WWE Smackdown LIVE Highlights
Is This the End of Luke Harpers Alliance with Bray Wyatt?
Throughout the years we have seen a very interesting relationship between Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt portrayed to us. There have been moments where they have appeared as though they are the closest duo the WWE have seen and times where Harper has come across desperate to escape and wanting to go about and do his own thing. In recent weeks we have seen a great deal of tension amongst the Wyatt family and that has all come down to one man...Randy Orton. Since joining the Wyatt family Orton has been a big part in causing a divide amongst the faction. We have seen Harper and Randy demonstrate those tensions and its been made clear the pair don't like each other at all. Last night the pair finally went one on one in a match I actually had a lot more interest in than I expected. The WWE have actually done a really good job in building up this story and what is so great is the fact there is still so much more they can do here and with this story. The match itself was nothing touching amazing but it was at least entertaining and I was invested in the action completely because of the story they had been telling for weeks. We had Bray Wyatt sitting at ringside in his rocking chair not giving anything away and it was genuinely interesting seeing not only who was going to walk away with the win but what would happen after to the superstar who lost. We didn't have to wait long to find out after Orton was able to pick up the win it was time for Bray Wyatt to make a decision and out of nowhere, he concluded the segment by hitting a sister Abigail on his longest ally. Personally, I thought the whole thing was actually one really well. Like I said, I honestly do believe this is one of the best-told stories in the WWE right now. It still has so much potential and it's also one of the most unpredictable. You genuinely don't really know where they are going to go with this next and I love that. I really am looking forward to seeing how what we saw last night effects the Royal Rumble performance for all three of these superstars and what could be heading their way heading into Wrestlemania. I strongly believe that Harper will be just fine on his own if the WWE can actually book his single run properly. You guys all know by now how much of a fan I am of Harpers and after following his career for so long I know exactly what he is capable of doing.Mickie James Sets the Record Straight
During last week's Women's Championship match main event we saw the return of five-time women's champion herself, Mickie James. I've already told you how amazingly happy I was to see her finally make her return to the WWE and how much of a mark out moment it was for me last week. On the show this week, however, she looked to make an impact once again and set the record straight during an in-ring interview with Renee Young. In the main event last week Mickie revealed herself to be La LuchaDora and was involved in the finish that would eventually lead to Alexa Bliss retaining her championship. Now, I love Mickie James but her promo last night was all over the place. We got a touch of her crazy side come out which I love but I don't think her reasoning for siding with Alexa was clear. One minute she was talking about the women's revolution and how it was one big joke basically and the next she was commenting Alexa. I am still hoping we go with that angle of Mickie being a little obsessed with Alexa and Bliss going along with it and using that to her advantage to keep hold of the championship. Again, there is so much storyline potential here and I'm definitely excited to see what's going to go down. The women's division over on Smackdown LIVE is just killing it right now and I'm for sure looking forward to the next few months.
Naomi Makes Her WWE TV Return
This week on Smackdown LIVE Naomi made her much-anticipated return to Smackdown LIVE when she was set to go one on one with Natalya. However, backstage footage showed Nattie and Nikki Bella once again brawling following Natalya's attack on Nikki in the car park earlier on in the day. The backstage fight between the two superstars made complete sense and a part of me did like the fact that they didn't go with the usual work of having Nattie and Naomi start a match only for Nikki to interfere. It would have ruined Naomi's return and destroyed her chance of making an impact on her first night back.This way we got to see the feud between Nikki and Natalya develop even more (although I do really think we need to end the brawls and give these two a pay per view match as soon as possible) and we also got to see Naomi have a strong return and enter a new program that really does work. After the footage was shown for everyone in the arena including Naomi to see the Total Divas star took to the mic and made sure everyone knew that she was back to make an impact. Refusing to leave the ring until competition was presented to her she set out an open challenge to the women in the locker room putting the whole division on notice.Who was she joined by? The current WWE Smackdown LIVE women's champion. Ah, I can't tell you how much I loved this. Personally, I'm not expecting to see Alexa drop the title anytime soon, I really am hoping the WWE work something between her and Mickie James in the future (something I will be talking about in more detail later on) but seeing Naomi finally get some attention and being able to focus on something this big was great. So many hardcore fans including myself have wanted to see Naomi get a push for a long long time and while I do believe it's still going to be a while before we get to see her with the title around her waist her booking does look promising at the moment and I'm hoping we finally get to see more of her. I also have to mention how much I simply liked the fact that Bliss coming out to confront Naomi really showed how she is the true leader of this division. She didn't let anyone else take her spotlight from her and she looked like the champ who runs the camp.Both women were strong on the mic and the crowd did appear to be invested in what was going on. An overall really good segment and one of my favourites of the night.John Cena Gets the Final Word before Royal Rumble Championship Match
One of the matches I'm most looking forward to this weekend is the WWE Championship matchup between John Cena and current champ AJ Styles. We know from their history that these two can deliver some fantastic work in the ring. Some of the best matches of twenty sixteen came from the bouts between these two superstars and I don't doubt for a single second that this weekend they will once again raise the bar. It's one of the most unpredictable matches of the card and I genuinely am interested in seeing who walks away with the championship and what is waiting for both these men heading into Wrestlemania. Personally, I'm hoping to see Styles retain this weekend and if he is set to lose the title soon he does so at the Elimination Chamber. On the show last night, however, it was all about getting the last word in and making sure everyone in the WWE universe was excited ahead of their match this coming Sunday. The segment kick started with AJ Styles calling out the fifteen-time champion and it wasn't long before the two were involved in a verbal brawl, however, this time it was John who got the upper hand. Going in on Styles, Cena took a couple of personal digs at the champ and while both men look very confident heading into their Royal Rumble championship match last night was all about Cena as he left the ring with the final word.
Intercontinental Championship is Defended in a Lumberjack Match
One of the best things we have seen from Smackdown LIVE is how well they have managed to bring some life back to the Intercontinental championship. I know I have said it a million times before but we have seen that title go to complete shit over the years but thanks to the Miz and the strong storytelling and matches that have been presented to us we have seen this title finally go back to actually meaning something and feel like an important championship. Thi is something I was actually talking about last night with a few friends. I couldn't help but comment on the fact that over on Smackdown LIVE we have seen the IC title made into such a big deal. The storylines have been very strong and the matches have also delivered, however, the fact that we have seen these storyline's
I did actually fall asleep during last nights show but that had nothing to do with how good it was what so ever, I was just really sleepy. Overall I thought it was yet another entertaining show. Everything fitted in perfectly and nothing felt forced or as though it didn't belong on the show. We saw Mojo Rawley win a battle royal to earn a spot in the Royal Rumble along with a six women tag team matched added to the Rumble card. This weekend I will be live tweeting throughout both NXT Takeover and the Royal Rumble. As always you can let me know what YOU thought of last night's show by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me over at @TezangiVictoria.
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