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Winfree’s WWE Smackdown Review 4.09.21

April 9, 2021 | Posted by Robert Winfree
5.9
The 411 Rating
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Winfree’s WWE Smackdown Review 4.09.21  

Another Friday, another WWE Smackdown event. But this one is the final stop on the road to WrestleMania! WrestleMania will have night one tomorrow and then night two on Sunday and this is the very last chance the WWE has to entice anyone into spending money on the event. The biggest Smackdown angle right now is the triple threat between Daniel Bryan, Edge, and Universal champion Roman Reigns. Edge beat down everyone else two weeks, Bryan got revenge last week, so logically this week we can look forward to Roman Reigns standing tall. There will be a four way tag team title match tonight, a sad indictment on the Smackdown tag team division and equally sad that despite two nights they couldn’t find space either for a title bout. Somehow over the last two weeks Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair have managed to lose whatever heat their interactions had, a truly remarkable feat. Also some kind of interaction between Kevin Owens and Sami “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy” Zayn, with the possibility of another Logan Paul sighting. Anyway, let’s see what the go home show for WrestleMania has in store for us.

Daniel Bryan is here to open the show, he reminds us how soon WrestleMania is to starting. He’s excited for everything, the stage, the pyro, the Florida, and most of all live fans being back. He’s careful to put over the Thunderdome, but there’s nothing like a live audience, and nothing at all like winning the Universal title in the main event at Mania in front of a live crowd. There will be 25,000 people chanting “Yes” in unison at Mania, and while he’s associated with ‘yes’ he’s been constantly told ‘no’ in his career. He’s not big enough, doesn’t belong in WWE, isn’t best for business, can’t be the face of the promotion, can’t main event Mania. Everyone else says he can’t do those things, but if you ask him he can. He’s lucky because his parents and mentors taught him to ignore the negativity, and that’s how he came to say “yes, yes, yes” because every time life told him “no” he said “yes”. Doctors said he’d never wrestle again, he said yes. People said he’d never be world champion again, he said yes. Roman said he’d never tap out to Bryan, Bryan said yes. And one final “yes”, he can main event WrestleMania one more time. He calls this one the biggest match of his career, puts over Edge and Roman and their respective career positions. Edge is furious at his spotlight being “stolen” and Roman is enraged because Bryan is poised to take his identity from him, and those two men are dangerous. This Sunday though, Bryan isn’t going to be GM or family man, he’s bringing the best version of himself, the one who tapped out Roman and will kick the head off of Edge’s janky neck. So there’s just one more question: Can Daniel Bryan walk out of Mania as Universal Champion? Yes chants follow. Great promo from Bryan, typical fiery babyface stuff but delivered exceptionally well.

The Street Profits are at gorilla “yes-ing”. They plan on winning just like Bryan will. And here come Ziggler and Roode to jump them. We get a brawl at gorilla that spills into the entrance area. All 4 teams that will be involved in the match wind up here brawling as we head to commercial break.

Match #1 – Fatal 4 Way Smackdown Tag Team Title Match: (c) Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode vs. Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) vs. Rey and Dominik Mysterio

We come back and Gable is working Dominik in the ring. Drop kick from Dominik then an armdrag. Otis tags in and hits a Polish hammer to help Gable hit a wheelbarrow suplex but Ziggler with a blind tag to Otis and tries to get the pin but Dominic kicks out. We’re in first fall to a finish mode here, no elimination. Roode tags in and starts working over Dominik. Dominik fights back but Gable is able to tag in off of Roode and starts working the arm. Dominik counters a back suplex, then hits a kick and tags Rey. Rey runs wild on Gable, culminating with a DDT that leads to Ziggler and Roode breaking up the pin. Things break down and everyone takes out everyone. Gable sent out of the ring but caught by Otis so Rey dives onto both of them then Dominik dives onto the pile and that sends us to break.

