The SmackDown Files: The One Where The Riott Squad Copied Off Absolution's Homework (11-28-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. After sparing Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s jobs last week, did Daniel Bryan face disciplinary action from Shane McMahon? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s show in no particular order.

·        SD Live kicked off with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan working through their managerial differences when it came to Bryan not firing Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn last week. Bryan believed in second chances and didn’t want to send their two top stars to Monday Night Raw. McMahon disagreed and listed their various crimes and misdemeanors over the past few weeks.

·        Bryan wanted Shane to trust his judgment when it came to Owens and Zayn because he knows what it’s like to be fired. Shane-O-Mac agreed and co-signed Daniel’s decision to book KO vs. Randy Orton for later tonight. However, Shane raised the stakes by barring Zayn from ringside and making the match no disqualification as the opening segment came to an end.

·        This was an okay way to start the show. Seeing Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan playing out a backstage skit in front of the live crowd was a bit tedious, but the message of them being on the same page clicked for the most part. However, I have a feeling that their business relationship is still on shaky ground.

·        The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) defeated Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable when Woods pinned Benjamin with the UpUpDownDown in a good match. The action was fast-paced and crisp throughout which kept the crowd hyped from start to finish.

·        The Usos were entertaining on guest commentary as they put over both teams before reminding the audience that they still had the tag team division on lock. The win puts The New Day back in title contention, but Benjamin and Gable will have something to say about that because they are due a SmackDown Tag Team Title rematch against The Usos due to their first match ending via count out a few weeks ago in Manchester, England.

·        The Bludgeon Brothers defeated The Hype Bros when Rowan pinned Zack Ryder with a Double Chokeslam. Harper and Rowan looked impressive once again as they handled their business in two minutes or less. They have the potential to get over as a top tag team if they are booked properly.

·        Meanwhile, the Hype Bros are finished as Mojo Rawley attacked Zack Ryder from behind during a post-match interview with Dasha Fuentes. It appeared that Ryder was primed to turn heel when he returned to in-ring competition earlier this year, but Rawley is now positioned as the bad guy. This might be for the best because Rawley’s hype persona is very annoying which might’ve turned him heel by default.

·        AJ Styles defeated the Singh Brothers when Styles hit Samir Singh with a Styles Clash from the second rope while landing on his brother Sunil to somewhat soften the blow. It wasn’t enough as The Phenomenal One squeaked out the win after Jinder Mahal jumped him from behind before the 2-on-1 handicap match got underway.

·        Incensed, Mahal hit both Singh Brothers with the Khallas which might come back to bite him in the ass in the not too distant future. Just a hunch…

·        Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan are now known as The Riott Squad. The name is meh at best…

·        The Riot Squad defeated Charlotte, Natalya, and & Naomi when Ruby Riott pinned Charlotte with the Riot Kick in a one-sided match.  Natalya bailed early on while Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan took out Naomi when they slammed her into the barricade and steel steps. The upped the violence by slamming her head against the steps while she was trapped underneath them for good measure.

·        Charlotte tried to make a comeback, but the numbers game caught up to her down the stretch. Riott, Morgan, and Logan were impressive in the ring, but their attack on Naomi didn’t generate a lick of heel heat. This faction is too similar to Paige’s crew on Raw which makes this version come off as low rent which sucks considering the talent involved. Here’s hoping both groups differentiate themselves from each other because fans shouldn’t be catching a case of déjà vu every week.

·        I have a sad announcement to make. The Fashion Files has officially jumped the shark. As I mentioned a couple of months ago, season two was in danger of falling into the dreaded sophomore slump and that theory was proven right based on tonight’s weak parody of Saw. At least The Ascension still makes me laugh from time to time.

·        Kevin Owens defeated Randy Orton with a Frogsplash thanks to an assist from Sami Zayn. Despite being banned from ringside, Zayn took full advantage of the no disqualification stipulation as he hit Orton in the leg with a steel chair towards the end of the match.

