then takes advantage with a schoolgirl pin for the win.
It is announced that General Manager Shane McMahon suffered a laryngeal contusion as well as trapezius and rhomboid strains following the attack on him by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn last week.
Before the next match, The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) talk about how they were battling it out with The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships when The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) showed up. They then talk about how The Bludgeon Brothers brutally attacked both tag teams, but they are still here and they are still holding down the blue brand tag team division. They say that all they know how to do is survive, go hard and "be the best damn tag team WWE has ever seen." They refuses to stand down and let The Bludgeon Brothers take away what they have worked for. Tonight, Jimmy Uso is about to go to war with Harper, and it will be lockdown when they hit the ring.
Harper beats Jimmy Uso.
Before the next match, Jinder Mahal cals everyone who boos him hypocrites, as he has sacrificed everything for a match at WrestleMania. He says he could be vacationing anywhere in the world and being the biggest star in Bollywood, but he has restored prestige to the WWE Championship and made SmackDown Live the premiere show. Mahal states he is disrespected and that people should worship the ground he walks on. He says the fans want change, but they would rather maintain the status quo with men like Randy Orton. Suddenly, Bobby Roode shows up. Roode says the only hypocrite in the arena is Jinder, and says respect is a two-way street and that Jinder deserves no respect. He also says the only thing Jinder deserves at WrestleMania is being beaten in the middle of the ring and taking back the United States title. Suddenly, Randy Orton shows up. Jinder tries to butter Orton up, but Orton tells him to shut up and says nobody respects Jinder because without the help of "his little stooge" Sunil Singh, he sucks. This leads to a "You suck!" chant, and Jinder throws Sunil Singh to Randy Orton in order to escape. Sunil falls victim to the draping DDT from the second rope. Orton goes for the RKO, but Roode hits the Glorious DDT on Sunil. Orton tries to RKO Roode, but Roode blocks it, leading to a stand-off. Jinder tries to approach, but Orton and Roode see him coming.
Next week: Bobby Roode and Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh!
Naomi and Becky Lynch beat The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan) with a Dis-arm-her to Sarah Logan after Naomi hits Liv Morgan with a Rear View.
Backstage, General Manager Daniel Bryan is told that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have arrived. He tells the backstage producer that he will meet them in the ring.
We look back on WrestleMania 1, courtesy of Snickers.
General Manager Daniel Bryan is in the ring. Daniel Bryan says tonight has been a big night, but there is still one more thing to address. He asks Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to come to the ring, which they do. Kevin and Sami give a congratulatory hug, and says they are here because they got the news that Daniel Bryan had been cleared to compete again. He says they were stopped by a Texas ranger for speeding, and talked their way out because "everyone's dumber in Texas." Sami says they would not miss this for the world, as Daniel Bryan has been their biggest supporter since day one even as the SmackDown Live locker room hated and resented them, as he was always fair to them. He calls Daniel Bryan being cleared to compete again an example of good things happening to good people, and says any show with them and Daniel on it is a dream show as well as a dream team. Daniel says he appreciates that, then says he brought them to the ring because of their attack on Commissioner Shane McMahon last week, which is replayed on the TitanTron. Kevin and Sami laugh, and Sami tells Daniel that Shane deserved it. Daniel Bryan tells them that this is a bigger deal than they are making it out to be. He calls them "two of the best performers of this generation," and admits he was living vicariously through them as he had known them for a long time and because he was forced to retire. However, he says this was more than "being carried away," as they both assaulted Shane. He then says he has trouble understanding why they did what they did to Shane. He says that he has been fired from WWE twice, and came back a better man. He tells them they can learn and grow from this. He says he hates having to do this, but he has no choice but to fire them. Sami and Kevin are shocked. Daniel Bryan says they are not gone forever; instead, they are both gone for now. He says they mean a lot to him, and extends his hand. The crowd sings "Na Na Hey Hey (The Goodbye Song)" as Daniel shakes hands, first with Sami, then with Kevin. Kevin and Sami turn around, then Kevin turns around and attacks Daniel Bryan. Owens then screams "You did this! You!" Sami punches Daniel in the face multiple times, then when they decide to double-team him, Daniel Bryan fights back. Referees show up as Daniel hits Kevin with the Yes Kicks, but Sami goes on the ground-and-pound when he gets back in the ring. Kevin gets Daniel up and holds him in the corner as he screams "Why'd you do that?!?" He then screams to Sami "Do it!" Sami then hits Daniel Bryan with the Helluva Kick. Kevin screams wildly again as Daniel Bryan tries to get up, then Kevin punches Daniel in the face. Sami then tosses Daniel Bryan out of the ring, then gets him back up and tosses him to Kevin, who powerbombs Daniel Bryan into the ring apron. EMTs bring in a stretcher to take Daniel Bryan out of the arena.
