WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From March 27
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on March 27.
Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Friday's show:
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's SmackDown.
No More Mr. Nice Viper
1 of 9
After the usual shots of Superstars walking backstage, we got a video package showing Randy Orton's attack on Matt Cardona from last week. This led to The Viper making his way to the ring.
He spoke about turning on Cody Rhodes a couple of weeks ago and how he has been thinking about his 15th world title a lot for the past few years.
Cardona came down to the ring and immediately went after Orton with a mic as a weapon. The segment ended somewhat abruptly with Cardona yelling at Orton as he recovered outside the ring.
Not only did this segment not accomplish anything or give us any new information, but it ended in the middle of the confrontation. Even if it leads to more later in the show, it felt like too sudden a way to cut off the segment.
Grade: C
The Bella Twins vs. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss
2 of 9
Last time in action: The Bellas vs. Irresistible Forces ended No Contest (SD, March 20), Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss lost to Irresistible Forces (SD, March 13)
The first match of the night saw Nikki and Brie Bella take on Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. Both teams failed to defeat the tag champs in recent weeks, so they were hoping a win would put them back in the title hunt.
Before the match could begin, Nia Jax and Lash Legend came out to watch from ringside and talk a little trash about the women in the ring.
The Queen had the upper hand at first, but once Bliss tagged in, the Bellas took control as the show went to a break. The Bellas weren't working as heels, but they used some dirty tactics here and there.
Everyone put in a good effort, but this was booked as a cookie-cutter match. They followed a familiar pattern of offense, and Legend and Jax being there made it obvious there would be some kind of interference.
Nikki and Brie ended up getting the win when Legend nailed Bliss while the ref was distracted, allowing Brie to roll her up for the win. The champs came in and destroyed everyone after it was over, but Bayley and Lyra Valkyria ran down to make the save.
Result: The Bellas defeated Flair and Bliss
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
Rhea Ripley vs. B-Fab
3 of 9
Last time in action: Rhea Ripley won in the chamber (Elimination Chamber), B-Fab lost to Jade Cargill (SD, Nov. 14)
After congratulating R-Truth and Damian Priest on becoming the tag champs, Rhea Ripley made her way to the ring to address Michin and B-Fab joining forces with Jade Cargill last week.
Jade, B-Fab and Michin came out to respond, but the crowd was booing so loud that Ripley had trouble hearing them from the stage. This led to Ripley and B-Fab agreeing to have a singles match.
The bout was in progress when the show returned from a break. Ripley was firmly in control until Cargill attacked her to cause an immediate disqualification. We got less than a minute of the actual match on television.
Cargill, Michin and B-Fab took out The Eradicator in a three-on-one attack. This advanced their storyline a bit, but the match we got was barely even classifiable as a match. You can count the number of moves we saw on one hand.
Result: Ripley won by DQ
Grade: F
Notable Moments and Observations
Jelly Roll vs. Kit Wilson
4 of 9
Last time in action: Kit Wilson lost to Oba Femi (SD, Feb. 20), Jelly Roll and Orton lost to Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre (SummerSlam)
Jelly Roll had his first-ever singles match this week when he stepped into the ring with Kit Wilson.
Before the bout got started, Wilson grabbed a mic and wanted to recite some more poetry to defend the honor of his mother, but he ended up hitting Jelly with his poetry book instead.
Jelly avoided a dropkick and hit an atomic drop, followed by a reverse atomic drop and some jabs. Wilson hit a running uppercut to regain the upper hand, but it didn't last long.
The Grammy-winning musician kicked out of Wilson's finisher before hitting a Chokeslam for the pin and the win.
We knew this was going to be a comedy match before it started, but credit where credit is due. Wilson put just as much effort into this as he would any match, and Jelly made sure he didn't screw anything up. This wasn't good, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been.
Result: Jelly Roll defeated Wilson
Grade: C-
Notable Moments and Observations
Carmelo Hayes vs.