·        The referee was powerless to stop Zayn because of the DQ rule as he continued to attack Orton with the steel chair. Owens’ guardian angel made a hasty exit as Owens took advantage of the situation. Orton made a brief comeback as he nailed KO with a Draping DDT. He went for the RKO, but Owens delivered a chop block to Orton’s injured leg which set up the finish moments later.

·        The match itself was very good as Orton went after Owens once the bell rang. He hit KO with some stiff Kendo Stick shots, but Owens returned the favor as he got back on offense before the obligatory commercial break.

·        Orton regained control when he dropped Owens with a Superplex from the top rope followed by a Belly-to-Back Suplex on the announce table. He went for his finisher, but Owens rolled out of the ring and escaped through the crowd. Orton chased him down and brought the fight to the main entrance ramp which gave Zayn the opening he needed in order to save his best friend.

·        How will Daniel Bryan respond to Zayn’s latest act of defiance? Will Shane McMahon step in to make another unilateral decision that creates more friction between him and Bryan? Most importantly, how will Zayn and Owen take advantage of the situation as they pit their bosses against each other? So many questions, so little time!

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live was solid for the most part. The Lexington crowd was hot early on, but their enthusiasm tapered off during the second hour despite the in-ring action being up to par most of the night.

·        Clash of Champions is a little over three weeks away and one match has been officially announced for the PPV so far. AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship is set, but WWE needs to flesh out the rest of the card between now and next week’s show in San Diego, California.

·        Bobby Roode vs. Baron Corbin for the United States Championship appears to be a lock while the Tag Team and Women’s Title bouts are in a state of flux due to a lot of moving parts wreaking havoc over the past couple of weeks. Here’s hoping the creative team can sift through the chaos and finish the year strong by putting on an entertaining PPV. We don’t need another Battleground on our hands…

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!

The SmackDown Files: Welcome To The World Premiere of Rusev's Redemption Song (9-19-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. After Kevin Owens kicked Vince McMahon’s ass last week, did Shane McMahon avenge his father or did he thank Owens for a job well done because the McMahons like to keep their never-ending family feud going like the Energizer Bunny? The answer to this pressing question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s show in no particular order.

·        Shane McMahon condemned Kevin Owens for attacking his father and vowed that vengeance would be his during their Hell in a Cell match next month.

·        McMahon’s promo was straightforward and to the point. It was a fine way to start the show, but I expect more sizzle and spice from Owens later tonight.

·        Randy Orton defeated Aiden English with an RKO in midair in a solid match. English got in a fair amount of offense, but he tested fate by going to the middle rope only to get dropped with an RKO out of nowhere.

·        As Orton celebrated the win, Rusev came out to complain about losing to him in 9 seconds at SummerSlam last month. The Bulgarian Brute embarrassed his family and vowed to avenge his country by defeating Orton tonight.

·        The referee rang the bell and the match was on. Orton immediately went for the RKO, but Rusev blocked it and shoved Orton into the direction of English who climbed on the ring apron. Orton knocked English to the floor, but the distraction allowed Rusev to nail The Viper with a Superkick for the win.

·        Rusev’s over the top celebration was awesome. He is a national treasure who should be pushed to the moon. Here’s hoping Rusev and Orton have a match that lasts longer than 30 seconds at the Hell in a Cell PPV because both men are capable of stealing the show if they are given the chance to do so.

·        I am not here for the comedic stylings of Jinder Mahal. That is all…

·        AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin for the United States Championship never got underway because Tye Dillinger got in the ring and clipped Corbin’s right ankle. Dillinger continued to beat up Corbin until WWE officials broke things up.

·        Corbin got back in the ring and tried to call off the match, but Styles nailed him with a forearm before making the Lone Wolf tap out to the Calf Crusher for good measure.

