2 weeks Ago By Uncrowned
WWE didn't play around in its first show back in the U.S. after a successful European tour.
Chicago was revved up and ready to go, as arguably the best wrestling city in the country. There's no time to waste because this show delivered in every way. Let's get to the bad news before the good news.
(R)KO'd WrestleMania 41 has suffered a shake-up, as Kevin Owens has been dealing with a neck injury for the past four months that will now require surgery. He won't make it to his match with Randy Orton. Despite reports swirling throughout the week, this felt like a possible angle — or surprise retirement at worst — the longer it went on.
Owens apologized to the crowd, stating that he wished to have his match with Orton. It felt off because his recent character antics have made him the most despicable heel imaginable, so trying to garner sympathy would have been nearly impossible. By the end, fans applauded Owens on his way out, as they should have.
He'll be missed from "the show of shows," and hopefully, has a speedy, healthy recovery. So, now what happens to Orton? He hit "WWE SmackDown" general manager Nick Aldis with an RKO. I've been demanding an Aldis match in WWE.
Do the right thing, Triple H. Give the man his debut match at WrestleMania against Orton. It would be beautiful.
🔥Reaction of the Night Chicago absolutely melted Charlotte Flair. Wow. The toxic rain of boos she received was wild.
Flair couldn't even get a word out and seemingly gave up on her promo battle with Tiffany Stratton, who completely scorched Flair along with the crowd. The champion hit some deep cut lines about the fans, her dad Ric Flair, Flair's past drinking troubles and even her marriage failures. This.
Felt. Personal. Flair blurs the line so well in instances like this — or doesn't, considering past moments like her title exchange with Becky Lynch.
The scene closed in a cringe-worthy manner when Flair tried to make fun of Stratton's voice through the boos before entirely breaking kayfabe to say Stratton's real-life partner Ludwig Kaiser was in her direct messages. This is a near-40-year-old woman acting like a high schooler, mind you. If the feud didn't have any legs before, this was a Hail Mary, unnecessary heat grab to what was inevitably always going to be an awesome match.
Take your pick on whether you find promos like this good or bad. There isn't really anything in between. But one thing was undeniable: Stratton came off as the better of the two (albeit partly thanks to the Chicago crowd).
Do me a favor Topping CM Punk reactions in his hometown of Chicago is no easy feat, so congrats on that, Flair. Don't get it twisted though, "The Second-City Saint" still received praise during both appearances, which bookended this "WWE SmackDown." A fired-up Punk was mandatory to start the night in Chicago after his big WrestleMania 41 main event announcement last week.
The former WWE Champion cut an inspired promo about how he "wasn't supposed to be here," and applied that to his WWE return, along with life in general. The guy is good at what he does. What more needs to be said? Not much until the end, as he told Paul Heyman, who arrived all friendly, asking for Punk's elusive secret favor.
Heyman was shown throughout the show waiting for Roman Reigns backstage, and promised Punk his favor no matter what it was. As most expected, the favor was Heyman's support in Punk's corner for the triple-threat match. It was predictable, but executed perfectly.
Remember, folks. Predictable isn't bad as long as it makes sense and is done well. This was all of that.
Seth Rollins laughed away in the background. Heyman cried with Reigns in disbelief before he was hit with a GTS from Punk. It's so interesting how much Heyman has added to this whole program because he's really such a little piece to it all.
Neither Reigns nor Punk ever needed a mouthpiece manager, but here we are, utilizing him as a key to build the animosity between everyone. The final shot between Punk and Rollins staring down with a screaming Heyman in the background was money. Their match at WrestleMania is going to be ridiculously good.
Last Strow-man Standing LA Knight and Braun Strowman are just casually hanging out in The Bloodline saga ahead of WrestleMania 41. It's worked for the most part, at least for Strowman, who has more of a connection than the United States Champion Knight. If anything, this entire program has highlighted how significantly better of a speaker Knight is than any of these guys combined.
