WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades and Highlights From March 14

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on March 14.

With WrestleMania just a few weeks away, things are beginning to heat up as more matches come together.

This week's show saw Cody Rhodes appear on MizTV to discuss his upcoming match against John Cena.

We also saw Charlotte Flair take on B-Fab, Randy Orton battled Carmelo Hayes, and DIY put the tag titles on the line against The Street Profits.

Let's take a look at everything that happened on Friday's episode of SmackDown.

Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga vs. LA Knight, Braun Strowman and Jimmy Uso

This week's SmackDown took place in Barcelona to kick off the European tour, and LA Knight kicked off the show in the arena with a nice reaction from the crowd. He talked about this being the first SmackDown held in Spain

Jimmy Uso came out and said he was desperate to get on the WrestleMania card and is looking to challenge for the U.S. title. Before Knight could reply, Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga arrived.

After a little trash talk, they attacked Knight and Jimmy, but Braun Strowman showed up to even the odds. Nick Aldis came out and pulled a Teddy Long by booking a six-man tag match to take place immediately.

We returned from a break to see the match already taking place. Jimmy was tagged in to face off against his younger brother and took a beating until Fatu tagged in.

This match followed a very familiar path. WWE six-man matches tend to fall into a pattern so they are easy to follow, but sometimes that can lead to a lack of excitement until all hell breaks loose at the end.

The Monster Among Men got the win for his team by pinning Tonga with a running powerslam, but he was immediately hit with a Samoan Spike as soon as his hand was raised. The fight ended with Fatu putting Braun through the barricade.

This was a decent way to kick off the show. The crowd was hot and a couple of different storylines were addressed, but the match itself fell a bit flat in the middle.

Result: Knight, Strowman and Uso defeated Sikoa, Fatu and Tonga

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

-Knight allowed the crowd to chant for a long time before he spoke.

-It's tough to decide of Sikoa is better as a silent killer or if he is better when he is allowed to be a little funny. Both are good.

-Strowman running everyone over at ringside got the biggest pop in the match, but the crowd was loud the whole time.

B-Fab vs. Charlotte Flair

Jade Cargill gave an interview with Cathy Kelley that was pre-recorded in the arena before fans arrived. She said she is ready to get back in the ring and was sick of hearing Naomi lie and complain.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez showed up and yelled at Jade for allowing them to be made into the scapegoats for her attack. Cargill got heated and walked away from the interview.

The next match featured B-Fab taking on one of the most decorated champions in WWE today, Charlotte. The Royal Rumble winner looked as confident as ever as she squared off with someone who has far less experience.

B-Fab is in a weird spot in WWE. She was called up too soon and clearly still needs work in the ring, but she has a lot of charisma and is working hard to improve. Putting her in the ring with someone as smooth as Charlotte makes her inexperience that much more evident.

This match had some highlights such as Charlotte rolling B-Fab around while holding her in a headscissor, but the huge experience gap led to some awkward moments. That being said, this was probably the best B-Fab has looked in the ring.

The Queen won with Natural Selection followed by the Figure Eight. Flair refused to release the hold until Tiffany Stratton ran to the ring to start a fight. Over a dozen guards couldn't keep them apart as they brawled for a few minutes. This was far more entertaining than the match that preceded it.

Result: Charlotte Flair defeated B-Fab

Grade: C+

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Notable Moments and Observations

-WWE's recap videos have always been high quality, but the way the company has been trying to make everything seem more dramatic recently has been both good and bad. For a feud like Naomi and Cargill, it works.

-B-Fab was billed from Hall of Fame City, Ohio, which is a fancy way of saying she is from Canton. She also delivered most of her backstage promo in Spanish for the local crowd.

-Stratton got a little caught up trying to get into the ring and it delayed her attack by a second.

Cody Rhodes on MizTV

The Miz was in the ring after the break to welcome Rhodes to MizTV. He spoke a little Spanish to get on the crowd's good side.

Rhodes ended up taking out The A-Lister before saying a single word because he was already sick of his trash talking. The American Nightmare called out John Cena to show up next week.

This was short and sweet. It was the definition of filler, but it didn't overstay its welcome. A lot of WWE talking segments have felt longer than necessary lately, so it was nice to see one that was quick and effective even if it didn't accomplish much.

Grade: C+

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Notable Moments and Observations

-Charlotte and Tiffy were still fighting after a break. Stratton dove off the tron onto Charlotte and the security guards to end the fight.

-The Miz referring to Cena as a great rapper was hilarious.

Damian Priest vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

After getting into an argument backstage, Shinsuke Nakamura and Damian Priest were booked in a singles match.

Nakamura had control early on, but Priest was able to rebound and overpower him. He sent the former United States champion out of the ring with a huge clothesline to send the show into a break.

They fight spilled out of the ring when we returned. Priest sent Nakamura into the announce table before bringing him back in for a crossbody from the top rope.

