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WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From March 20
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on March 20.
This week's show was all about tag team gold with the men's and women's titles being defended on the show.
Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Friday's episode:
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's SmackDown.
They Don't Want to Wait for Their Match
1 of 10
The show opened in chaos as Drew McIntyre was shown assaulting Jacob Fatu in the parking lot after crashing into his car on purpose. McIntyre eventually made his way into the arena and ranted on the mic until Nick Aldis came out and yelled at him.
Fatu made his way to the ring past security and went right after Drew. They fought all around the ring as The Samoan Werewolf tried to get revenge.
Security tried to drag him away, but Fatu freed himself and put McIntyre through the announce table with a big splash.
This was a great way to open the show. It was much more energetic than the usual talking segments we get, and it made the feud between Fatu and McIntyre feel even more intense. Even without the title, this storyline feels like one of the most important on SmackDown heading into WrestleMania.
Grade: B+
The MFTs vs. Damian Priest and R-Truth
2 of 10
Last time in action: Priest and Truth defeated Los Garzas (SD, March 13), MFTs lost to The Wyatt Sicks (SD, March 13)
The men's tag title match was first up, with R-Truth and Damian Priest challenging Tama Tonga and JC Mateo. The rest of the MFTs were at ringside with the Wyatts' lantern still in their possession.
The Archer of Infamy took a lot of damage throughout the commercial break, but he began making some headway once the show was back.
The match itself was relatively average, but it was also a perfect illustration of how far the SD tag team division has fallen. Six months ago, this brand had several tag teams tearing the house down every night. Now, it feels like a shell of its former self.
Surprisingly, Truth and Priest ended up getting the victory to become the new tag team champions thanks to some help from Uncle Howdy taking out Sikoa at ringside to provide a distraction.
Result: Truth and Priest win the tag titles
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Fraxiom vs. Motor City Machine Guns
3 of 10
Last time in action: Fraxiom lost to Apollo Crews and Matt Cardona (Main Event, March 13), MCMG lost the gauntlet match (SD, March 6)
The tag team division continued to be highlighted in the second match with Nathan Frazer and Axiom taking on Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley.
These are two of the teams who made SmackDown so much fun to watch last year, so it was great to see them step back into the ring together for the first time since August.
Both teams favor a brisk pace and used their speed and agility to put on an exciting performance. Frazer was especially fun to watch with his high-risk offense.
Candice LeRae ended up interfering to help MCMG pick up the win, but it seemed like Sabin was unaware of her assistance when he got the pin. Even with the dirty finish, this was one of the most entertaining WWE matches of the week.
Result: MCMG defeated Fraxiom
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
The Viper Speaks
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Randy Orton arrived at the arena and made his way to the ring to explain his actions from last week when he brutally attacked Cody Rhodes.
He sat in the same dented chair he used to attack Rhodes and spoke about how he has tried to return the love that the fans have shown him, but he has been faking it.
Over the years, we have gotten several heel and face turns from The Viper, so it's hard to find a new angle on it. He did his best to give a promo that fit within his character, but this didn't tread any new ground.
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
Aleister Black vs. Sami Zayn
5 of 10
Last time in action: Aleister Black defeated Orton (SD, Feb. 20), Sami Zayn defeated Trick Williams (SD, Feb. 14)
The next match on the card featured Sami Zayn taking on Aleister Black after the two had a tense interaction backstage last week. Before they could begin, Trick Williams arrived to watch the match from ringside.
Black tried to get an early advantage by going after Zayn while he was distracted, but Zayn fought back and unloaded on him in the corner.
These two work well as opponents because they have a lot of similar attributes while using completely different styles of offense. It's just too bad that the match felt like a placeholder before Zayn and Williams' feud picks up steam.
After Trick Willy threw a drink at him, Zayn attacked him. This led to Black hitting his finisher as soon as Zayn got back into the ring for the pin and the win.