·        It appears that Styles, Dillinger, and Corbin are destined to have a Triple Threat Match for the US Title at HIAC next month. Just a hunch…

·        Charlotte returned to thank the fans for offering the thoughts and prayers to Ric Flair during his recovery from emergency surgery. She talked about making each moment with her dad count when Natalya came out to interrupt.

·        Natalya invited Charlotte to stay in the ring as she held the first annual Celebration of Women Spectacular. She championed women such as Florence Nightingale, Oprah Winfrey, and the competitors from the Mae Young Classic. Most importantly, Nattie wanted to put herself over as being one of the all-time greats.

·        Charlotte had enough of Natalya’s Self-Admiration Society and challenged her to match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Tamina wanted a shot as well which led to Daniel Bryan booking a Fatal Four Way Match featuring the four challengers with the winner going on to face Natalya for the Women’s Title at Hell in a Cell.

·        This was a fine segment to set up the main event for later tonight. Most importantly, the ladies wore appropriate footwear just in case things got physical. Very fashion forward.

·        The New Day defeated The Hype Bros when Big E and Kofi Kingston dropped Zack Ryder with The Midnight Hour for the win. The match was fine, but it was nothing special for the most part.

·        Kevin Owens appeared via satellite and apologized for attacking Vince McMahon last week. However, he blamed Shane McMahon for pushing him to do so. When Owens shook Vince’s hand, all he could see was Shane’s face which caused him to go ballistic.

·        KO offered another apology to anyone who planned to watch his Hell in a Cell match against Shane McMahon next month. What happened to Vince pales in comparison to what Owens intended to do Shane-O-Mac inside the demonic structure. He wouldn’t be condemned to hell. Owens planned to go to heaven as ended his promo on an eerie note.

·        Owens comes off as such a sociopath in the best possible way. Keeping Shane and KO away from each other is smart because the most vicious physicality should be saved for the cell.

·        Dolph Ziggler continued to circle the drain as he mocked Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and DX. I hope Ziggler realizes that HHH and Michaels are more than their ring entrances. They got it done in the ring as well. To whitewash that is beyond asinine. That’s more on the scripting than Ziggler himself, but it’s still infuriating to watch.

·        Charlotte will face Natalya for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Hell in a Cell when she defeated Tamina with a Big Boot in a solid Fatal Four Way Match.

·        The match was a little rough around the edges when Tamina was on offense, but things got better once Becky Lynch and Naomi got involved. The highlight of the match was Charlotte hitting a moonsault on Tamina and Naomi at the same time.

·        Tamina recovered and hit Becky Lynch with a frog splash only for Naomi to break up the pin. Lana pulled Naomi out of the ring, but she got nailed with a stiff kick to the head for her efforts.

·        Tamina would avenge her manager by dropping Naomi with a Superkick, but the distraction gave Charlotte enough time to hit the big boot for the win.

·        SD Live went off the air with Charlotte celebrating in the ring while Natalya looked on backstage.

·        Charlotte and Natalya should have a great match at HIAC if they are given enough time to shine. They’ve had good matches on the main roster, but nothing has topped their epic bout that took place at the second NXT Takeover in May 2014. Charlotte has grown by leaps and beyond since then while Natalya is a seasoned vet who has been through the ringer in terms of shitty booking and a stupid farting gimmick that damn near killed her career dead. She deserves a standout match on the main roster and I believe Charlotte is the right woman for the job. Here’s hoping they cut loose and deliver a classic because they have what it takes to steal the show next month. Fingers crossed!

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live was serviceable. The blue brand just returned from a tour of China which explains why the show was light on in-ring action. The good news is that most of the matches were storyline driven in order to flesh out the Hell in a Cell card over the next couple of weeks.

·        The PPV is coming together nicely as several mid-card matches are starting to take shape. The absence of Bobby Roode is noticeable, but one can presume that Roode is being kept off television until Dolph Ziggler mocks his Glorious Gimmick which should lead to a match at HIAC.

