Smackdown! Live TV report for 02/14/2017

Tonight, the official “Road to WrestleMania” begins, as there are no more Pay-Per-View/Network shows between now and then for Smackdown! Live. From this past Sunday’s Elimination Chamber, we have some major changes and paths to look ahead; I’m not going to spoil for those who want to read this and be surprised, but it is (hopefully!) going to be very intriguing for the next month-and-a-half!

Tuesday Night Smackdown! Live Television Report for February 14th, 2017

Introduction: Video Promo

A recap of Elimination Chamber plays.

Arena Promo

The lights go out, the cell-phone lights are on, and out strolls NEW WWE champion Bray Wyatt! The fans call-out “you deserve it” very loudly. “She never said that ‘this would be easy.’ ‘They will lie to you,’ she said. ‘They will jot to denounce you,’ she said. ‘They will try to steal your gift,’ and she was right. Sister Abigail always spoke the truth, and so do I. So when I tell you that ‘I knew this day would come,’ I am not telling you a lie. And on this day, and in this moment in time right now, this very second, I can truly say that I have the WHOLE DAMN WORLD in my hands! (He holds the WWE championship up.)

Now, too much power, that can be a very, very scary thing. Not for me, of course, but for all of you. So I say unto you, ‘open your ears and I will sing you a beautiful melody. Open your eyes and I will show you the wonders of this world. Walk by my side, and I will lead you to paradise. Stand in my way, and you will burn in the fire.’ Ladies and gentleman, I would like to welcome you all to the ERA OF WYATT!”

John Cena – the former WWE champion – interrupts. He puts the crowd over and then Bray. However, he also accuses Bray of “brainwashing them,” because of their chants of “you deserve it.” Cena refers to his shirt, which reads “Respect. Earn it,” and says that is what everyone has to do. Bray laughs, but John wants to get to the point and wrestle Wyatt for the championship immediately!

The previous WWE champion before John, A.J. Styles, interjects. He makes a case for his shot at the WWE championship. General Manager Daniel Bryan joins on stage; he gives props to Bray for his win and then figures out the scenario. He rightfully says that both A.J. and John have a rematch, and that the crowd were told they would have a WWE championship, so they will; he books a Triple-Threat for the title.

Later tonight, Mickie James will wrestle Becky Lynch again and NEW Women’s champion Naomi will be here. Up next, Tag Team champions American Alpha will be in action!

Commercials.

Backstage Promo

Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose is storming through the halls hunting for Baron Corbin.

Match #1: Tag Team – Tag Team champions American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) VS. The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) (Non-Title)

Chad and Viktor start with a lockup. Chad takes him to the mat for a one-count, and they square-off again. Viktor turns a waistlock into a wristlock. Chad spins out of it and sweeps Viktor, and then ducks and slams him to the canvas by his waist. Viktor goes after Jason, and then all team members go at it. Ascension dump Alpha to the floor, but the champs fly back off of top turnbuckle with a double-clothesline!

Commercials.

Viktor is now controlling Chad with a grounding headlock, and then whips him hard chest-first into the turnbuckle. He tags in Konnor and then throws him into Gable in the corner. Chad eventually gets the hot-tag, and Jason cleans house until he misses a shoulder-tackle in the corner. Viktor switches with Konnor and Ascension almost take this with a double-slam!

Viktor is back in, but quickly gets dropped to the mat with Alpha’s Grand-Amplitude finisher! Chad covers to receive the victory!

Winners via Pinfall: Tag Team champions American Alpha

Post-match, The Usos – Jimmy and Jey – appear on the Titantron in a dimly-lit backstage area. They warn Jason and Chad that when they are attacked, “it was The Usos.”

Backstage Promo

James Ellsworth wants to take Carmella to dinner, but she wants to “keep it professional.” IC champ Ambrose is still looking for Baron when he sees Carmella and James; he tries to gives Ellsworth advice on what Carmella is really like. GM Bryan walks up and remembers they still haven’t solved their problems; he makes James VS. Dean, to which Ellsworth wonders what just happened.

Commercials.

Match #2: Single – James Ellsworth (with Carmella) VS. Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose (Non-Title)

Dean does not make his entrance; he is dragged out by Baron Corbin. “The Lone Wolf” destroys Ambrose, finally giving him his Deep Six spinning-backdrop-slam into a table by the stage.

Winner: No Contest due to no official start

Office Promo

Nikki Bella and Natalya are still arguing, this time with GM Daniel in the middle. They start to brawl again, and Bryan yells for security. They are able to separate the women, and then Daniel orders them to settle this next week on Smackdown! Live, in a falls count anywhere match.

Commercials.

Backstage Promo

Baron Corbin is interviewed on why he assaulted Dean Ambrose.

Backstage Promo

Renee Young is with Dolph Ziggler. He is not pleased with the younger talent and warns “nobody steals the show like me. Nobody steals my place. But somebody is about to get put in theirs.”

Becky Lynch makes her entrances for her rematch against Mickie James!

Commercials.

Match #3: Single – Becky Lynch VS. Mickie James

Mickie starts strong with a hammerlock and take-down. Becky turns it around on her and flips over into a bridging-hammerlock. They start trying to shove each other, and then Lynch rolls James for two! She backslides Mickie and then shoves her to the outside. James stalls for a bit then gets back in the ring; she is taken down by her arm and Lynch works her over. Becky counters a headscissors by tossing James to the apron and then kicking her to the floor with a springboard-kick. Lynch follows and clotheslines, but so does Mickie; they are both down!

Commercials.

