Thursday Night Smackdown! TV Report for March 10th, 2016 – “A Few More ‘Roadblocks’”

Introduction Segment: Video and Welcoming

The regular Smackdown! video plays and we are greeted from Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Mauro Ranallo and Byron Saxton. They go over the main-event, which will be an Eight-Man Tag Team featuring between Dean Ambrose, The Usos, and Dolph Ziggler taking on The Wyatt Family!

Segment #2: Arena Promo

The Miz is in the ring and invites Sami Zayn, who returned to Raw against Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens, to MizTV. Miz wants to find out who “Sami Zayn is,” so Sami starts to tell him, but Miz interjects promptly, and just wants to get to the point of Zayn’s and Owens’ association, acting like a director of an entertainment piece.

Sami runs down their history, both their friendship and now bitterness. Zayn doesn’t get why Owens has gone against him, but Miz wants to find out, so he asks the I.C. Champ to join. Kevin delays for a few seconds then slowly walks to the ring. From the ramp, Owens declares that “it was the best thing to do for me.” He paints himself as “the victim,” since Sami took it to him at the Royal Rumble and Raw.

Zayn disputes this, and proclaims that he will defeat Kevin for the I.C. Championship at WrestleMania! Owens doesn’t play into it, but Sami starts to hurdle chairs around and wants to fight Kevin right now! The crowd is all for that, but Owens doesn’t and walks away, to many loud boos. He is cut off by Neville, who also wants a chance at the belt.

Miz protests Neville’s appearance, saying that he doesn’t deserve the title shot, as he hasn’t proven himself a lot, while Miz has with a five Intercontinental Championships and main-eventing WrestleMania. Sami gets in Miz’s face and tells him that WrestleMania main-events are long gone; Zayn goes back to Owens and Neville but is attacked by Miz; Neville makes the save and the two sides glare.

Commercials.

Match #1: Tag-Team – The Miz and Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens VS. Sami Zayn and Neville

Sami and Miz start out, with Miz giving Zayn a wristlock. Sami reverses this and tags in Neville, who ties up Miz’s wrist, and then switches back-and-forth with Zayn, while Miz and Owens switches back-and-forth. This contest is pretty even until Neville uses Zayn’s back to dive off with a corkscrew-moonsault for a two-count!

Owens is back in and stomps away on Neville, and then the heels take over.

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Miz is in control over Neville now, stretching him with an arm and face lock. He brings him down with his back/neckbreaker combo, then continues to kick. He tries a front-kick, but Neville ducks and rolls up for a near-fall! Miz clotheslines back hard, but Neville turns him around and tosses Miz to the floor. He gets the hot-tag to Sami, who works over Miz!

Zayn dives off the turnbuckle with a crossbody, and then gives him a ten-punch in the corner. Miz manages to slap hands with Owens, but the I.C. Champ doesn’t want to wrestle Sami, so he tags Miz back and walks away. Miz is left and gets an exploder-suplex and running-kick-in-the-corner. Sami covers for the victory!

Winners via Pinfall: Sami Zayn and Neville

Commercials.

Segment #3: Backstage Promo

R-Truth is still trying to get Goldust to be his tag-team partner, but Goldust still doesn’t want to be, despite R-Truth trying to help “The Bizarre One” in the bathroom. (Yes, I just wrote that and watch it for yourself; nothing explicit, don’t worry, but there’s not much of a way to actually describe this, which is sad they’ve gone this far.)

Segment #4: Video Promo

The “Raw Rebound” featuring Dean Ambrose and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Triple H.

Brie Bella makes her entrance and will be wrestling Summer Rae in a rematch from Raw, next!

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Match #2: Single – Brie Bella VS. Summer Rae

(Note: Lana is on commentary.)

An elbow-collar tie-up begins, then Summer kicks Brie to the floor. She throws Brie into the corner of the barricade, then stomps her in the corner of the ring. Brie battles back, giving Summer multiple kicks to her chest, and trapping her in the Yes Lock crossface, forcing Rae to tap!

Winner via Submission: Brie Bella

Post-match, Lana taunts Brie, who also slugs Summer as she tried an attack; then Lana drives Bella to the canvas with the sit-down facebuster

Segment #5: Video Promo

The same career montage of Shane McMahon from Raw is shown, intertwined with his interaction with Vince.

Up next, Chris Jericho will talk about his assault on A.J. Styles.

Commercials.

Segment #6: Video Promo

Jericho saunters out with a t-shirt over his shoulder; in the ring is a trash can. “Y2J” talks about why he turned his back on A.J. Styles; Jericho is sick of the chants for “The Phenomenal One,” even when they were a tag-team. He said Monday’s match was “one of the best in Raw’s history,” yet all he heard were “A.J. Styles” chants from the crowd. He reminds the fans that he was a part of the team too, and he made him and Styles happen; that “they were something special.”

Chris emphasizes that Styles is a “rookie” and the people should not be choosing him over a veteran who has given his life to this business. Jericho burns the “Y2AJ” shirt and slowly calls out “A.J. Styles, A.J. Styles” with flames in front of him.

Ads.

Segment #7: Video Promo

The late Ray Traylor’s (Big Boss Man) Hall-of-Fame 2016 induction announcement is recapped by Mauro and Jerry.

Match #3: Tag-Team – The Lucha Dragons (Sin Cara and United States Champion Kalisto) VS. The League of Nations (King Barrett and Sheamus (with League of Nations member Rusev)

The Luchas surprisingly control the early part of this bout, double-teaming Sheamus. Cara kicks away, but is slapped hard on the body by Sheamus, then knocked from the middle rope to the outside.