·        The worst part of the show continues to be Jinder Mahal’s over the top comedy act. The fans turned on him and even did a “That’s Too Far” chant when Mahal continued to make lame stereotypical jokes at Shinsuke Nakamura’s expense. It’s not funny and completely tone deaf at this point. I’m glad the Oakland crowd didn’t at play along because it encourages WWE to keep the shtick going. Despite how bad it was last week, they did it again tonight. One can only hope the company got the hint and stop the madness next week. Then again, Ziggler continues to make an ass of himself on live television. Resistance is futile at this point. A girl can dream, though…

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

The SmackDown Files: The Kevin Owens Is The NEW Face Of America By Way Of Canada Edition (5-2-2017)

By: Keila Cash 

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from Fresno State University. Payback might’ve been a Raw exclusive PPV, but SD Live was represented as Randy Orton faced Bray Wyatt in a House of Horrors match that lived up to its namesake in the worst possible way while Chris Jericho became a member of the blue brand when he defeated Kevin Owens to become the new United States Champion.

With Jericho going on tour with Fozzy later this week, one can only assume that his reign as US Champ will be a short one. Was I proven right or did Y2J have another surprise up his sleeve? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s show in no particular order.

·        Shane McMahon welcomed Chris Jericho to SD Live since he defeated Kevin Owens at Payback to become the new United States Champion. Jericho came out and got a hero’s welcome and vowed to defeat Owens tonight in their rematch.

·        AJ Styles made his way to the ring and reminded Jericho that he put SD Live on the map last year. Styles brought up their history as a short-lived tag team with a t-shirt emblazoned with Y2AJ to make things official. Y2J turned on Styles after losing to the New Day last year on Raw which resulted in a WrestleMania match between the two which saw Jericho come out on top.

·        Style had no problem taking the US Title from Jericho at Backlash if he was able to get past Owens tonight. Jericho was about to put Styles on the LIST for doubting his ability to beat his former best friend when KO’s music hit.

·        Owens insulted that McMahon, Jericho, and Styles and told the Phenomenal One to get out of his ring. Styles took his advice and attacked Owens on the ramp which led to a back and forth brawl until WWE officials broke things up as the opening segment came to an end.

·        This was a fine way to start the show. Jericho was entertaining on the mic and WWE did a nice job playing into the history of Jericho and Styles from last year. The odds of both men facing off the US Title is slim, but acknowledging their past was smart because it does tease a potential feud down the road.

·        Owens was the surly heel who hated everyone and played his role to perfection as well. Overall, this made me look forward to the main event while putting some much-needed shine on the US Title as well.

·        Jinder Mahal defeated Sami Zayn with the Cobra Clutch in a decent match. Mahal was in control for the most part, but Zayn had a burst of offense flurry down the stretch.

·        Zayn had Mahal in position for the Helluva Kick, but Singh Brother A pulled Mahal out of the way. Zayn re-thought his strategy and tried to do a flip dive on the outside, but Singh Brother B grabbed his leg which led to the finish.

·        Mahal’s wrestling was fine, but it’s not eye-catching or exciting. As I mentioned last week, his true test will come when he faces Orton for the WWE Championship at Backlash in a few weeks. We shall see if he steps up his game on the big stage.

·        Tye Dillinger made quick work of Aiden English when he pinned English with the Tye Breaker. It appears that English had a nervous breakdown after the match because he was weeping and pulling his hair out. Perhaps singing a song from Hamilton will lift his spirits.

·        English’s night got worse when Chris Jericho put him on the LIST for crying like a baby on his new show. Jericho also put Renee Young on the LIST for no apparent reason.

·        Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina Snuka attacked Charlotte backstage after she got the jump on Natalya first. They slammed her into some equipment items moments before her tag team match with Naomi. They really know how to welcome a girl to a new show by giving her an ass whopping as a housewarming gift.

·        Natalya and Carmella defeated Naomi and Charlotte when Carmella pinned Naomi with a roll-up thanks to a yank of the tights.

