wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s WWE Smackdown Review 3.25.22
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Hey there everyone, welcome to another episode of Friday Night Smackdown. WrestleMania is starting to loom real large on the horizon, so I imagine we’ll get another bunch of segments devoted to desperately trying to sell Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey rather than Brock vs. Roman. Both Brock and Roman are advertised for the show so they’ll probably be here, they really should follow up on the attack by Brock last week, and hopefully it’s not a single segment thing. We’ll get Shinsuke Nakamura taking on Jey Uso to continue building towards the Smackdown Tag Team title match at Mania, and we’ll get a Fatal 4-way featuring one member from each of the teams battling for the women’s tag team titles. There will almost certainly be something to remind us about Sami Zayn and Johnny Knoxville, Drew McIntyre will continue to bounce around with Happy Corbin and Corbin’s goons, and if we’re really lucky we might catch a glimpse of Intercontinental champion Ricochet in some capacity. Anyway that’s enough preamble, let’s get to the action.
We get a video recap of last week when Brock showed up and attacked Roman and the Bloodline with a telehandler then ripped the (gimmicked) door off of a truck as they all escaped his wrath.
That brings us to the live broadcast, we’re in Brooklyn at the Barclay’s Center. Brock Lesnar is in the back standing outside of the locker room of Roman Reigns. Kayla walks up and asks him about his actions last week, Brock says he’s paid some fines and bought a few new cars, including a new SUV for Roman in blood red. Ultimately though Brock isn’t allowed to get physical with Roman unless he’s provoked. So naturally he’s going to wait in Roman’s locker room and wait for a good provoking. Brock heads into the room and starts making himself at home, breaking a coffee table as he puts his feet on it.
To the ring, and here’s Rick Boogs to play with the crowd and introduce Shinsuke Nakamura. We get a recap of Boogs pinning Jey a couple of weeks back to earn the title shot, then here come the Usos. We get a brawl right away between all four men, Nakamura kicks Jimmy around then Boogs presses Jey over his head a few times before throwing him onto Jimmy and sending us to break.
Match #1: Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Rick Boogs vs. Jimmy Uso w/ Jey Uso
We come back as the match begins. They tie up, break, tie up, break, then Jimmy hits a shoulder block. Jimmy grabs an arm wringer, then Nakamura counters into a hammerlock then a side headlock. Another shoulder block from Jimmy but Nakamura trips him up then misses a kick and mocks Jimmy with a “Come on”. Knees now from Nakamura then he bounces Jimmy around the corners before stomping him and forcing Jimmy out of the ring. Nakamura follows Jimmy out, and lays in knees to send Jimmy back into the ring. Back in the ring Jimmy lands a stiff clothesline to drop Nakamura. Back suplex from Jimmy for a 2 count then he grabs a chin lock. Jimmy retains control but Nakamura avoids a Samoan drop but eats an enziguri from the apron and Nakamura falls to the floor. Jimmy goes for a suicide dive but he flies into a kick from Nakamura that sends us to break.
We come back to Nakamura still in charge with strikes. Nakamura lands a knee strike, then sets Jimmy on the top rope and knees him again. Some more stomps from Nakamura, then he tries the reverse exploder but Jimmy fights free and lands a chop. Nakamura hits a diving knee strike and then sets for the Kinshasa but Jey attacks Boogs to distract Nakamura. The distraction allows Jimmy to hit a super kick for a near fall. Jimmy directs Jey to give him the guitar that Boogs brought, Boogs comes back to life and slams Jey into the ring post with a violent yell. That all allows Nakamura to recover, kick Jimmy down then hit the Kinshasa and pin to win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Shinsuke Nakamura won
Rating: 3 stars
Slightly generous 3 but they earned it, these four guys have been working hard to make people care about their match and deserve a lot of credit for it.
We get a recap of Kevin Owens ripping off Shawn Michaels on RAW. Gonna be a recap heavy episode I guess.
In the back Brock takes a swig of champagne, doesn’t like it and tosses the bottle into the wall to send us to break.
A reminder that the WWE Hall of Fame will take place next week right after Smackdown. This year Shad Gaspard is going to be the Warrior Award recipient.
Kayla is in the back and welcomes Drew McIntyre to his interview time. She asks him about wrestling Corbin, and Drew says you can’t compare this with any of his prior WrestleMania opponents because this one is personal. He’s loved every single second of making Corbin’s life hell, it makes him happy. He could take Corbin out at any time, but he’s going to wait for Mania when he wipes that pathetic grin off of Corbin’s face permanently.
Next is a video recap of Corbin going from King, to Bum-ass, to Happy and the introduction of Madcap Moss and the attack on Drew McIntyre. In the back Drew and Moss were watching that video package at an odd angle. Corbin thinks his life could be a trilogy of movies. Moss has a good name for the movie, “Bald Fellas”. Corbin does not approve, frankly neither do I but sowing the seeds of discontent between these two might be the closest thing to forward thinking WWE does.
