With just two weeks left before WrestleMania 34, SmackDown Live turns things up a notch. The most intriguing part of the show is the fallout from Daniel Bryan getting assaulted last week, but there are several interesting matches throughout the show.
Bobby Roode & Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal & Rusev
Originally, the unlikely duo of Bobby Roode and Randy Orton were supposed to face Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh, but Singh is “hurt” after Orton attacked him last week. Mahal replaced him with a much better partner, Rusev.
From the apron, Mahal shoves Roode into Orton. Orton does not see the shove, so he responds by hitting his own partner with an RKO. Orton then turns around and eats a Matcha Kick from Rusev, who pins the United States Champion. Winners: Jinder Mahal & Rusev
Becky Lynch vs. Ruby Riott (w/Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan)
Before competing in the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, Becky Lynch takes on Ruby Riott in an exhibition match. Perhaps this match will have #1 Contender implications for after WrestleMania.
Lynch survives the Riott Squad being at ringside and manages to sneak in a win with a roll-up. Winner: Becky Lynch
Two Big WrestleMania Announcements
After being assaulted by Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens last week, SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan shows up and announces his plan in response. At WrestleMania, he will team up with Shane McMahon to face Owens and Zayn. If Bryan’s team wins, Owens and Zayn are still fired. If Owens and Zayn win, they are reinstated as SmackDown Superstars.
As for the United States Championship match, Rusev pinning Randy Orton earlier tonight earned him a spot in the match, making it a Fatal Four-Way between him, Orton, Jinder Mahal, and Bobby Roode.
The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers
After weeks of ragtag combinations facing Harper and Rowan, The New Day is back in full force to take on the Bludgeon Brothers.
Instead of winning the match, Harper and Rowan look to destroy all of the New Day. The Usos comes to ringside and attack the Bludgeon Brothers, throwing the match out of the window. The chaos settles down and the three teams go their separate ways. Result: No Contest
Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze (w/Fandango)
This match came to be from a WWE.com exclusive that nobody saw, but its purpose is to advertise the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Tyler Breeze gets distracted by Fandango running around the ring like a buffoon and gets hit with a Zig Zag. Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Shinsuke Nakamura (w/AJ Styles) vs. Shelton Benjamin (w/Chad Gable)
Nakamura is finally being featured on SmackDown Live every week and that trend continues this week when he takes on Shelton Benjamin.
AJ Styles prevents Chad Gable from distracting the referee, leading to Shinsuke Nakamura finishing Shelton Benjamin off with the Kinshasa knee strike. Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
After the match, Nakamura says that he never needed Styles’ help and just wanted him to have a close look at what WrestleMania is going to look like for the WWE Champion. Nakamura also mentions that he will win because Styles is “too emotional.” Gable and Benjamin then attack Styles from behind and Nakamura fends them off. As Styles gets up, Nakamura goes for the Kinshasa before stopping right in front of Styles with a smile.