Commercials.

Barrett and Sheamus now dominate over the U.S. Champ, with Sheamus chucking Kalisto into the ring post. He picks him up and drops him front-first to the mat for a near-fall. Barrett is back in and stomps and knees away. Sheamus shakes Kalisto’s head, but is put to the outside and Kalisto gets to his partner!

Cara springboards off the top rope with a forearm and springboards again with a crossbody, then another with a back elbow! He rockets through the ropes with a dive onto Barrett, then springboard-moonsaults him for a two-count!

Cara shoves Sheamus to the floor, then tosses Kalisto onto Sheamus! Cara kicks Barrett and climbs the turnbuckle, but Rusev pushes him off, allowing Barrett to hit the Bullhammer for the 1 – 2 – 3!

Winners via Pinfall: The League of Nations

Segment #8: Backstage Promo

JoJo interviews Ryback about the previous match; he was impressed by The Luchas putting up a battle despite being smaller in size and

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Segment #9: Video Promo

Recap of Shane and Vince’s feud from Raw is shown.

Segment #10: Backstage Promo

Rene Young asks Jimmy and Jey Uso about their feud with The Dudley Boyz. The brothers say they used to

Commercials.

Match #4: Eight-Man Tag-Team – The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Luke Harper, and Erik Rowan) VS. Dolph Ziggler, The Usos (Jimmy and Jey), and Dean Ambrose

Harper and Ambrose start out, with Dean getting the better. He tags in Dolph, who leaps off the middle turnbuckle with an axe-handle and hits a dropkick. Jimmy is now in and hits Luke, then quickly switches with his brother Jey. He is knocked down with a forearm, then Harper takes a break.

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Luke is stomps away on Jey, then chops him in the corner a bit later. Jey slaps back with a couple uppercuts, then Ziggler is in and hits a dropkick. He elbows Harper, but Bray comes in and takes over; The Family dominates for a while.

The match breaks down, and The Usos make a comeback, but Harper gets his knees up as Jey soared off the top turnbuckle. The twin manages the tag to Dean who is all over Rowan! Everyone goes at it now, with Ambrose and Erik being left in the ring. “The Lunatic Fringe” avoids a spin-kick and drives down Rowan with the Dirty Deeds DDT and covers to get the victory!

Winners via Pinfall: Dolph Ziggler, The Usos, and Dean Ambrose

The winning team celebrates as Mauro inquires what will happen this Saturday at Roadblock to close the show!

End of Smackdown!

Reporter’s Rumblings

This week averaged out; Raw was much better than Smackdown! Some of the wrestling and most of the storyline progression (except for Jericho’s on Smackdown!) were greater on Raw than SD! Onto the particulars:

Excellence: matches between Owens/Neville (Raw), Styles/Y2J/New Day (Raw), Ambrose/Wyatt (Raw), Summer/Brie (Raw and SD!), Miz/Owens/Zayn/Neville (SD!), League/Dragons (SD!), and Eight-Man (SD!).

I’m enjoying Vince and Shane’s feud; definitely brings me back to the “Attitude Era,” and right now, I’m truly not sure who’s going to win at Wrestlemania, which is a very good thing! Same with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship situation; I would love to see Ambrose win it at Roadblock Saturday, just to throw another swerve into the picture. I’m also glad they have kept Roman off TV to sell his injuries and the harshness of Triple H’s beating; he should not return until Monday, unless they turn him heel and cost Ambrose the title at Roadblock, (citing that you’ve taken my shot), and then go into a feud with Ambrose and HHH for ‘Mania main-event; otherwise, stay away from TV until next Monday for a little more unpredictability/giving Dean the well-deserved spotlight.

Sami Zayn’s return to Raw was a great surprise and very cool for a new storyline into WrestleMania! Those two will put on an awesome match, and hopefully they are given the proper time on the big show (at least 20 minutes!); however I do see a Fatal-4-Way with Miz and Neville too, which I’d be fine with, as long as given said time. Same with the Divas Championship; they will need at least 20 too to put on an awesome match, which they for-sure can do!

Very intrigued, especially after Jericho’s promo on SD!, of his and A.J.’s rivalry; perhaps an “I Quit” or Submission match for ‘Mania?

I’m also interested in Brie and Lana’s feud, and to see what Lana can do in the ring.

Bogus: Dolph’s sudden feud with The League/Stephanie is rehashed and not needed; I was starting to enjoy his “one-ups-manships” with Miz and would’ve preferred them to wrestle at ‘Mania.

Team B.A.D. and Sasha/Becky’s tag on Raw was too short; they should’ve been given proper time (15, at least); same with Tyler/Kalisto. It’s unfortunate that Breeze has fallen this far; he was a hot commodity in NXT, but hasn’t really been used right, except for the brief alliance with Summer, which I thought was perfect and should’ve continued.

I hope Bray/Lesnar doesn’t end definitively this Saturday and they wrestle at ‘Mania too; I don’t want Lesnar facing Ambrose or being inserted into the title picture; he and Bray can put on a hard-hitting bout of their own and leave the WWE World Heavyweight Championship development as is. Also, I was really expecting Lesnar to come out on Monday, so was a little disappointed, as he could’ve gotten a huge pop with the fans in Chi-Town!

Not sold on Rock being at ‘Mania again; I fear he will overshadow.

All-in-all, a decent week, but let’s hope it gets much better after Roadblock (and that that show provides some twists for ‘Mania!) Until next Monday’s Raw, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Fans!