To the ring, here’s Ridge Holland to wrestle Kofi Kingston. . . again, after this break.
We come back to recap Ridge Holland pinning Kofi Kingston last week. After that here comes Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods. Well he’s announced as coming out with Woods, but Kofi’s got a mic and that was supposed to be a surprise. Kofi says they weren’t talking about him as Ridge’s opponent for tonight, instead it’s Xavier Woods. The ring announcer seriously botched this entire moment.
Match #2: Xavier Woods w/ Kofi Kingston vs. Ridge Holland w/ Sheamus and Butch
Woods lands a super kick to the body then fires strikes but Ridge lands a right of his own. They hit the ropes and Woods easily out moves Ridge but eventually is caught in a crappy Pounce from Ridge. Kofi and Ridge jaw jack at each other, then Woods catches Ridge in a small package and pins to win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Xavier Woods won
Rating: DUD
More angle than match, and that was partially ruined by the ring announcer. Not a good use of anyone’s time.
We get a video from Roman and Paul Heyman. Heyman introduces Roman, who’s in the back of a car. Roman knows Brooklyn wants to acknowledge their Tribal Chief but that’ll have to wait, he and Heyman are still taking care of business before talking about all the high quality food they’ve eaten. They also stopped by Madison Square Garden, you know, the place where Roman busted Brock open. Roman tells Brock to get out of his locker room before he gets there, otherwise he’s going to bust open Brock all over again.
Ronda Rousey comes to the ring, she’ll talk after this break.
We come back and get a recap of Charlotte Flair talking and trying to get Ronda to tap out. Even in highlight form these are uninteresting.
Ronda is in the ring and has a mic, she says that just for that she wont take Charlotte’s title at Mania, she’s going to make Charlotte hand her the belt after she makes her tap out. She flubs a bit of a line, then tells Charlotte to get her Barbie ass out here. Video from Charlotte, she’s in front of a green screen allegedly not in Brooklyn. She doesn’t answer when Ronda calls, because a champion doesn’t answer to a contender. Ronda mentions she broke her first arm at the age of 14, and she’s kept track ever since until she lost count. Charlotte says she’d have to throw Ronda off of the Brooklyn Bridge to get any kind of satisfaction. Ronda says Charlotte isn’t the Ronda of WWE, if Charlotte won at Mania it’d be the biggest win of Charlotte’s career whereas when Ronda wins Charlotte will just another of the lost count. That wasn’t good from either of them.
Brock is still in Roman’s locker room, and Kayla comes in to interview him. She asks if Brock should leave before Roman arrives, but Brock is having too much fun to leave. In fact Kayla should find Roman and tell him that Brock is running out of things to smash in here.
Back to the ring and here comes Ricochet. He’ll have a non-title match against Humberto. We’ve got time before the break for the Los Lotharios kiss cam. They almost miss the plant but find her eventually. Anyway Humberto will take on Angel after the break.
Match #3: Ricochet vs. Angel w/ Humberto
So the graphics guys and commentary got the wrestler wrong, I for one am shocked. Angel tosses the pants at Ricochet then winds up pulling him off the top rope and starts landing offense. More strikes from Angel and he gets a 2 count on a cover then grabs a side headlock. Angel walks into a kick then Ricochet hits a shotgun drop kick and corner cross body. Ricochet with kicks and a knee then a flying elbow off the top rope. Ricochet heads back up top, avoids Humberto’s interference but that lets Angel school boy Ricochet and get a pin.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Angel won
Rating: 1.5 stars
These two could go if you gave them time but they didn’t get it.
Post match Ricochet gets a mic and says they’re not gonna do that tonight, he’s glad to see the cousins like to stick together but he’s got to break up the reunion. He offers Humberto a match as well. Humberto agrees.
Match #4: Ricochet vs. Humberto w/ Angel
Humberto gets the upper hand early then Ricochet lands kicks and drop kicks him out of the ring. Humberto gets back in the ring and they trade strikes before Ricochet drop kicks him out of the ring again then hits a dive to the outside and sends us to another break.
We come back to Humberto working a chin lock. Ricochet kicks Humberto in the head then hits a second rope hurricanrana. Angel tries to hype up Humberto but Ricochet lands a running uppercut, then another one. Springboard moonsault from the second rope hits for Ricochet, then he wants the Recoil but Angel distracts him and Humberto grabs a school boy for 2. Northern Lights suplex, floats through then a regular suplex from Ricochet gets 2. Ricochet heads up top, but Angel pulls Humberto out of the ring, Ricochet just shrugs and dives onto Angel. Tornado DDT from Ricochet on the floor to drop Humberto as Angel rolls under the ring. That means Angel is able to grab Ricochet by the foot as he tosses Humberto back into the ring, allowing Humberto to get a count out win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Humberto won
Rating: 2 stars
Crisp action, which isn’t a surprise considering the participants, but the booking here is all over the place. Shame we took the oddest way to this end point, and you made the IC champ look pretty weak while the “drama” coming from this match will be how long Angel and Humberto get along in the predictable triple threat match.
