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5 Takeaways From WWE SmackDown (2/20)

shane mcmahon owens smackdown

Written by

Robert Lentini

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The February 20th episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ. Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:

Sami Zayn Shared His Plan For WWE Fastlane

WWE Champion AJ Styles kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown. Styles made his way down to the ring for an interview with Renee Young. Renee tried to start the interview but the entire crowd started to chant “AJ Styles!”. AJ responded to the crowd and posed on the turnbuckle.

Young asked if AJ still felt like he was in control of his own destiny for WrestleMania with Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler added to the Fastlane main event. Styles said that he was still in control and that he felt like he can defeat any Superstar that gets in his way.

Styles admitted that the Fatal 5-Way was a problem because anything can happen. AJ brought Renee over to the ropes and pointed at the announce table. Styles stated that it would feel damn good to drive Kevin Owens through that table at Fastlane. Styles noted that the problem is that while he is doing that, Dolph Ziggler could be pinning someone in the ring to win the WWE Championship.

AJ listed off Zayn, Owens , Ziggler and Corbin and claimed that he could beat them all one on one. Corbin interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp with a microphone. Corbin said that Styles was a fool if he believes that he can beat him. Baron noted that he defeated AJ Styles the last time they faced each other, Corbin won and captured the United States Championship.

Corbin said that he had AJ’s number and that is because AJ is just an athlete and that he is a fighter. Corbin got in AJ’s face and told him that he was looking at the new WWE Champion. Kevin Owens joined the party and came out from backstage with a microphone in his hand.

Owens stopped on the entrance ramp and said that he was going to do everyone a favor and shut Corbin and Styles up. Owens vowed to slam AJ through the announce table with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. Owens added that Corbin looked like a scared little cub last week when he was in pain. Corbin called Owens a punk and Owens responded by stating that Shane McMahon handed Baron his opportunity.

Kevin Owens once again claimed that Shane McMahon has a vendetta against him. AJ asked Owens if he got “that boil” lanced off his back in a reference to Sami Zayn. Owens mockingly laughed and said “what a comedian!”. Owens began to rant about Shane McMahon again and the Commissioner of SmackDown interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp.

Shane danced around a bit and acknowledged the loud chants of “Shane O’ Mac!” from the crowd. Shane said that there is a lot of talk going on right now and that is not what the crowd wants. They want action. Shane announced that Corbin will face AJ Styles in the main event of tonight’s SmackDown. Shane McMahon then announced that Kevin Owens will face Dolph Ziggler right now.

Graves complained about Shane McMahon’s vendetta against Owens as the match started. Owens controlled the match early but Dolph connected with a Dropkick that knocked Owens out of the ring. Dolph followed him out there and bounced his head off the steel steps before returning to the ring.

Owens lured Ziggler to the corner and elbowed him in the face. Ziggler responded with another Dropkick and Owens once again rolled out of the ring. Dolph followed him out there but this time Owens was ready and launched him into the barricade. Ziggler hit a third Dropkick to Owens while he was on the ring apron and Kevin fell and smacked his face off the ring apron.

Owens quickly battled back and slammed Dolph into the ring apron. Back in the ring, Owens went for a Senton but Dolph rolled out of the way. Owens went for a Suplex but Dolph reversed it into a Suplex of his own. Ziggler went for a Splash in the corner but Owens got out of the way and Dolph smacked into the turnbuckle. Owens connected with a Cannonball for a two count as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Ziggler hit Owens with a DDT. Owens charged at Ziggler in the corner but Dolph got out of the way and hit a Neckbreaker for a two count. Ziggler went for a Superkick but Owens countered into a Gutbuster and then hit an Elbow Drop off the second rope for a two count.

Owens climbed to the top rope but Dolph greeted him there with a punch to the face. Owens shoved Ziggler off the top rope and to the mat. Owens went for a Senton but Ziggler got his knees up. Dolph followed it up with a Fameasser for another two count. Owens went for the Pop-Up Powerbomb but Dolph escaped and connected with a Zig Zag for two.

Sami Zayn’s music hit and Sami ran down to the ring. Owens connected with a Superkick to the back of Ziggler’s head while he was distracted by Sami. Owens covered Ziggler for the victory and Sami backed up the entrance ramp with a smirk on his face.

