The SmackDown Files: Daniel Bryan Flirts With The Dark Side Of The Force (1-2-2018)

By: Keila Cash

Date: 1/2/2018

Location: The Amway Center in Orlando, Florida (The Post-WrestleMania Reprisal)

Mission: Who’s playing who in the New Year?

Extra Intel: Welcome to the first SmackDown Files of 2018!

·        Power Struggle 2018 is underway as Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon announced that they would be at ringside during AJ Styles’ match against Sami Zayn later tonight. Let the controversy ensue!

·        It took two tries, but The Usos successfully defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin when Jimmy Uso pinned Shelton Benjamin with the Diving Splash. Gable and Benjamin won the Tag Team Titles for two minutes when Gable illegally pinned Jimmy despite Jey being the legal man.

·        A second referee came down to the ring to set the main ref straight. Once the instant replay was shown on the big screen confirming that Jey was the legal man, the first ref declared the title change null and void and asked for an immediate restart which took place after the commercial break.

·        Gable and Benjamin were on the brink of hitting their finisher on Jey when he dodged Gable’s Diving Clothesline which allowed Jimmy to nail him with a Superkick in midflight.

·        The Usos nailed Benjamin with a double superkick which led to the finish moments later.

·        Both matches left a lot to be desired because I wanted more from an in-ring standpoint. Both teams shouldn’t be subjected to bullshit booking because they are capable of delivering the goods on any given night. The fans were cheated out of a great match that could’ve set the tone for 2018. WWE will probably announce a rematch at the Royal Rumble which might explain what happened tonight.

·        The Bludgeon Brothers destroyed Breezango and The Ascension with the greatest of ease. Hulk! Smash!

·        Xavier Woods advanced to the semifinals of the United States Championship Tournament when he defeated Aiden English with an Elbow Drop from halfway across the ring. The match was solid, but it was a little rough around the edges at times. Once Woods and English build a rapport with each other from a chemistry standpoint, they will have a much better match in the future.

·        The Riott Squad defeated Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina when Sarah Logan nailed Tamina with the Hail Mary (Reverse Handstand into a Kneedrop) in a decent match. The heel vs. heel dynamic tempered the crowd response, but they cheered for Tamina towards the end due to her powerhouse performance.

·        Ruby Riott tried to tell the crowd that magic wasn’t real which resulted in her getting showered with the dreaded “What?” chant. Riott announced that her crew was entering the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match because it’s high time that people start taking them seriously.

·        Charlotte came out to restore humanity as she told everyone to follow their dreams because they can come true due to persistence and hard work. Since the Riott Squad wanted to give everyone a reality check, Charlotte decided to do the same by helping Naomi and Becky Lynch get a measure of revenge on the dastardly heels that attacked them during their main roster debut last November.

·        The babyfaces cleaned house as the Riott Squad scurried up the ramp to fight another. The segment started off iffy but ended strong with the surprise return of Lynch as she dropped Riott and Liv Morgan with a pair of Exploder Suplexes. The women’s Royal Rumble is shaping up to be a good one if everything goes according to plan.

·        Sami Zayn defeated AJ Styles with the Helluva Kick thanks to an assist from Kevin Owens. The match was good, but it ended in controversy when Shane McMahon shoved Kevin Owens to the floor after Owens distracted the referee long enough to miss Styles’ pin attempt on Zayn.

·        McMahon ordered the ref to eject KO from the match. The ref agreed, but Daniel Bryan grabbed the mic and suggested that Shane remove himself from the match as well. This set off a chain of events as Owens distracted Styles long enough for Zayn to hit his finisher for the win.

·        A very pissed off Styles cut a promo about KO and Zayn taking the easy way out in order to get ahead. He also admonished the SD Live Commissioner and General Manager for bickering like children. The Phenomenal One had the perfect solution as he sarcastically challenged Owens and Zayn to a 2-on-1 Handicap Match.

·        Bryan signed off on the idea, but he took things one step further by putting Styles’ WWE Championship on the line at the Royal Rumble PPV.

·        Styles looked on in shock while Shane gave Bryan the side-eye as he led the crowd in a tepid “Yes!” chant as the show went off the air.

·        This was a shocking way to end the show. Daniel Bryan took Styles’ sarcasm as gospel by booking him in a match with the odds stacked in the heels’ favor. This was the first time that Bryan showed true heel tendencies which tilts the balance of power heading into WrestleMania season.

·        WWE is trying to convince the viewers at home that Bryan, Owens, and Zayn are in cahoots when it comes to putting the screws to Shane McMahon. As I mentioned last month, the creative team tends to plant red herrings in order to swerve the audience with the big surprise.

·        Despite Shane-O-Mac being a so-called champion of justice, he’s inherently evil by default. He will eventually show his true colors because Bryan is too likable to get booed unless he tosses a kitten from a ten story building. The twists and turns in this storyline have been fun to watch so far. Here’s hoping the Powers That Be doesn’t book themselves into a corner by getting too cute for their own good. Fingers crossed!

·        Overall, I thought the first SmackDown Live of 2018 was middling at best. The in-ring was so-so until the main event segment. It felt like WWE was suffering from a New Year’s Day hangover which carried over into tonight’s show.

·        The Tag Team Title match was marred by questionable booking while the mid-card scene continues to tread water until a new United States Champion is crowned.

·        The absence of Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton, and Bobby Roode hurt the broadcast as well. SD Live is rich with main event talent, but they’ve been used sparingly as of late which drags down the overall quality of the show.

·        With such top-level talent jockeying for the main event spot, the mid-card is light on legit threats outside of Jinder Mahal and Baron Corbin. There are no viable faces to balance things out which exposes how shallow the roster is. The problem won’t be solved until after WrestleMania, but WWE can give some stars a much-needed push in the interim. *cough* Rusev *cough*

·        The power struggle between Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon is keeping SD Live afloat, but the endgame will suck if Bryan isn’t cleared to wrestle if he’s the one turning heel. I don’t’ want to see him choose a proxy to fight on his behalf at WrestleMania. Unless WWE is ready to pull the trigger on Bryan’s comeback, the cock teasing needs to stop. It’s fun for now, but the E shouldn’t get people’s hopes up if they aren’t going to give them or Bryan what they want.

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The SmackDown Files. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back next week with a brand new installment of The Raw Exposé. See you later, boys and girls!