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

WWE SmackDown Live Review - March 27, 2018

3/27/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Rusev and Jinder Mahal def. United States Champion Randy Orton and Bobby Roode

Mahal noted beforehand that Sunil Singh was still "hurt" from last week's attack at the hands of Orton and Roode, so he was replaced by Rusev in this match instead. They were actually tag team partners over a year ago and had a falling out, but apparently the company doesn't remember that. I fully expected Rusev to eat the pinfall loss for his team, but he ended up pinning Orton as I hoped he would, which led him to being added to the United States Championship bout at WrestleMania. The matchup was solid albeit a bit formulaic, though, and it ate up a good chunk of time.

Becky Lynch def. Ruby Riott

This was better than most women's matches we tend to see on SmackDown Live nowadays because it was actually competitive and featured fun back-and-forth action. Lynch managed to overcome the odds, further making The Riott Squad look weak in the process. I can't complain about that at this point because they're already weak as can be. As for Lynch, I would love to see her win the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal and then move to Raw, but I'm not sure how likely that is.
Picture

SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan Addressed Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

It's amazing how far Bryan as come on the mic over the years because now anything he says feels real and the audience hangs on his every word. As expected, he announced a tag team match for WrestleMania where if Owens and Zayn beat Bryan and Shane McMahon, they will earn their jobs back. I could certainly see a scenario where Bryan goes heel and aligns with Owens and Zayn to cover for his likely loss in his first bout back. As for Shane, he was hospitalized this week and I'd be shocked if he was cleared in time for the event. I assume someone else will end up taking his place, but I'm not sure who.

The Bludgeon Brothers def. The New Day by Disqualification

This match had plenty of potential to be a blast, but it was over as soon as it got started once The Usos ran out to attack The Bludgeon Brothers. I was fine with that finish because you can always go back to this down the road, and The Usos wanting to seek revenge for being laid out by Harper and Rowan last week was logical. The three teams will meet in a Triple Threat matchup for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania, and I have my fingers crossed it won't be bumped to the Kickoff show because The Usos deserve to be on the main card and it could very well steal the show.

Dolph Ziggler def. Tyler Breeze

Breeze made his main roster debut in a feud with Ziggler two and a half years ago, and now both guys couldn't mean less. Thus, it should come as no surprise that both men will be involved in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and this served as hype for that. It was painless yet pointless. Moreover, it left me wondering why Ziggler bothered to re-sign with the company recently (aside from the money, of course).

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Shelton Benjamin

Shelton Benjamin in a SmackDown main event? When was the last time that happened? I don't say that as a bad thing, as this was a very well-wrestled match and a refreshing change of pace from what we've been getting in the main event slot lately. Afterward, Nakamura and AJ Styles engaged in a heated verbal exchange, which was desperately needed. This rivalry has underwhelmed so far, so I appreciated how their segment put some heat on their WWE Championship match at 'Mania.

Overall Show

The road to WrestleMania on the SmackDown side hasn't been the best, but this was a well-done show all things considered. More matches were either confirmed or changed, and the in-ring action was average on the whole. The two hours seemed to fly by more than usual, but there wasn't anything must-see, either. Similar to with Raw, a strong go-home show next week can go a long way in building excitement for WrestleMania. I'm sure the event will be a spectacle no matter what, but that final hype is crucial.
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

    July 2025
    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