Later on SmackDown, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens had a conversation backstage. Zayn claimed that he owed Owens for getting him to the main event. Sami stated that the last thing that Owens needs right now is another enemy. Sami vowed to be Owens’ guardian angel. Sami Zayn said that they will take out the rest of the Superstars in the Fatal 5-Way match and then Sami will do the right thing and lay down in the middle of the ring.

Owens couldn’t believe what Sami was saying. Sami added that Owens needs to become WWE Champion again and go on to main event WrestleMania. Owens and Zayn shared a hug, but Owens still had a bewildered look on his face.

I’m guessing that the Yep Movement will officially come to an end at Fastlane. I can’t believe that Zayn would actually lay down and take the pin for Owens at Fastlane.

Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan Are Arguing About The United States Championship Now

Jinder Mahal came down to the ring with the promise of providing a “Roode Awakening” for United States Champion Bobby Roode. Mahal said that he has made a startling discovery that has shaken him to his core. Jinder stated that the WWE Universe deserves to know of this discovery.

Mahal claimed that he believes in truth and transparency and added that everyone is in for a Roode Awakening. Jinder Mahal revealed Bobby Roode’s personal Top 10 SmackDown Superstar list in which Bobby Roode ranked himself number one. Randy Orton was also not on this list.

Jinder called Bobby Roode a glorious egomaniac and inglorious liar. Bobby Roode came down to the entrance ramp in a suit. Roode stated that wasn’t his list and noted that he had a secret on Mahal. Roode said that Mahal wanted to be United States Champion so bad that he is trying to pit Randy Orton against him. Roode entered the ring and claimed that Jinder Mahal could never defeat him in a fair fight.

The crowd started to chant “you can’t win!”. Mahal admitted that he wanted to be United States Champion and demanded that Roode admit that he thinks he is better than Randy Orton. Roode stated that he never said that or that he wanted to be the next Legend Killer. Mahal accused Roode of being scared of Randy Orton.

Roode said that he wasn’t scared of Jinder Mahal and told Jinder to forget about Orton. Roode took off his jacket and got in Mahal’s face. Randy Orton interrupted and made his way down to the ring. Orton got in Roode’s face and started arguing with him. Orton turned his attention to Mahal and punched him in the face. Roode Clotheslined Mahal out of the ring. Orton went for an RKO on Roode but Bobby was ready and countered into a Glorious DDT. Roode started to pose in the ring but Mahal got back in the ring and planted him with the Khallas.

Backstage, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan had a conversation and noted that they didn’t think the SmackDown Top 10 list would cause this much controversy. Bryan stated that he thought Mahal should get a shot at the United States Championship.

Shane McMahon stated that he believed that Orton should get the title shot. Daniel Bryan stated that Shane brought him to SmackDown to run the show, but every decision he makes is met with resistance. Shane claimed that he was only getting involved in Daniel’s decisions that he makes out of emotion. Shane then made the United States Championship match between Bobby Roode and Randy Orton official for WWE Fastlane. Daniel Bryan then said “whatever you want boss” and walked away.

This better be leading to something special. Bryan and Shane’s arguing every week has been tedious for some time. Their bitterness between each other has become the focal point of the WWE Championship match and now it looks like we can add the United States Championship match to that list at Fastlane. The logical conclusion is that it will be a Triple Threat match between Bobby Roode, Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal at Fastlane. It is amazing how SmackDown and RAW have completely flipped when it comes to authority figures constantly being on the show.

The Riott Squad Picked Up A Big Win

Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Naomi faced the Riott Squad tonight in a 6-woman tag match on SmackDown. Charlotte, Naomi and Becky Lynch took turns beating down Sarah Logan to start off the mathc. Becky and Naomi connected with dueling Dropkicks and knocked Logan and Riott out of the ring. Charlotte then booted Liv Morgan out of the ring as SmackDown went to a break.

Whan SmackDown returned, Naomi was in control of Ruby Riott. Ruby battled back and and connected with a knee. Liv Morgan tagged in and was greeted with a Bulldog into the second rope. Naomi followed it up with a Moonsault and went for the cover but Riott and Logan pulled Morgan out of the ring. Naomi leaped onto Riott and Logan and connected with a Crossbody. Morgan grabbed Naomi from behind and slammed her into the steel steps.

Back in the ring, Sarah Logan tagged in and locked in a submission hold in the middle of the ring. Naomi broke free and tagged in the SmackDown Women’s Champion. Charlotte connected with a big boot to Logan. Liv Morgan hopped up on the ring apron and distracted Charlotte. Charlotte booted Morgan off the apron but Logan connected with a chop block to Charlotte’s knee.

Riott and Becky Lynch tagged in. Becky connected with a couple of Exploder Suplexes and the crowd gave her a big hand. Riott went for a roll-up but Becky reversed it into the Dis-Arm-Her. Liv Morgan broke up the hold and all hell broke loose in the ring. Becky got distracted and Ruby Riott connected with the Riott Kick for the pinfall victory. After the match, Ruby Riott taunted Charlotte and said “one down, two to go”.

Charlotte defeated Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan on recent episodes of SmackDown. Sarah Logan put up a good fight last week, but wound up coming short. Ruby Riott is the last member of the Riott Squad that Charlotte needs to defeat. Riott made a statement tonight by pinning the first-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion. It was later announced that Charlotte will be defending her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ruby Riott at WWE Fastlane.

New Day Will Face The Usos At WWE Fastlane

Shelton Benajamin and Chad Gable faced New Day tonight on SmackDown. The winners of the match will go on to face The Usos at WWE Fastlane. Gable and Benjamin controlled the match early as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Shelton had Woods tapped int he corner. Benjamin went for a Superplex but Woods battled back and headbutted him off the turnbuckle. Woods followed it up with a Dropkick off the top rope.

Big E and Gable tagged in. Big E greeted Gable with two Belly to Belly Suplexes and then Gable responded with a Belly to Belly of his own for a two count. Gable climbed to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Big E got out of the way. Gable landed on his feet but was knocked to the canvas by Big E.

Benjamin tagged in and teamed up with Gable to slam him to the mat. Benjamin went for the cover but Kingston distracted the ref on the ring apron. Woods tagged in and Gable was knocked out of the ring. Woods connected with a Shining Wizard for the pinfall victory.

After the match, the Bludgeon Brothers came down to the ring and had a brief stare down with New Day. Harper grabbed Rowan and the two walked away. The Bludgeon Brothers then faced a couple of jobbers and won with ease.

I’d rather see Rusev Day versus The Usos at Fastlane. I’d rather see Gable & Benjamin versus The Usos again at Fastlane. Hell, I would have rather seen The Bludgeon Brothers get a shot at the title. The New Day and The Usos have terrific chemistry in the ring and the match will no doubt put on a great match at the PPV. I would have preferred to see another team get a shot instead of the same thing over and over again.

Everything is moving at a snail’s pace on SmackDown. There is a ton of talent in the SmackDown tag division that are just sitting on the sidelines for absolutely no reason. Maybe Daniel Bryan can complain to Shane McMahon that the referee made a mistake and they can argue about who should be in the tag match at Fastlane as well.

Photo Credit: WWE.com
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Baron Corbin Took Out Zayn & Owens To End The Show

Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin faced AJ Styles tonight in the SmackDown main event. Dolph Ziggler was shown backstage watching the match as Corbin took it to Styles in the beginning of the match.

AJ connected with a Dropkick and then a forearm to the face. Corbin rolled out of the ring and AJ tried to leap onto him but Baron caught him and planted him with a Backbreaker as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Corbin leveled Styles with a ridiculous Clothesline and went for the cover but AJ kicked out at two. Corbin sprinted at AJ but Styles avoided it and Corbin launched himself into the ring post. Styles booted Corbin into the barricade outside the ring and followed it up with a sliding knee to the face on the ring apron.

Corbin threw AJ over the announce table and then rolled back in the ring. Styles used his ridiculous speed and sprinted back to the ring apron and connected with a Phenomenal Forearm for a two count.

Corbin connected with the Deep Six but AJ was able to kick out at the last second. Baron went for the End of Days but AJ Styles reversed it into the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring. Corbin grabbed Styles and bashed the back of his head into the mat to break the hold. AJ went for another Phenomenal Forearm but Corbin grabbed him by the throat. Corbin shouted at AJ that he cannot beat him. AJ shoved Corbin to the mat and connected with the Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn attacked AJ Styles. Owens cleared off the announce table but Corbin planted Sami Zayn with the End of Days. Corbin then planted Kevin Owens with End of Days as SmackDown went off the air.

Corbin put up a solid fight against AJ Styles but ultimately fell short to the WWE Champion. However, he was the last Superstar standing at the end of the night after planting both Owens and Zayn with the End of Days. WWE Fastlane will air on March 11th and it is hard to imagine SmackDown getting any better until Fastlane is done with.

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