·        Naomi fought valiantly on her own until the numbers game caught up to her. Charlotte eventually made her way to the ring, but the backstage beat down left her at less than 100%.

·        She made the hot tag to Naomi and the SmackDown Women’s Champion went to work on Carmella. Naomi had Carmella beat with The Rearview, but Natalya distracted the referee which prevented him from making the three-count.

·        Naomi nailed Natalya with an Enzuigiri, but James Ellsworth provided another distraction which led to the finish.

·        Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina continued to attack Naomi and Charlotte until Becky Lynch slowly made her way to the ring.

·        It appeared that Lynch was going to join the heels as she shook their hands in a sign of camaraderie. Ellsworth was waiting for his handshake, but Lynch tossed him into Tamina instead.

·        Lynch’s decision came back to bite her as the trio of mean girls laid her out as well before heading backstage.

·        This was a good way to put heat on the heels once again. The babyfaces have to fight through adversity in order to take out the Bitter Brigade at Backlash.

·        Also, this will give fans a reason to cheer for Charlotte because she has been humbled in recent weeks. She has to cut back on The Queen speak, but I believe her improvement as a talker will make the transition from heel to face easier to digest.

·        Dolph Ziggler defeated Sin Cara when he nailed the high-flying Luchador with a Superkick for the win. The match was solid as Sin Cara had a chance to shine, but the outcome was never in doubt because Ziggler is being groomed for a match against Shinsuke Nakamura at Backlash.

·        I have to admit that The Fashion Files Segment featuring Breezango was cute.

·        Kevin Owens regained the United States Championship when he dropped Chris Jericho with the Popup Powerbomb in a good main event match.

·        Owens and Jericho told a nice story in the ring as Jericho targeted Owens’ injured hand while KO was in survival mode by escaping the Walls of Jericho on a couple of occasions.

·        The momentum swung in KO’s favor when Jericho slid out of the ring only for Owens to nail him with a Superkick followed by a DDT on the floor. Jericho never recovered from the spot which led to the finish.

·        Jericho was nursing his neck as EMTs tended to him in the ring. Noticing that he had an opening, Owens attacked Jericho and laid him out with another Popup Powerbomb before heading backstage.

·        Jericho was helped out of the ring, but Owens attacked him while he was heading up the ramp. KO grabbed a steel chair from behind the barricade and threatened to hit Jericho with it. Instead, he wrapped the chair around Y2J’s neck and rammed him into the ring post.

·        Jericho coughed up a spittle of blood while Owens marveled at his handiwork as SD Live went off the air.

·        This was Jericho’s farewell injury angle because he is heading back tour with Fozzy this weekend. Y2J likes to leave in a blaze of glory while giving the rub to someone else on the way out. Owens fits the bill perfectly which should give KO good heel heat moving forward.

·        Jericho will be back someday and one can only assume that he will get a measure of revenge on his former best friend.

·        In the meantime, Owens has a US Title match against AJ Styles at Backlash in a few weeks. They already have built-in heat which will serve both men well heading into the championship bout in Chicago. The atmosphere should be electric with the in-ring action pushing things over the top.

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live was decent at best. The wrestling portion of the broadcast was nothing special outside of the main event. It was a heel heavy night in terms of outcomes as the trio of Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina wiped out the babyfaces for the second week in a row. Jinder Mahal, Dolph Ziggler, and Kevin Owens picked up wins while Tye Dillinger was the saving grace in terms of a face escaping certain doom by beating Aiden English.

·        In many ways, this felt like a maintenance show because the crew has to catch a flight to Glasgow, Scotland to kick off the SD Live European Tour later this week. With next week being a taped show in London, WWE really has to turn up the volume in terms of hype because the following Tuesday is the go-home show for Backlash and they need to have all of their ducks in a row to make sure that this PPV doesn’t die on a vine like Payback. Let’s hope the company takes care of business because SD Live feels less must-see since the Superstar Shakeup.

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! 

The SmackDown Files: The How to Almost Destroy The Mystic of Shinsuke Nakamura in Five Easy Steps Edition (4-25-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. After Jinder Mahal shocked the world to become the number one contender for Randy Orton’s WWE Championship last we, did the creative team go for a repeat performance in terms of shocking the audience for kicks and giggles or was it back to business as usual on Tuesday nights? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of SD Live in no particular order.  

·        SD Live got off to a puzzling start with Dolph Ziggler interrupting Renee Young’s interview with Shinsuke Nakamura. Ziggler pretended that Nakamura was Michael Jackson and proceeded to run with it for an embarrassingly long period of time. It was beyond cringe-worthy. Nakamura called Ziggler a jackass which led to The Show Off kicking Nakamura in the midsection.

·        Nakamura laid Ziggler out with a belly-to-belly suplex and was about to nail him with the Kinshasa, but Ziggler ducked out of the way as the opening segment came to an end.

·        This was such a bad segment. The Artist Known As Shinsuke Nakamura intro is lame. Ziggler’s promo was downright dreadful and Nakamura’s giving him the side eye which pretty much summed up the opener. It is well-documented that Nakamura emulates Michael Jackson. AJ Styles discussed this in great detail in various interviews after debuting in WWE last year.

·        However, there is no need to hit people over the head with that fact by having Ziggler make fun of Nakamura is such a condescending and icky way. This was ten steps below their first confrontation a few weeks ago. Here’s hoping their in-ring work is superior that the slice of creative bullshit they were handed tonight. This was an awful way to start the show.

·        AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin was a nice palate cleanser as they had a solid match that was aided by Kevin Owen’s biting comments on guest commentary. Corbin dominated the match early on, but Styles gained control down the stretch when he shoved Corbin’s head into the turnbuckle before nailing him with the Pele Kick for good measure.

·        Styles was about to nail Corbin with the Phenomenal Forearm, but Owens decided to confront Styles at ringside. Styles kicked KO in the face, but the distraction allowed Corbin to hoist him up for a powerbomb attempt. Styles countered with a roll-up to pick up the win.

·        Styles didn’t get a chance to celebrate as Owens and Corbin went on the attack. Sami Zayn made the save and nailed Corbin with the Helluva Kick. Owens tossed Zayn out of the ring and dropped Styles with a Popup Powerbomb as the segment came to an end.

·        This was a nice way to forward tension between Styles and Owens heading into their presumed United States Championship match at Backlash next month. I’m glad WWE went with the decisive finish because Styles needed the win more than Corbin. Corbin was relatively protected despite the loss and it appears he’s going to be slotted in a feud with Zayn based on the run-in. They should have a good match, but I hope Zayn’s purpose on SD Live is greater than being a utility player to elevate others. It’s a nice gig, but he deserves better than that.

·        American Alpha set the pace in the Beat the Clock Challenge when they defeated The Colons in 5:17 when Chad Gable and Jason Jordan laid out Epico with Grand Amplitude for the win. The match was better than their quick bout from last week, but it didn’t set the world on fire either. At least the crowd was behind Alpha which has rarely been the case in recent weeks.

·        Rusev doesn’t like his new bosses on SD Live and gave them an ultimatum heading into the Money in the Bank PPV which takes place in June. If he’s not granted a title shot, he will pack his bags and move back to Bulgaria. I think it’s safe to assume that The Bulgarian Brute will be medically cleared to compete by that deadline.

·        Randy Orton defeated Erick Rowan with an RKO in a solid No Disqualification match. Orton and Rowan took their fair share of bumps as Orton put Rowan through a table while Rowan rammed Orton’s head with the steel steps.

·        Rowan placed a chair between the ropes and was about to finish Orton off when The Viper slammed Rowan’s head into the chair instead which led to the aforementioned finish.

