SmackDown was live last night in Everett, Washington. With Becky Lynch on the shelf due to suspension, who is going to the main event of WrestleMania?
SmackDown kicks off with a promo from Charlotte Flair. She states that she hopes Becky sees a doctor and vows to take her spot at WrestleMania against Ronda Rousey. However, as she points at the WrestleMania sign, outcomes Becky Lynch from the crowd. Becky and Charlotte argue and throw verbal jabs back and forth. Which led to Triple H storming to the ring to control the situation.
Triple H does so by sending Charlotte to the back and attempting to get Becky out of the ring. However, Becky refuses and calls out Triple H. Once Triple H hears enough, he states that her injury is a cover-up and says that Becky is afraid of Ronda Rousey. He states that Becky is afraid that Ronda will expose her on the grandest stage of them all.
He continues belittling the Man and states that she is a fraud. However, Becky hears enough and with a smug look on her face, slaps Triple H. Becky then exits through the crowd with her head held high. Becky Lynch slowly is becoming the Stone Cold of this era in WWE.
Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows v. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev
A week after losing the United States Championship, both Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev look to portray their new attitude and motive against former Tag Team Champions Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson.
In a competitive match, Rusev and Nakamura were able to pick up the victory after Lana was able to get involved and pushed Nakamura into the ring to save Rusev, which allowed Rusev to hit the Machka kick on Anderson for the win.
Mustafa Ali v. Randy Orton
Mustafa Ali and Randy Orton are two of six men that will be entering the Elimination Chamber in a week from Sunday for the WWE Championship. These two men know what is ahead of them, but the only way to build momentum towards Elimination Chamber is by proving they can defeat one another in singles competition.
The veteran Orton took over a lot of the match over the younger Ali. However, the heart of Ali is unlike any other. Ali continuously showed his resilience and heart to try to top the Viper.
Ali looked to close in on the biggest win in his career, but when he attempted the 054, Randy was able to hit the RKO from outta nowhere for the win.
Immediately after the match, Samoa Joe came out of nowhere and locked in the Coquina Clutch on Orton, putting him to sleep. He then ambushed Ali and threw him out of the ring. Samoa Joe is a force to be reckoned with and a favorite to dethrone Daniel Bryan inside the Elimination Chamber.
Daniel Bryan Comes Home
Daniel Bryan gets a warm welcome in his home state of Washington. He connects with his hometown crowd and states his battle to try to change the world. However, he states that the corporate suits are out to get him.
He believes that the corporate suits want to take him down because they feel his ideologies are dangerous to the world. That is why they put him in such a dangerous and barbaric match like the Elimination Chamber.
He states that the WWE needs Daniel Bryan as champion because if someone dethrones him, they will put it back on a leather strap and send it backward in time. That is why Daniel, with Rowan by his side, will continue to be the planet’s champion.
Naomi & Carmella v. The IIconics v. Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose
These three teams have declared their entries into the Elimination Chamber match to determine the first ever WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
The six women know what is in their future at the Elimination Chamber, but for now they must focus on taking down each other in triple threat tag-team action. Everyone involved in this match has tons of beef with one another, including Mandy Rose and Naomi. Naomi looked to have the match in her hands until Mandy from behind was to able to knock down and hit an impressive slam on Naomi for the win.
History will be made at Elimination Chamber, but will the first WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships head to SmackDown or Raw?
Jeff Hardy v. Daniel Bryan
Jeff Hardy has his date with redemption inside the Elimination Chamber. And, what a way to build momentum and visualize his redemption than beating the WWE Champion before Elimination Chamber?
Jeff looked to gain an advantage over Bryan, but with Rowan by Daniel’s side, the numbers did not fair good for Hardy. And those numbers proved to be too much for Jeff Hardy at the end of the match.
Jeff seemed to have the match in hands after hitting the Swanton Bomb on Bryan. However, Rowan attacked Hardy and left him laying in a heap.
Suddenly, Joe came out and attempted to lay out Daniel. Then, a melee ensued as Randy, Mustafa and then AJ Styles came out and brawled each other as Daniel high tailed it out of the ring. Once the dust settled, AJ Styles stood tall. Can AJ reclaim the WWE Championship and put an end to this tirade of Daniel Bryan?
Conclusion
This episode of SmackDown was fairly eventful. Fun matches and high stakes were all displayed as the card for Elimination Chamber 2019 takes form. So far, Elimination Chamber is looking to be a must-see event, as we get one step closer on the road to WrestleMania.