I don’t remember the last time I’ve spent all week looking forward to one match. Not a pay-per-view encounter, not even a contest for one of the promotion’s top titles, but just a standard, run-of-the-mill mid-week match.
But that’s the level of excitement I felt about the IIconics taking on the Boss & Hug Connection.
I’m joking of course. Last night’s SmackDown Live was all about Kofi Kingston and the insane challenge forced on him by Vince McMahon. On the line for the 12-year veteran was a spot at WrestleMania against the WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan. And all Kofi had to do was triumph against four of the best wrestlers on the SmackDown roster (and Rowan) in an energy-sapping gauntlet match.
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It was a nice touch having multiple members of the SmackDown locker room either wish Kofi luck for his match or be actively engaged in watching it unfold backstage. Both AJ Styles and Rey ended their respective promos by signalling their support for the underdog, while a growing assortment of onlookers were seen gathering backstage with the rest of the New Day to root him on. It added a sense of unity to what we were seeing – it wasn’t just Kofi alone facing the seemingly impossible odds. He had the support of WWE fans and wrestlers alike. We were there with him, cheering him on. And so were the seemingly unconnected collection of his peers. Everyone loves Kofi.
It should go without saying that things weren’t as straightforward as we’d been led to believe however. Somehow, miraculously, Kofi overcame Sheamus, Cesaro, Rowan, Samoa Joe and finally Randy Orton, to – as far as we knew – book his place in the WWE title match at WrestleMania. But almost before the celebrations even began, Vince McMahon strutted out to the ramp to confirm that Kofi would indeed be going to ‘Mania. That is, if he could beat one last opponent… Daniel Bryan.
In Kofi’s shattered state, Bryan made quick work of the match, picking up the pin after a running knee and breaking spirits around the world. This was an absolutely brutal finish to what we expected to be a fairytale story.
The thing is though that Vince screwing Kofi yet again worked. It’s consistent with everything we’ve seen since Kevin Owens returned and continues to punish the fans before ultimately giving them what they want. Unlike the disappointment of Kurt facing Baron in his retirement match though, this wasn’t a case of the babyface being responsible for causing his own hardship. Kurt handpicked Baron as his opponent, but Kofi didn’t ask for any of this. It was forced on him by the villainous Vince. And it differs from the messy Becky, Charlotte and Ronda storyline by being significantly simpler in its execution. There are no suspensions or arrests or injuries, just Vince constantly booking Kofi in one more match. Always placing that extra challenge in the hero’s path until he just can’t overcome them anymore. “Mountains on top of mountains“, as Big E angrily pointed out after the match.
But we know where this story ends. Endure the heartbreak now, because Kingston is on the Road to WrestleMania. The underdog will eventually triumph.
I can’t wait for next week.
So with that said, let’s get into the best parts of this week’s SmackDown Live.
What was your favourite moment from SmackDown Live?
Kyle Payne
The entire gauntlet with Kofi and the story that is being told with him is absolutely perfect. An underdog story of overcoming the odds, the adoration of the fans, and the other wrestlers watching backstage and cheering him on was all woven together to tell a great tale. When Kofi finally won and it looked as if he was going to WrestleMania, only to have a swerve and have him face one last competitor, was such a nice twist. WWE really loves torturing their fans but, sometimes, they can be master storytellers and they are doing some of their best work with Kofi. A great rollercoaster of emotions.
The IIconics proved that the women’s tag team champions, Sasha Banks and Bayley, have been avoiding them by beating them. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair also proved that they don’t need Ronda Rousey to see a PPV because they are both gold at what they do.
With support from @WWEBigE @XavierWoodsPhD and the ENTIRE @WWEUniverse, @TrueKofi prepares to run the gauntlet on #SDLive.
Let's do this. pic.twitter.com/Xf2HAmqWWb
— WWE (@WWE) March 20, 2019
Nicholas Holicki
I really enjoyed Kayla Braxton’s backstage interview with Dominic – no come, be serious. This night was all about Kofi and the herculean task facing him in that gauntlet match.