Result: Black defeated Zayn
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
A New Alliance
6 of 10
Jade Cargill came to the ring and immediately called out Rhea Ripley, who wasted no time coming out to respond.
It looked like Michin and B-Fab were going to attack Cargill as she was leaving, but they ended up joining her to beat down Ripley.
This made no sense. Michin and B-Fab have been feuding with Cargill, and now they are suddenly on her side without any reasoning. Nothing about this segment made sense or added to the ongoing storyline.
Grade: D
Notable Moments and Observations
Carmelo Hayes vs. Ilja Dragunov
7 of 10
Last time in action: Ilja Dragunov lost to Tama Tonga (SD, Feb. 20), Carmelo Hayes defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. (SD, March 6)
Ilja Dragunov went to Aldis and convinced him to book a United States Championship match against Carmelo Hayes after he gave The Mad Dragon a pep talk last week.
These two have a very respectful friendship, but as soon as the match started, they were both throwing hands to make it an intense fight right away.
These two have never had a bad match, and most of the time, they steal the show whenever they cross paths. It's gotten to the point that it feels effortless for them to bring the best out of each other.
They fought through two commercial breaks and made the most of every minute. Hayes was able to get the win with a pinning combination to cap off a fantastic encounter.
Result: Hayes defeated Dragunov
Grade: A
Notable Moments and Observations
A Slam Poetry Battle
8 of 10
After a break, Kit Wilson was in the ring ready to call out Jelly Roll for crossing the line last week.
As soon as Jelly got to the ring, Wilson rolled out to avoid him. The musician grabbed a mic and asked for a ref so they could fight, but Wilson said he was there to fight with his words.
He read a poem he wrote while Jelly looked on confused. Jelly proceeded to respond with a series of Mom jokes until Wilson attacked him and left him down in the ring.
We would put money on this leading to Wilson and The Miz vs. Jelly Roll and Danhausen at WrestleMania.
Grade: C-
Notable Moments and Observations
The Irresistible Forces vs. The Bella Twins
9 of 10
Last time in action: The Irresistible Forces defeated Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss (SD, March 13), The Bellas and Ronda Rousey defeated The Riott Squad (Raw, Oct. 8, 2018)
For the first time in almost eight years, Nikki and Brie Bella teamed up to take on Nia Jax and Lash Legend for the women's tag titles.
The Bellas avoided an early attack by the champions to take the upper hand, but Jax eventually fought back. Flair and Bliss showed up to watch the match, and that distraction let Legend take control.
While this wasn't a horrible match, you could see some ring rust on both Bellas. Unfortunately, it ended in a DQ when Charlotte attacked Jax for attempting to use her title belt as a weapon.
The champions ended up taking out both teams, which means this will almost certainly lead to a triple threat title bout eventually.
Result: No Contest
Grade: C-
Notable Moments and Observations
The Final Word
10 of 10Orton was shown talking to someone on the phone before the final break. He said he was going to head to the ring to "Fix it." When he got to the ring, he asked Cardona to join him.
He apologized for how he treated him earlier in the show. Cardona appeared to forgive him, but then Orton kicked him below the belt and hit an RKO. He stomped on Cardona's arm while it was wrapped in a chair despite several officials trying to talk him down.
The show ended with Fatu and McIntyre fighting outside the arena. They ended up falling of an elevated platform out of view as the show went off the air.
This week's SmackDown had some high highs, but it also had some low lows, so it ended up evening out to a pretty average episode.
The two biggest highlights were Fraxiom vs. Motor City Machine Guns and the U.S. title bout with Hayes and Dragunov, which was definitely the best WWE match we got this week.
Orton's story throughout the episode was an interesting path to follow, especially with the mystery of who he has been talking to in the background.
WWE still has a lot of work to do when it comes to making WrestleMania must-see, so the next few weeks are going to be very interesting as we get closer to the PLE.
Grade: C+
