WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Highlights and Analysis from March 6
Just 48 hours before the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, WWE produced an episode of SmackDown headlined not by any of the men or women poised to star on its streaming network Sunday but, rather, 2020 Hall of Fame inductees X-Pac, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall–the New World Order.
The trio joined the "A Moment of Bliss" talk show just weeks before they strut into immortality during WrestleMania weekend.
Elsewhere on the show, Bray Wyatt returned with the latest edition of The Firefly Funhouse one week after booking his date with John Cena at The Showcase of the Immortals, while SmackDown women's champion Bayley teamed with Sasha Banks to battle Lacey Evans and Naomi in a tag team rematch from last week.
NWO Joins a Moment of Bliss...but Are Interrupted by Sami Zayn and Co.
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Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross kicked off this week's broadcast by running down the lineup for this year's Hall of Fame induction ceremony and challenging The Kabuki Warriors for a shot at the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
From there, Bliss introduced Scott Hall, Sean Waltman and Kevin Nash of the New World Order to the ring for the latest edition of "A Moment of Bliss."
Hall delivered his trademark "hey yo" catchphrase, Waltman encouraged Bliss to call him a Hall of Famer and Nash weighed in on what it will take for Roman Reigns to beat Goldberg.
Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted the proceedings to a chorus of boos. Zayn vowed that Nakamura would regain the Intercontinental Championship from Braun Strowman at Elimination Chamber then reminded the fans of Hall and Nash's history with the title.
A dig at Waltman gave way to a challenge from Zayn to the NWO, only for the mouthpiece of the heel trio to turn down the challenge and deny the Hall of Famers the opportunity to get "the rub" from them. Strowman appeared and took the fight to his opponents Sunday in Philly. He stood tall to close out the segment.
Grade
C-
Analysis
There were two bright spots in this segment: Hall egging on everyone with his verbal jabs and Zayn's excellent mic work.
Beyond that, this was a forced segment that never once felt organic or natural. WWE tried to pop some ratings with a meaningless appearance by the NWO in a talk show headed by Bliss and Cross, who appeared intimidated by sharing the ring with the legendary figures.
Whatever WWE Creative was going for, it did not work, and the result was a clunker of a segment to start a show with the unenviable task of hyping up a B-level pay-per-view.
Lacey Evans and Naomi vs. Bayley and Sasha Banks
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A week after dropping a match to Lacey Evans and Naomi, SmackDown women’s champion Bayley and Sasha Banks looked to avenge the loss in a rematch to kick off the in-ring portion of Friday’s broadcast.
The heels isolated Evans, controlling the pace of the match. A hot tag to Naomi sparked a babyface comeback. The former champion unloaded on Bayley and Banks. A momentary distraction by the champion allowed Banks to hang Naomi up on the top rope, then drive her down to the canvas to pick up the win.
Result
Bayley and Banks defeated Naomi and Evans
Grade
C
Analysis
So...is Naomi being pushed or not?
She returned to great hype at the Royal Rumble and looked like she was en route to a championship showdown with Bayley. Then she lost to Carmella. Then she beat Carmella for a title opportunity...only to lose. Now, she lost a tag team match cleanly to Banks.
What is the plan and why should fans care if WWE Creative does not seem to know?
Until those questions are answered, Bayley’s title reign and lackluster heel run will slog on with no end, or legitimate contender to dethrone her, in sight.
Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus
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An aggressive Apollo Crews attempted to make up for recent defeats at the hands of Sheamus by attacking The Celtic Warrior from the opening bell.
His emotions got the best of him, though, as Sheamus rebounded and delivered an explosive Brogue Kick from out of nowhere to secure the victory.
Result
Sheamus defeated Crews
Grade
D
Analysis
Sheamus came back from an extended hiatus to...feud with Crews and Shorty G in a never-ending program that has yet to benefit anyone involved.
That, in a nutshell, is what the former WWE champion and one of the most established stars on SmackDown has been up to in recent months.
He has been wasted at a time when the company should be prepping him for a significant role on wrestling's most prestigious show.
And none of that touches the complete and utter joke the babyfaces have become, neither presented as much of a threat to Sheamus.
So, why keep revisiting that dead story?
Carmella and Dana Brooke vs. Fire and Desire
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Dana Brooke and Carmella teamed up to battle Fire and Desire's Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose as WWE Creative apparently remembered it had women's tag team champions and a division to book. Dolph Ziggler accompanied Deville and his romantic interest, Rose, to the squared circle.
Deville powered Carmella down and worked her over for a good portion of the match until a hot tag to Brooke triggered a babyface comeback. The former fitness model dropped Deville with a dropkick, but a distraction by Ziggler allowed the former MMA fighter to tag Rose in.
A running knee downed Brooke and earned the heel tandem the victory.
Result
Rose and Deville defeated Brooke and Carmella
Grade
B
Analysis
This felt like the first thing in hour one of this show that had purpose or accomplished anything.