His backstage encounter with Tama Tonga was stellar. To sort out the chaos from last week, Knight laid the bricks to Tonga in a fun, short singles match, while Strowman and Jacob Fatu had a "last man standing" No. 1 title contender trilogy match.
Surprise, surprise, it was awesome. There was a really cool spot you don't often see in last man standing matches, when Fatu went for a quick win by hitting two moonsaults. Strowman cleverly rolled out of the ring to stop the count.
A little innovation goes a long way. If there was one nitpick or gripe with this match, it was how some spots were just made to be no-sells. Strowman and Fatu got up at the nine-count after a ridiculous superplex in the crowd through tables.
The spot was all to get the duo back in the ring for another table spot in the corner after setting it up earlier in the match. That one did the trick on Strowman, as they each tried to use the ropes and reach their feet. I was hoping we'd end up with another triple-threat match, if possible, but Fatu getting the win for a shot at Knight on the biggest stage is the right move with all that's been invested in him (and The Bloodline).
Now, it's just a matter of how things play out with Solo Sikoa at or before WrestleMania. Rise of the Fenix Ray Fenix is in WWE. It's weird, it's deserved, it's awesome.
Like his brother Penta, Fenix already has an epic entrance. Hopefully, Fenix can finally get the singles title run he deserved in AEW because he's one of the most exciting wrestlers today. Emotion got the better of Fenix as soon as he got the pin with a sweet "Mexican Musclebuster.
" Unfortunately, Fenix enters WWE at a strange time, this soon before WrestleMania 41. I was racking my brain to think about where he'll fit in, and what do you know? WWE decided to go with the oldest tradition in the book: Involve the Latino with fellow Latinos. Therefore, it looks like Berto and Los Garza will have a feud with Fenix, as they were shown backstage after Fenix's win.
Lazy, predictable, and a waste of time. Regarding Frazer, he was a perfect dance partner for Fenix in a vacuum (aside from a scary botch or two). These guys couldn't possibly have a bad match.
However, did Triple H suddenly decide NXT's Tag Team champions were expendable? First, Axiom took a loss to Gunther in Spain , and now Frazer to Fenix. Obviously, there's no shame in a Gunther loss, but that doesn't mean it should have happened. The same thing goes for this Fenix match.
As fun as they both were, they unnecessarily poured some dirt on champions. Overall, the good of Fenix and the match outweighs the bad, which will surely be ignored in the grand scheme. 👍UP & UP👍 1.
Damian Priest's car-smashing attack on Drew McIntyre last week got glass in the Scot's eye. Now, he has an eyepatch and looks like Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid. One-eyed McIntyre is born.
2. Aldis announced a women's tag team gauntlet match for next week. The match will determine the next challengers to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez's titles at WrestleMania 41.
That's cool with me. Gauntlet matches are always a good time and an easy way to find a rightful contender. 3.
Motor City Machine Guns beat DIY in another banger. DIY's shenanigans and attempts to cheat a win cost them a win. It was a fun and creative new wrinkle to the rivalry, and now we have MCMG vs.
The Street Profits. Who can be upset about that? 👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑 I wish the entire Naomi and Jade Cargill saga was getting more time to keep them out of the Uncrowned Gem territory, but it's all been money. Cargill, in particular, on this "WWE SmackDown" continued to radiate that superhero aura, taking out security in an attempt to get her hands on Naomi.
Aldis made their match official for WrestleMania 41. This year's mega spectacle is seriously stacked. Like the last time we saw B-Fab, she was again fabulous, and I'm glad she got at least some TV time.
More would be nice, but it's a work in progress. WWE avoided the brawl with this match and segment, leading to the perfect finale of a WrestleMania showcase. Although Cargill should remain a force, the more we see this new Naomi, I almost think she should go over.
After all, we have to get back to the Bianca Belair dynamic. 👑It's happened again, everyone. More Uncrowned history! AEW Dynamite is the only show to have scored a perfect score since our Uncrowned launch.
Well, I should say "was," because this "WWE SmackDown" stuck its return to U.S. landing and then some.
I give this show a Crown score of: 10/10. 👑.