It would’ve been so great to see this match take up the entire two-hour runtime, but that shouldn’t detract from what turned out to be an unbelievable spectacle. Faced with the seemingly impossible task of defeating five men on the same night, Kofi fought, scrambled and clawed his way to victory. Only to be screwed by Vince McMahon and Daniel Bryan.
This was not only an excellent match, but also put the pieces in place for a really intriguing run-up to WrestleMania. We’re pretty certain that Kofi is going to WrestleMania… the only question is how he gets there.
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
Kyle Payne
The biggest issue with SmackDown, and the issue they’ve seemed to have since Ronda and Becky began feuding, is Asuka. They don’t know what to do with her and with only a few weeks remaining, she has no viable opponents. Asuka is such a great wrestler who doesn’t deserve to be left on the back burner. She’s too amazing as a performer to be placed in anyone’s shadow. Unless Rhea Ripley is coming from NXT UK to fight the ‘Empress of Tomorrow’, I don’t know what they will do.
Nicholas Holicki
This entire episode was built around one match, making everything leading up to that moment feel rather underwhelming. It was like having to eat your vegetables before being allowed to tuck into that delicious chocolate-hazelnut sponge cake.
Most egregious this week was the IIconics’ long-anticipated encounter with Bayley and Sasha Banks. After teasing this match for weeks, the end result was pretty much a damp squib. The match itself went little more than a few minutes and ended with another pointless Lacey Evans walkout, causing enough of a distraction for a dodgy rollup pin by Peyton Royce.
So the IIconics pick up the win over the freshly-crowned tag team champions. But in the spirit of the all-time classic track “Cotton-Eye Joe“: where did they come from and where did they go? Nothing has been done to build the IIconics in anticipation of this match and there was nothing on the line last night either. So all you’re left with – as much as I love the Australian duo – is an unimpressive team picking up a victory out of nowhere, with no clear direction. Plus this does nothing for Sasha and Bayley either, who only just won the belts.
Perhaps this leads to yet another team being added to the WrestleMania tag team title match. But even so, it could’ve – and should’ve – been handled so much better.
Sorry to interrupt but…. looorrddd just look at me 👒
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#SDLive #NoMoreNasties #Classy #Sassy #SouthernBelle pic.twitter.com/NUb0rGY4FT— Macey Estrella (@LimitlessMacey) March 20, 2019
How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: SmackDamn, SmackTastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, SmackDowner and A Smack in the Face)
Kyle Payne
SmackDamn! The show focused on Kofi Kingston and his journey to get to WrestleMania to fight Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship. This unexpected journey has been great to be on and the twists have been unexplained.
I am so ready for Rousey / Lynch / Flair and this is the match that needs to close out WrestleMania. Unlike Raw, SmackDown succeeds in getting me excited for not just next week’s show but also WrestleMania. I’m not sure how they are able to do it but SmackDown is consistently SmackDamn. A focus on storytelling and wrestling is all these shows need.
The only issue remains with Asuka and her lack of a credible opponent. She should not be in the shadow of the Raw women’s championship and deserves more. If Ronda is getting her opponents from SmackDown, then Asuka needs to look elsewhere for hers.
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Nicholas Holicki
The first hour of last night’s SmackDown did very little for me. I struggled to care about Miz’s acceptance of Shane McMahon’s ‘Mania challenge, or the IIconics’ weird victory over Sasha & Bayley. In similar vein, the backstage interviews with Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles just felt like filler material, while the KO Show segment featuring Charlotte and Becky felt like a retread of familiar territory and served to remind me that WWE doesn’t need any more ridiculous talkshows.
But once we got to the main course, the sh0w was finally allowed to kick into high gear. A terrific gauntlet match, in which every wrestling fan couldn’t help but be invested, proved to be one of the matches of the year so far.
We all desperately wanted to see Kofi win and cement his place against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania. With all that emotion, with all drama, of course this was a SmackDamn episode of the blue brand.
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