Deville and Rose build momentum with the win as the company starts taking the tag titles seriously ahead of WrestleMania, while the tease involving Rose and Ziggler intensifies with The Showoff's interference leading to the finish.
Was it a particularly good match? No, but it did put Deville and Rose in a position to continue telling their story and benefit from the win, so it earns the best grade of the night thus far.
The Firefly Funhouse Returns
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"Time can either hurt you or it can heal you," Bray Wyatt said, moments after Rambling Rabbit revealed it was the WrestleMania loss from 2014 that has fueled The Fiend to choose John Cena for this year's event.
"Inevitably, the dark side comes again. But that...that's the beauty of a circle," Wyatt said.
He stared menacingly into the camera and ordered, "let me in" before waving goodbye to his friends.
Grade
A
Analysis
For the first time in what feels like forever, WWE Creative took the easy, sensible route and told a story that was sitting there, waiting for the company to exploit it.
Cena's win over Wyatt at WrestleMania 30 did, directly or not, start a downward spiral for the Wyatt character that resulted in a complete overhaul last year and the introduction of The Firefly Funhouse. The antagonist admitted as much here.
As he should have.
The storyline is as obvious and logical as there is in all of WWE right now. It is that simplicity that makes it so effective. Wyatt's fiendish side demands revenge. It has allowed that loss to fester for so long that it was willing to sacrifice championship gold to ensure its vision was complete.
It is because of the storytelling abilities of Wyatt and Cena that their match is destined to become one of the most anticipated of the entire WrestleMania card.
Gauntlet Match to Determine the Final Team to Enter Elimination Chamber Match
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The gauntlet match to determine which team would enter last in Sunday's Elimination Chamber match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships kicked off with former champions The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Big E battling fellow babyface tandem Heavy Machinery just moments after Otis was shot down by Mandy Rose backstage.
Thanks to some solid tandem offense, Otis and Tucker rolled heading into the break.
Back from the commercial, a hot tag to Kingston sparked the former champions' comeback. Kofi downed Tucker and delivered a Boom Drop. Heavy Machinery thwarted the onslaught, halted the momentum and pinned Big E following the Trash Compactor. New Day eliminated.
Lucha House Party's Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik entered next, looking to use their speed and agility to combat the strength of their opponents. The massive Heavy Machinery cut them off and wore Dorado down, Otis squeezing the fight out of him with a bearhug.
Dorado battled back with a jawbreaker and tagged Metalik into the match. The luchador quickened the pace while a big splash from a rejuvenated Dorado earned the masked team a near-fall. Tucker tagged Otis back in the ring and the big man delivered the caterpillar to Dorado to earn the win. Lucha House Party eliminated.
The Usos hit the ring next. They worked over an exhausted Tucker and appeared to be rolling when Jimmy and Jey uncorked a pair of superkicks. As the latter went to pin Tucker, though, the big hoss countered into a rollup of his own for the shocking upset. The Usos eliminated.
New SmackDown tag team champions The Miz and John Morrison were out next, looking to earn the right to enter their championship defense Sunday last. The titleholders paired off on Tucker, looking to punish and defeat the tired big man.
Every time Tucker tried to tag his partner in, Miz or Morrison cut him off. The Hollywood A-Lister dropped Otis off the apron and Morrison delivered a cartwheel elbow drop to Tucker. An inside cradle by Tucker to Morrison, though, stunned the champions and led to another massive upset. Miz and Morrison eliminated.
The champions, sore losers, drove Otis through the timekeeper's area while Mandy Rose watched from backstage, concern painting her face while Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode made their way to the ring.
The resilient Tucker fought, scratched and clawed, determined to keep his team in the fight. Otis, meanwhile, recovered at ringside and drove Roode into the announce table. He returned to the corner, awaiting the tag from a partner desperately in need of it.
Tucker finally made the tag, and Otis exploded into the match to a thunderous ovation. He bumped Roode around, feeding off the adrenaline. He dodged a blind charge in the corner, but Roode made the blind tag to Ziggler.
The charismatic big man looked to deliver the caterpillar, but Ziggler blasted him from out of nowhere with a superkick to score the win.
Result
Ziggler and Roode defeated Heavy Machinery, Morrison and Miz, The Usos, Lucha House Party and The New Day
Grade
A
Analysis
This was some great old school billing that made absolute stars out of Heavy Machinery, and just as fans were ready to see Otis overcome the odds and stick it to Ziggler, The Showoff got the win to really suck the energy from the crowd.
The booking accomplished two things: It lent great credibility to a team that had been, to this point, little more than a fun-loving comedy act, and it left fans wanting more.
Too often, the booking decisions implemented by WWE Creative suck the air out of the building with no real light at the end of the tunnel to be found. This was different. This left fans wanting to see Otis get his hands on Ziggler and win the match.
That may well happen Sunday on PPV, but to see it, you will have to subscribe to the WWE Network and watch the event.
The Otis-Ziggler-Rose storyline has been so simplistic yet so entertaining and has made stars of the beloved babyface, again proving that sometimes keeping it sensible rather than overwriting things is to the benefit of all involved.