We come back with Ford and Roode as the legal men. Ford with a gymnastic routine, then hits a drop kick. Roode clubs Ford down, Ford slips free and lands rights to Ziggler and Roode but runs into a spinebuster. Otis blind tags in and clobbers Ford down to take over. Running elbows from Otis, then a body blow and Gable tags in to hit a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Ziggler blind tags off of Gable and starts working the neck of Ford. Drop kick from Ziggler, he tries the fame-asser but Ford counters with a powerbomb and they’re both down. They crawl over each other and both men tag out, Dawkins gets to run wild on Roode. Gable in, and he gets tossed around as well. Rey blind tags off of Dawkins, springboard senton to Roode then low bridges Dawkins. Roode gets sent into Otis. Ziggler and Roode eat a double 619 from Rey and Dominik, Dominik with a frog splash to Roode but Otis in with a splash to the pin. Otis tosses Rey, the Profits drop kick him out of the ring, the Ford dives onto him. Dakwins and Gable tag in trade moves. Gable hits a Chaos Theory but Ford From the Heavens to the downed Gable. Roode blind tags off of Ford, Ziggler super kicks Ford and Roode pins Gable to retain.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Ziggler and Roode retained the titles

Rating: 2.5 stars

There’s only so much you can do with this kind of match, this wasn’t exactly great but was mostly competent. Pity about Ziggler and Roode retaining, their reign has been ice cold.

In the back Kayla interviews Bianca Belair. Belair has butterflies in her stomach and she’s excited but her father always told her it’s OK to be nervous but not scared. She calls this the culmination of all of her hard work, in front of the whole world, but she’s the best and winning the title will make Saturday the greatest night of her life. Belair is alright in these segments but they come across and painfully generic especially if you watch enough other sports.

Cole and Graves try to sell us on the Peacock app then send us to break with a promise that we’ll get some kind of segment on Randy Orton and The Fiend after this break.

We come back, and get a video package about Big E going back to his roots in Tampa. He talks from a barber chair about never forgetting his roots, unlike Apollo Crews. Mania is in his city this year, he gives us a little tour of the city and some highlights of his growing up including winning a state wrestling title and playing a football game in Raymond James Stadium. The same stadium he will walk in and out of as Intercontinental champion, the same stadium where Crews’s title dreams go to die. Big E does fiery promos about as well as you can, this wasn’t anything ground breaking or terribly memorable but was well executed.

Now we get a video package for Orton and The Fiend. Whatever else you feel about the feud between those two, the WWE’s video package department is still the best at putting these things together.

Back to the ring, Tamina and Nia Jax are going to wrestle. It’s a race to see who injures the other first. That match will start after this commercial break.

Match #2: Nia Jax w/ Shayna Baszler and Reginald vs. Tamina w/ Natalya

They tie up, Jax overpowers Tamina early. Then Tamina shoves her down, and they start in with the slapping and punching. Tamina gets the better of this, Reginald jumps on the apron and that lets Jax side swipe Tamina. Jax with an avalanche in the corner. A lot of the typical offense from Jax, then misses a corner rush and posts herself. Tamina pulls herself up on the apron, climbs the ropes and hits a headbutt. Baszler on the apron, Natalya brawls with her but that’s enough to leg Jax try a Samoan drop but Tamina slips free and hits a super kick to the body then a Samoan drop of her own. Baszler in to break up the pin, we get a DQ and now everyone brawls.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Tamina won via Disqualification

Rating: DUD

Yeah, that wasn’t good.

In the back Kayla interviews the Riott Squad and Billie Kay shows up. Kay and Carmella crash their session to announce their team. Ruby and Liv are focused on the match at Mania, they’ve learned from their losses but Carmella says the lesson on friendship wont help them. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke show up, as do Lana and Naomi. This turns into a brawl, because there’s not a better way to do this. Tamina and Natalya show up and lay the beat down to stand tall. I guess that was a segment.

We get a paid hit piece commercial on Cesaro paid for by Rollins. That was decent political commercial parody right there.

Back in the ring here comes Edge with a steel chair. He sets it up in the ring, and well get promo time after this break.

