WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

WWE SmackDown Live Review - February 26, 2019

2/26/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Mr. McMahon Announced Kevin Owens Would Replace Kofi Kingston Against WWE Champion Daniel Bryan at WWE Fastlane

No contract signing in WWE (especially those that take place in the middle of the ring) ever go as planned, which is why this one being interrupted was hardly a surprise. However, I didn't expect Kingston to be bumped from the title match at Fastlane in favor of the returning Owens. Owens has recently been rumored to contend for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, but maybe WWE changed plans and will give that spot to Kingston instead. Either way, Kingston's days in the title picture are far from over.

The Hardy Boyz def. The Bar

Well, this was certainly unexpected. Apparently, The Hardy Boyz' contracts expire soon, so perhaps this was WWE's way of convincing them to re-sign. It's not like they had any plans for them on their own, anyway. Thus, I'm all for them reuniting in the SmackDown Live tag team division. They have history with The Bar and had a nice (albeit brief) match with them here. Sign me up for The Hardy Boyz vs. The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania, please.
Picture

United States Champion R-Truth def. Rey Mysterio and Andrade in a Triple Threat Match

Yes, the United States Championship still exists. This marked the first time in a month that Truth has appeared on the program, and that was actually the night he became champion. He issued an open challenge here, which was answered by both Andrade and Mysterio. This was a very fun match while it lasted and all three of them worked well together. I would have rather seen Andrade or Mysterio winning the title, but I'm holding out hope that will happen soon and we'll end up getting those two against each other for the belt at WrestleMania.

Charlotte Flair Addressed Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey and Becky LYnch

I was floored that Charlotte didn't show up at any point during Monday's Raw, whether it was during the Rousey and Lynch segment or even during Ric Flair's 70th birthday celebration. However, that made this promo from her that much more meaningful and she delivered her lines exceptionally well. Charlotte vs. Lynch would a be a logical match to do at Fastlane, but there has been no indication of that being confirmed for the card as of now.

Aleister Black and Ricochet def. Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev

Nakamura and Rusev have been glorified stepping stones on SmackDown for months, so while I didn't feel the outcome was ever in doubt, this was still a very entertaining tag team affair. I'm digging this alliance between Black and Ricochet, while Nakamura and Rusev have shockingly shown chemistry as partners lately as well. I have no idea what they're doing with these NXT guys on the main roster, but at least their matches have been enjoyable.

Kevin Owens and Kofi Kingston def. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan

Part of me had my guard up for Owens betraying Kingston, but the betrayal never came. Instead, they played it straight and had a solid main event match with Bryan and Rowan. I have no clue whether Owens is a babyface or a heel, but he could be a babyface despite being practically given the WWE title opportunity at Fastlane over Kingston. I realize what Owens pinning Bryan was supposed to accomplish, but I'm not a fan of Bryan losing clean so often. He comes across like a paper champion as a result, and he deserves better than that. Owens could have easily pinned Rowan.

Overall Show

It was reported recently that Bruce Prichard has returned to WWE in a "key" Creative role. Could that have anything to do with how both Raw and SmackDown this week were significantly stronger shows than usual? The returns of Owens and Matt Hardy set the tone for the rest of the night, and then we were treated to a quality main event, a United States Championship defense, an above-average promo from Flair, and another showcase for Ricochet and Black. Fingers crossed this will be the new norm for WWE TV with WrestleMania fast approaching.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Interviews
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    NXT PLEs
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SNME
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE PLEs
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2025 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact