SmackDown LIVE: Five things we learnt as Kevin Owens battled Sami Zayn for a chance to face AJ Styles
SunSport runs the rule over the show to pick out all the big questions that were raised on an action-packed night
LAST night Kevin Owens battled Sami Zayn for a chance to face WWE Champion AJ Styles at Fastlane on March 11 – SmackDown’s last stop before WrestleMania.
Who came out of the match victorious? And what does it mean for ‘Mania? Here are five things we learnt from last night’s edition of SmackDown LIVE.
Shane McMahon v Daniel Bryan is back on
The show opened with a verbal confrontation between McMahon and Bryan. It’s the first time they’ve clashed for two weeks.
Yes, the feud that – due to Bryan not being cleared to wrestle – can go nowhere, seemed to be going… well, nowhere. But whatever WWE has planned for these two is back on.
McMahon said SmackDown is the land of opportunity (yawn) but Bryan keeps handing the opportunities to the same two superstars – Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
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He accused Bryan of living vicariously through KO and Zayn, before AJ Styles arrived to complain about SmackDown management.
There was one thing they didn’t mention: Shinsuke Nakamura. Two weeks after winning the Royal Rumble, the number one contender is already an afterthought.
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Charlotte Flair has nothing to do
The SmackDown Women’s Champion defeated Liv Morgan, then proclaimed she was “one down, two the go” against the Riott Squad.
Haven’t the Squad already been decisively beaten and chased off by Charlotte and the other babyfaces?
This close to WrestleMania, Charlotte’s big feud should be set or at least getting started.
With the arrival of Ronda Rousey, it looks suspiciously like WWE doesn’t know what it’s doing with the women’s division heading into ‘Mania.
The SmackDown Top 10 has been revealed
Daniel Bryan announced the results of the new ranking system, as voted for by the SmackDown superstars. The top 10 is as follows.
10. Tye Dillinger
9. Randy Orton
8. Becky Lynch
7. The Usos
6. The New Day
5. Bobby Roode
4. Naomi
3. Shinsuke Nakamura
2. Charlotte
1. AJ Styles
The list was meant to identify who deserved SmackDown’s much-talked opportunities – we assumed a sort of league table for title contenders – but it’s all looking a bit pointless.
How do superstars move up and down the list? Where are all the heels? And should champions – who by definition are top of the league – be included?
Randy Orton has his sights on the US title
Bobby Roode successfully defended his US Championship against Rusev in decent match.
But the big moment came post-match, when Randy Orton charged into the ring and hit Roode with a sneaky RKO.
(In the name of fairness, Orton dropped both Rusev and his lackey Aiden English with a pair of RKOs too.)
It was a classic “outta nowhere” attack – and looks like it’s setting up a brand new feud for the so-far criminally underserviced Roode.
Does this mean we’ll see Bobby Roode v Randy Orton at WrestleMania?
The Fastlane main event has been set
In another painfully predictable move, Kevin Owens v Sami Zayn ended in a no contest after AJ Styles got involved at ringside.
Daniel Bryan then announced that the Fastlane main event will be a triple threat match – AJ v Kevin Owens v Sami Zayn.
(Shane’s bound to have some more words for Bryan about that decision next week.)
Can KO and Zayn’s friendship survive another clash over the title?
Or – after AJ undoubtedly retains the belt at Fastlane – will the friends-turned-enemies-turned-friends-again do battle at WrestleMania?