Megan is in the back and welcomes Sami Zayn to talk about his match with Johnny Knoxville. Sami feels really good, but people are talking like Knoxville has a chance against him. In a regular match Knoxville has no chance, making it anything goes means he has even less chance. The pranks Knoxville is known for might work on his brain dead buddies but wont work on him. Sami has spent months dreaming and strategizing about hurting Knoxville, and at WrestleMania Knoxville will experience pain in a way that has never been seen in the WWE.
Austin Theory interrupts the commentary talk and slaps McAfee again. McAfee chases Theory into the back but Theory hides in Mr. McMahon’s office. McAfee insults Theory through the door as we head back to the ring for our next match. Sasha Banks and Naomi make their entrance then we head to break.
We come back and get a video about Triple H officially retiring from in ring wrestling, which he did earlier today.
Match #5 – Fatal 4-Way: Sasha Banks w/ Naomi vs. Rhea Ripley w/ Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler w/ Natalya vs. Queen Zelina Vega w/ Carmella
Zelina runs away from Ripley, then Baszler is pulled out by Natalya when Banks and Ripley target her. Ripley overpowers Banks for a bit before they hit the ropes then Banks lands a right hand. Arm drag from Banks then Baszler comes in and gets tossed into Ripley. Double Meteora from Banks, then she hits a wheelbarrow bulldog on Ripley for 1. Zelina trips up Banks and slams her into the announce table. Naomi objects to this, and now everything breaks down into a brawl as we head to break again.
We come back and all of the seconds have been ejected. Ripley grabs Banks in a King Kong Hold, but Baszler breaks it up. Ripley bitch slaps Baszler down, then Zelina comes in with a hurricanrana and tries to pin everyone but can’t get it done. Zelina misses a knee attack on Banks in the corner then Banks grabs the Bank Statement on her and Baszler rolls in to stop the tap and locks up a wrist lock on Zelina. Banks stops that with a double Bank Statement on Zelina and Baszler but Ripley breaks the hold with a drop kick. Ripley grabs Baszler, tries Rip Tide but Baszler counters into the Kirifuda Clutch and Banks disrupts everything with a Backstabber to Baszler. Baszler rolls out of the ring, Zelina hits a slow motion Code Red on Banks and Baszler breaks up the pin. Zelina and Baszler brawl on the outside, Ripley dives onto Baszler then Zelina hits a diving hurricanrana onto Ripley. Zelina heads into the ring but Banks catches her in a Bank Statement and Zelina taps out.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Sasha Banks won
Rating: 2.5 stars
They tried hard but the commercial break and overall layout to start the match meant this was never really going to excel. That said as a potential teaser for their Mania match it served it’s purpose.
In the back Roman and Heyman arrive. Heyman looks nervous as Roman exits, Heyman doesn’t feel well but Roman tells him they’ll be fine while Brock wont. The confrontation between Roman and Brock will be up after this break.
Next week we’ll get a triple threat match for the IC title where Ricochet will defend on “WrestleMania Smackdown” against Humberto and Angel. Commentary then spend several minutes running down the Saturday card for Mania.
The music hits, and here comes the Tribal Chief to the ring. Roman Reigns is here with Paul Heyman and makes his way to the ring. As he’s coming to the ring we get a rundown of the Sunday card for Mania. Heyman gets a mic then he and Roman spend a few moments soaking in the atmosphere before Heyman hands over the mic. Roman tells Brooklyn to acknowledge him, which they do. Roman asks Heyman if Brock is still in his locker room, Heyman doesn’t know specifically he just knows Brock is here at the same time Roman is and that’s a bad thing. Heyman is afraid, but Roman says this is only a bad thing for Brock. If Brock is still in his locker room then Roman is going to come back there and puts his head through the wall. A video of the trashed locker room plays, but no sign of Brock. Roman is more than a little pissed as the crowd starts a “Suplex City” chant. Roman says this isn’t Suplex City, it’s the Island of Relevancy, and then asks Heyman again where Brock is. We get video in the back, here’s Brock with a pickaxe that he uses to take out Roman’s SUV. Roman laughs this off as the action of a scared man, then reminds Brock there’s no weapons at Mania. Brock knows, and hits the SUV a few more times before he starts walking towards the ring after tossing the pickaxe away. Heyman counsels Roman to leave. Brock’s music hits and here comes Brock through the crowd behind Roman. Brock poses on the announce table and stares down Roman, then gets a chair as security comes out to get between Roman and Brock. This amuses Brock, so he proceeds to wallop the security guards with the chair. The Usos show up to flank Roman but they all bail as Brock gets into the ring. Brock heads out of the ring and abuses some more security guards with the chair. Now Brock gets another chair, the prior one being too mangled, then he menaces Cole and McAfee before posing on the table again. Roman is at gorilla, and tells Brock that at WrestleMania Brock will acknowledge Roman as the undisputed WWE Universal champion. Brock poses to close the episode.