Edge sits in his chair and starts talking. He recounts attending WrestleMania 6 and knowing right then that wrestling would be his life. When he dreams something like that, he has to manifest them. He became a WWE superstar who accomplished everything, except ending things on his own terms. If you think that’s enough, he reminds us that he didn’t walk away from this it was ripped away from him. He didn’t try to build another career off the back of this, this is all that he wants. This comeback isn’t about a greatest hits tour, it’s about stealing the show all over again and main eventing Mania. He mocks Bryan’s refrain about this maybe being his last Mania, and reminds us how long he was out relative to Bryan. So Bryan uses sympathy to weasel his way into the main event, and now we’ve got a triple threat. Instead of a clash of titans between eras, we’ve got an indy bookstore clerk troll sticking his nose into their business. And Roman, Roman acts like everyone owes him something. Well that’s not true of Edge, if anything Roman owes Edge. Roman debuted in a 3 man group, came in through the crowd, and uses a spear as his finisher. Roman is just a Samoan Edge. But no matter that Roman is good, the biggest monster in the business and they’ve lost their one on one match. He likens the Yes chant to the What chants. And somehow we’ve all forgotten that this match will take place 10 years to the day since he head to retire. If that was Bryan the WWE would have produced video packages and driven the narrative into the ground. Yet somehow he’s out here without the respect he deserves, and runs down his recent accomplishments and what he overcame to get here. You want to call Edge a part timer? He’s not here to phone it in, he’s here competing on a level no one who’s dealt with his injuries has and that’s a slap in the face to his work ethic. Now it’s time for him to take what he deserves, in case you forgot or just never knew he’s the Rated R Superstar. No matter what you call it, fate or Gods will, he’s the next Universal champion because he’s dreamt it and will no manifest it. OK, that was a pretty darn awesome monologue from Edge.

In the back Pearce and Deville remind us that everyone is excited for Mania, but she disagrees with a lot of Pearce’s decisions lately including the triple threat match he set up.

After this break Sasha Banks will get interviewed by Kayla.

Kayla welcomes us back to the show and talks with Sasha Banks. Banks doesn’t care about what Belair said, people only care about what the Boss has to say. Banks is the best, and tomorrow night she knows Belair is bringing her all but she’s going to give all of that back and make her tap out. Belair’s all just wont be enough tomorrow night. Eh, paint by numbers promo from Banks, just about as generic as Belair’s was.

Video package for Bobby Lashley defending his title against Drew McIntyre tomorrow. I was really hoping to never see King Corbin again, but here he is in video format to ruin my evening.

Up next is a video recap of last weeks interaction between Sami Zayn, Logan Paul, and Kevin Owens.

In the back Sami Zayn and his crew walk up on Logan Paul sparring with his brother Jake. Jake has his boxing bout with Ben Askren coming up soon. Zayn thanks Logan for his help, then says he’ll get his stuff and spar with them. He “comically” winds up locked out of the building and security denies him re-entry. Bobby Heenan trying to get into Monday Night Raw that wasn’t.

Back Zayn talks up that this was just classic media bias, there was a bunch of stuff that didn’t make WWE’s broadcast like them making up and having breakfast this morning. The roster heads down to the ring, Owens jumps the still talking Zayn and beats him around the ringside area before Zayn runs away. The Andre The Giant Battle Royal is up after this break.

Oh God help us all, King Corbin is making his entrance as we come back. Jey Uso follows him, and I think Jey is the last entrant.

Match #3: Andre The Giant Battle Royal

Everyone does the usual battle royal thing to start. I’m mostly going to highlight eliminations I think. Benjamin and Alexander eliminate Tozawa. They eliminate Tucker (not the old partner of Otis). Ali tries to rally everyone against Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander. They go along with that and they both wind up eliminated as we head to break.