Drew McIntyre showed up at ringside to distract Priest, and it worked. Nakamura was able to take control, but when he went for his finisher, Priest countered with the South of Heaven chokeslam.

McIntyre attacked his rival to cause a disqualification and kickstart a brawl. Nakamura hit Priest with a Kinshasa to give The Scottish Psychopath the advantage. He finished Priest off a stomp to his head after hitting a Claymore.

The match we got was fine but just like B-Fab vs. Charlotte, the post-match beatdown with a third party was better.

Result: Priest won by disqualification

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

-Nakamura's face paint was more pronounced this week. Maybe it's supposed to show his state of mind getting worse after losing the U.S. title.

-If Priest was 5-10% quicker with his strikes, he would be one of the most dangerous looking fighters in WWE. His limbs are so long that it makes his kicks take just a hair longer than usual.

-Priest walking across the top rope looked cool, but Nakamura fell too early for his crossbody, so it looked like he was trying to dodge it instead of fall with it.

-Stratton and Flair had over a dozen guards trying to keep them apart but only one ref showed up to try to stop McIntyre.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Randy Orton

Hayes tried to shake Orton's hand as the match got going in an attempt to trick him into thinking there was respect, but when The Viper put his hand out, Melo pulled away and then shoved him.

Orton fired off an uppercut and then started taking his young opponent to school. We returned from a break to see Hayes in the driver's seat.

The high-flyer took a different approach and grounded The Legend Killer with a sleeper for a little while, but Orton fought his way out of it and began to build some momentum.

The combination of Hayes' agility and Orton's power led to some fun moments as they put on an entertaining and competitive match. The young upstart looked great against the 14-time world champion, but one RKO out of nowhere put him down for the pin.

The Viper offered a handshake but Hayes refused, so Orton hit a second RKO. He lined up for a punt but saw Kevin Owens and went after him instead. He chased KO out of the area to end the segment.

Result: Orton defeated Hayes

Grade: B+

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Notable Moments and Observations

-The crowd chanting along with Orton's punches in Spanish was a fun moment.

-Orton was doing some good selling for Hayes in this match. His facial expressions are always on point.

-The springboard DDT Hayes used looked awesome.

Gunther vs. Axiom

Axiom

Gunther came out and said he wanted to make an example out of a wrestler from Spain, so he brought out NXT's Axiom for a match.

The Spanish crowd got behind Axiom whenever he put together some offense, but The Ring General kept finding ways to put him back on the mat.

What Gunther seemed to think would be a quick squash ended up lasting through a break into the next segment. The high-flyer gave him more of a fight than he expected, which the crowd was loving.

This went from what could have been a throwaway match to being one of the best things we saw all night. The aerial antics of Axiom combined with the power game of Gunther to create a great dynamic.

After surviving Axiom's finisher, The Ring General destroyed him with some chops and a powerbomb to get the victory.

Result: Gunther defeated Axiom

Grade: B+

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Notable Moments and Observations

-Axiom trying to chop Gunther was like watching a kitten try to slap a St. Bernard with its paw. It had no impact.

-Axiom's missile dropkick looked great because he propelled himself further than most would from that position. Gunther sold the hit perfectly.

-Back in NXT UK. there was a match between Walter and A-Kid that was just as good as this.

DIY vs. Street Profits (Tag Titles)

Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins had a chance to get back on top this week when they challenged Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa for the tag titles in the main event.

Ford and Dawkins used their size advantage and some double-team tactics to take control early. It took DIY until the commercial break to get some breathing room.

The Profits seemed to have the match in hand but DIY proved to be resilient. After several close calls, Ford pinned Gargano to win the tag titles in a fast-paced match that had the crowd on its feet.

Ford and Dawkins have been here before, but this feels like the start of something different. The tag titles have changed hands several times in recent months, so hopefully the Profits have a long and fruitful reign.

Result: The Street Profits won the tag titles

Grade: B+

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Notable Moments and Observations

-The Profits had a backstage confrontation with Legado Del Fantasma.

-It's hard to tell if the Profits are looking to be full heels or if they are just trying to be more intense babyfaces.

-The way Dawkins propelled Ciampa into Ford's arms for a suplex was incredible.

The Final Word

Friday's SmackDown had its highs and lows, but this felt like a much more focused episode than we have seen in a few weeks.

It felt like every major story was addressed in a way that made sense, especially when it came to feuds that couldn't be advanced due to an absence.

The action this week was solid, but the two matches that stood out the most were Gunther vs. Axiom and the tag title bout in the main event.

Axiom looked fantastic in what was easily his biggest singles match to date. WWE could call him up tomorrow and he would fit right in.

Ford and Dawkins winning the tag titles to close the show was surprising but deserved. The tag titles have been bounced around a bit, so getting the belts back on a team that has deserved the spotlight for a long time felt right.

All in all, this was a decent way to spend three hours on a Friday night. The European crowds never fail to deliver.

Grade: B+