James is now governing with a neck-wrench in the ring. She elbows and wears her down with a rear chinlock. Becky fires up with a couple of clotheslines. She slams with an Exploder-Suplex for a near-fall! James tries an armlock, but Lynch reverses into a roll-up for two! Mickie counters into a flapjack and then goes to the top turnbuckle. She dives off but misses and Becky gives her Becks-ploder! 1 – 2 – James kicks out! Lynch dumps Mickie to the floor, and James is appearing to have an injured shoulder. She is faking though, and after the referee backs Becky away, Mickie hits her with a spinning-back-kick and takes this!

Winner via Pinfall: Mickie James

Up next, NEW Women’s champion Naomi will be out!

Commercials.

Arena Promo

Renee Young is in the ring with Women’s champion Naomi, who defeated Alexa Bliss at Elimination Chamber. Rene congratulates her, but says that she is also injured. Naomi admits it, and then Alexa Bliss struts out. She takes over (saves), putting Naomi down verbally and demanding her rematch. She says, injury or no injury, next week on Smackdown! Live, she will “take back my Women’s championship.”

Commercials.

John Cena, A.J. Styles, and WWE champion Bray Wyatt make their entrances. Right after Bray blows out his lamp, Luke Harper appears in front of him and attacks! He superkicks his former mentor, and then referees manage to back him away. Cena looks on with wonder.

Commercials.

Match #4: Triple Threat for the WWE championship – John Cena (Challenger) VS. A.J. Styles (Challenger) VS. Bray Wyatt (Champion)

A.J. already has Cena on the mat but misses a kneedrop. John hits a couple of shoulder-tackles and the spin-out backdrop. He goes for a 5-Knuckle-Shuffle Fistdrop, but Bray yanks him out and hurls him into the steel steps. A.J. slingshots himself over with a forearm, and then takes control in the ring. he hits Bray with a bunch of kicks and a running-forearm for two!

He runs off of the ropes but Bray counters with a shoulder-block, and then throws Styles to the outside. Cena is back and hits a couple of those shoulder-tackles

Commercials.

A.J. rockets from the barricade onto Bray with a frogsplash as we come back live! He goes again and hits a legdrop, breaking the table too! Cena is in the ring and A.J. measures for his Phenomenal Forearm. John reverses into an Attitude Adjustment and goes for another, but Styles reverses into the Calf-Crusher! Cena turns that into the S.T.F.! Wyatt breaks it up with a senton-splash! The fans are chanting “this is awesome!” (And rightfully so!)

Bray chucks A.J. back to the outside, and then gears up for Sister Abigail. Cena counters with an Attitude Adjustment! 1 – 2 – Wyatt lifts his shoulder! Styles is back in and gives John the Styles Clash! 1 – 2 – Cena kicks out! Styles is on the apron and goes for his Phenomenal Forearm again; Cena pushes him, but then turns around into Sister Abigail! Bray covers and receives the hard-fought victory!

Winner and STILL WWE Champion: Bray Wyatt

Post-match, Bray poses in the ring and his current follower, Randy Orton strolls out. The Royal Rumble match winner stares down his WrestleMania opponent, and then gets in the ring with a microphone. “I won the Royal Rumble and all the privileges that come with it, but you are the WWE Champion. However, as long as you are the master and I am ‘the servant,’ I refuse to face you at WrestleMania. I pledge my undying allegiance to you, Bray Wyatt.” Randy gets on his knees and salutes; Bray tells him, “you now have the keys to the kingdom, my friend.” They both pose to close the show.

End of Smackdown! Live

Reporter’s Rumblings

This was a great edition, again officially starting the “Road To WrestleMania.” While it may not happen the way I wanted it, I am intrigued by a few storylines, particularly the WWE Championship. Onto the particulars:

Excellence: promos by Bray, Alexa, Dean, Baron, Dolph, and Randy. Matches between Alpha/Ascension, Becky/Mickie, and the Triple-Threat.

Absolutely LOVE Bray as WWE Champion. He started off hot with his promo, and then wrestled excellently in the main-event. There was a time when I thought he couldn’t ever be, as I just didn’t think his character could pull it off, but he has definitely proved me wrong after tonight! I hope his reign continues until at least WrestleMania. I am very intrigued by how the scenario will now play out; read below on what I wanted.

Mickie/Becky was much better than Elimination Chamber and glad Mickie one, so they can one more; perhaps a submission or I Quit? Alexa is the best woman on Smackdown!, both in-ring and on the mike (even more). Much like Charlotte, she is best as a heel.

Loving Baron/Dean’s feud, and their WrestleMania match (it’s gonna happen!) should be awesome, as long as it’s not strictly a one-on-one – has to have a stipulation; Last Man Standing?

Bogus: was disappointed that Naomi didn’t get the celebration treatment; she deserved that.

Here’s my WrestleMania booking for WWE championship MAIN-EVENT (better not be Goldberg/Lesnar): Cena/Wyatt/A.J. shouldn’t have happened tonight; Cena should’ve demanded it at WrestleMania so he can have the moment of becoming 17-Time Champion there, closing the show by having Ric Flair celebrate/ “pass the torch” with him, especially in Florida, where it is a hot-bed of wrestling. The match at Wrestlemania would be a Fatal-4-Way/4-Way Elimination, with Bray (Champ), Cena (rematch), Randy (because of Royal Rumble), and Luke (they’d get him in there somehow to close-out the feud.) That all makes sense, would be a HELLUVA match, and an awesome moment to (hopefully) send fans home happy.

All-in-all, Smackdown! continues strong. I am looking forward to the weeks ahead to see how we get to WrestleMania! Until next week, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Fans!