We’re back, and there’s still a lot of humanity in the ring. Erik of the Viking Raiders gets tossed by Elias and Ryker. Mace and T-Bar go on an elimination spree then square off with Ryker and Elias. The two teams brawl with T-Bar and Mace winning out before Ali dumps Mace. T-Bar nearly gets ride of Ali, but a Murphy bit of interference leads to Ali eliminating T-Bar. Murphy knees the crap out of Ali then Lucha House Party turn on Kalisto and eventually eliminate him, Metallik eliminates his partner then Corbin eliminates him and sends us to break again.

We’re down to 7 when we come back. Nakamura, Murphy, Garza, Corbin, Ricochet, Ali, and Jey. Garza and Murphy battle on the apron, Corbin eliminates Murphy. Nakamura eliminates Garza. Ricochet and Ali square off while Corbin takes down Jey and Nakamura. Ricochet eliminates Ali from the apron, then Corbin and Jey eliminate Ricochet. Nakamura winds up on the wrong end of a two on one situation, before Jey super kicks Corbin Nakamura eliminates him. Jey and Nakamura square off, Nakamura with his series of strikes then an STO. Nakamura wants the Kinshasha but runs into a super kick, then hits it anyway because he’s freaking Nakamura. Nakamura goes for the elimination but Jey reverses that at the ropes to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Jey Uso won

Rating: 1.5 stars

They stretched that thing out way too long just to fill air time, but in terms of quality it was every battle royal ever.

Roman’s music hits, and here he comes along with Paul Heyman. We get a video recap of Bryan running wild on everyone last week as Roman gets into the ring. Roman congratulates Jey on his win and poses, he’ll address the audience after this break.

We come back with Heyman handing the mic to Roman. Please kill the fake crowd noise, I actually want to hear Roman. Roman says he’s annoyed he even has to be here, he’s not a politician running for office and doesn’t have to sell himself to anyone. He’s in a match that he can lose without being pinned or submitting, but since he’s here he’ll state the obvious. On Sunday night he’s going to show up and win. That might seem arrogant to some, but that’s really his humble beginning. Show day is easy when you prep at a 12 like he does, everyone else needs to remember that when Roman shows up the WWE is winning. He could have one good week like Edge or Bryan did in the prior weeks, but since August 23 he’s been doing it week after week until right now. The numbers don’t lie, he’s the one who changed the ratings for Smackdown, the one who made this belt relevant. That brings him to the dreamers, this is your dream Bryan, you just want someone to say yes and try to tell people Roman tapped? Bryan is just holding on by a thread, if he’d made Roman tap then Bryan would be champion, but he’s not and will never be. On Sunday Bryan can’t make Roman tap. As for Edge saying no one took it from him? Roman disagrees, Roman took it from Edge and everyone else along the way. This is where the comeback story ends, being in the main event of Mania is Edge’s dream and that’s where it ends. Those two are just launching pads for Roman’s next year. That’s why he’s the head of the table, he’s not a dreamer, he’s not selfish like that. He’s the man with the golden hand, everything he touches has purpose, he saves careers, right Paul? He gave Jey the greatest year of Jey’s career, who just got that big gold trophy. But he wont do that for Edge or Bryan, he’ll crush their dreams. This isn’t a prediction it’s a spoiler, he’s going to wreck everyone and leave and he’ll hold the belt high and everyone can look up and see a man greater than them. They can hear a million dollars of pyro go off and feel the whole world acknowledge Roman Reigns. 3 very different promo styles, Bryan fiery babyface, Edge deranged and obsessed, and Roman just killed it as the man presenting reality. My hat is off to all three of them. That ends our show.

5.9
The final score: review Not So Good
The 411
Well there were exactly 3 things on this show worth watching, Bryan, Edge, and Roman's promos. Everything else was a metric ton of filler, the tag team scramble match was just another tired iteration of those four teams, the battle royal was just another battle royal, and Tamina and Jax technically had a match. Those three promos were freaking great, but everything else was a lot of filler, video packages, and advertisements trying to hype up Mania. Look up the promos if you haven't seen them, they're great. The rest of this was skippable.
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WWE Smackdown, Robert Winfree