·        After the match was over, Orton cut a brief promo on Bray Wyatt by telling the Eater of Worlds that he would experience eternal hell during their House of Horrors match at Payback.

·        Jinder Mahal came out and took offense to Orton overlooking him heading into their WWE Championship match at Backlash next month. Mahal chided the fans for being jealous of his wealth, culture, education, & talent and vowed to bring the WWE Title home to his people.

·        He proceeded to cut a promo in Punjabi before taking a cheap shot at Orton. Orton was about to drop Mahal with the Draping DDT, but the Bollywood Boyz made the save. Mahal laid Orton out with the Cobra Clutch Slam and left the arena with the WWE Championship.

·        This was a nice way to forward two feuds at once as Orton had a short and sweet message for Wyatt while Mahal continues to generate good heel heat as the arrogant foreign heel with a chip on his shoulder. He’s doing a nice job so far, but his in-ring work will tell the true story soon enough.

·        Breezango won the Beat the Clock Challenge and will face The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Backlash when they defeated The Ascension in a decent match.

·        The action was solid for the most part, but the dynamic was little off because it was a heel vs. heel match. However, it appears that Breezango is now a babyface team as the fans cheered them on down the stretch.

·        The Ascension was about to finish off Fandango with the Fall of Man, but Tyler Breeze saved the day when he nailed Viktor with the Beauty Shot which allowed Fandango to hit The Falcon Arrow for the win.

·        Breezango is a talented tag team minus the hokey gimmick. The fans are starting to see that and I hope The Usos vs. Breezango shock the world in Chicago because they have the ability to do so.

·        The trio of Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina Snuka derailed Charlotte’s Drive for Five when they interfered in her SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Naomi. The heels got rid of Naomi and focused their attention on Charlotte as they beat down The Queen as the crowd showered them with boos.

·        Before the DQ, Naomi and Charlotte had a very good Women’s Title match as it was more evenly matched than their tune-up bout last week. The action was fast-paced and crisp which bodes well for their inevitable PPV rematch down the road. Most importantly, the crowd was hot during the main event which is an encouraging sign that the women are capable of holding down the fort at a moment’s notice.

·        The DQ finish was expected because the mean girls are trying to put Charlotte in her place. Becky Lynch was nowhere to be found, but I expect that piece of the puzzle to play out next week because Natalya threatened Lynch to choosing the winning side or else.

·        The Women’s Division feels fresh with a lot of possibilities in terms of matchups heading into the summer. Charlotte being the babyface makes sense because she has other heels breathing down her neck. Plus, the fans want to cheer for her based on the constant “wooing” as of late. Unlike her initial babyface run in 2015, she has gained more experience as a wrestler and talker which has better prepared her for this moment. Knowing how WWE operates, Charlotte will turn 1000 times before she retires. Like Father, Like Daughter. It’s a tradition that will last forever.

·        Outside of the disastrous opening segment, SmackDown Live was a solid show for the most. The in-ring action ranged from decent to good while the Land of Opportunity mantra continues to ring true as Jinder Mahal continued his unbelievable ascent towards the main event scene while Breezango earned a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Titles.

·        SD Live did a better job hyping Payback than their red counterpart last night. It feels like a joint PPV due to the inter-promotional matches featuring Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt in a House of Horrors Match and Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho for the United States Championship. It has made for awkward television at times, but the finish line is near. At least the creative team is doing a good job building up the Backlash PPV as a major standalone show.

·        My only criticism was that awful promo Dolph Ziggler cut on Shinsuke Nakamura that kicked off the show. If my memory serves me correctly, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode never brought up Michael Jackson to hype up their NXT Championship bouts against the King of Strong Style. This was such a WWE thing to do and it was executed poorly. Nakamura’s mystic took a minor hit, but he should recover nicely if he kicks Ziggler’s ass at Backlash and move on to bigger and better things. Is the Money in the Bank Ladder match next on the agenda? We shall see. Considering the shit he had to endure tonight, it’s a fine consolation prize.

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