5 of 9
Last time in action: Carmelo Hayes defeated Ilja Dragunov (SD, March 20), Sami Zayn lost to Aleister Black (SD, March 20)
Carmelo Hayes held another United States Championship open challenge this week. He was shown talking to Tama Tonga backstage before heading to the ring, but it ended up being Sami Zayn who answered the call.
Trick Williams came out to watch after being blindsided by Zayn backstage earlier in the show. Even though he was a little distracted by Williams, Zayn was able to take control early in the match.
It didn't take long for them to make this the best thing on the show so far, and it only got better as they continued. Zayn is a lauded veteran, and Hayes is one of the best stars in SmackDown, so they found their groove immediately.
Williams tossed the belt into the ring, but the ref threw it out. Williams accidentally hit Melo while the ref was distracted, allowing Zayn to hit his finisher for the pin and the win.
Result: Zayn defeated Hayes to become the new U.S. champion
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
They Can Barely Walk
6 of 9
A battered and bruised Jacob Fatu came to the ring to address what happened last week with Drew McIntyre, who was also in the building.
After he took a moment to say what he needed to say, The Scottish Warrior showed up on the stage looking even more beat up than Fatu.
Aldis joined them and booked an unsanctioned match at WrestleMania so they wouldn't have to worry about countouts or DQs.
This was a simple but effective segment. We knew this match was coming, but having a special stipulation ups the ante a bit.
Grade: B-
Giulia vs. Tiffany Stratton
7 of 9
Last time in action: Giulia and Kiana James lost to Flair and Bliss (SD, March 6), Tiffany Stratton defeated James (SD, March 13)
Tiffany Stratton had a quick encounter backstage with Chelsea Green before she came out for her match against Giulia. This was a non-title bout, but Stratton was hoping to earn a title shot by getting the win.
The first half of this was a pretty standard back-and-forth exchange, but the champion found herself on defense as the show cut to a break.
They hit some roadblocks along the way, but most of what we got in this bout was decent. Giulia always throws everything she has into her matches, but sometimes the chemistry just isn't there.
The Beautiful Madness was able to pull off the win with a little help from Kiana James at ringside.
Result: Giulia defeated Stratton
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
Randy Orton vs. Matt Cardona
8 of 9
Last time in action: Randy Orton won in the chamber (Elimination Chamber), Matt Cardona and Apollo Crews defeated Fraxiom (Main Event, March 13)
This week's main event was the match between Randy Orton and Matt Cardona that was booked following their fight earlier in the show.
Cardona ran into the ring and ended up being stomped into the mat by Orton as soon as he was in, but he fought back with the cast on his arm.
Once The Viper regained his footing, he started taking Cardona apart near the announce table. He focused on punishing the arm he already injured last week.
He ripped Cardona's cast off his arm and dished out more punishment in his trademark slow, methodical way. It may not have been exciting to watch, but it was effective in making Orton look like a villain.
He finally finished Cardona off with an RKO to get the win after he had decided he'd done enough damage. As he was celebrating, Cody Rhodes was shown arriving at the arena.
Result: Orton defeated Cardona
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
The Final Word
9 of 9
Rhodes marched his way to the ring and came face-to-face with his former friend before they started brawling. They fought and beat up members of security until the end of the show.
Jelly Roll came out and tried to play peacemaker, but he ended up getting an RKO for his troubles.
While it had some high points, this week's SmackDown was one of the more lackluster shows in recent memory.
The only match that stood out was Zayn vs. Hayes. Everything else was either mediocre or felt like a waste of time.
Jelly Roll seems to be getting more active with WWE, so we should expect to see him pop up more in the future. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you.
The buildup for WrestleMania has been lacking, and having a weak episode of SmackDown this close to the event is not a good look.
Let's hope WWE can make the last few shows before 'Mania exciting to help build anticipation for the PLE.
Grade: C
