5 things WWE SmackDown got right before WrestleMania 38
The go-home episode of WWE SmackDown before WrestleMania 38 hosted several big matches before the big event. The Andre the Giant Battle Royal took place during the show as 20 superstars competed for the trophy.
Intercontinental Champion Ricochet took on Angel and Humberto in a Triple Threat Match for the title. Meanwhile, the United States Champion was also featured on the show.
The rivalry between Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair also intensified as the former appeared in an interview with Kayla Braxton. She sent a message to her WrestleMania opponent Charlotte Flair, threatening to tear her arm off to take it home.
A video package hyped the massive match between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Fans will have to wait until Sunday night to see the two giants collide in a Winner Takes All match.
WWE also did well to build some other rivalries for WrestleMania during SmackDown. All in all, it was a decent go-home show that could have done much better with a few different bookings.
With that said, check out the five things WWE SmackDown got right before WrestleMania 38.
#5. Madcap Moss got some spotlight by winning the Andre The Giant Battle Royal
Several WWE Superstars filled the SmackDown ring for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal before WrestleMania 38. Jinder Mahal, Robert Roode, The Viking Raiders, Madcap Moss, Tommaso Ciampa, and United States Champion Finn Balor were among those who competed in the match.
Happy Corbin arrived during the match to cheer on Moss. Balor and Damian Priest continued their rivalry as they got involved in a few spots together. The former sent The Archer of Infamy to the floor with a kick.
Fans also got to see a standoff between Commander Azeez and Shanky. Moss eliminated Robert Roode and NXT Champion Dolph Ziggler. He sent a running Balor to the floor to score the win in the multi-man match.
It was good to see Moss pick up a huge win before WrestleMania 38. Fans are aware that the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal win doesn’t mean much, but it shows that the creative team does have faith in the rising star.
Meanwhile, it was surprising to see United States Champion Finn Balor and NXT Champion Dolph Ziggler compete in the contest. The match could have done without the two men and saved them the embarrassment of getting eliminated by the mid-carder.
#4. Ricochet retained his Intercontinental Championship after a solid match
Ricochet lost two singles matches against Los Lotharios’ Angel and Humberto last week. The two heels got an Intercontinental Championship match against the The One and Only before WrestleMania 38.
All three men showcased their athleticism during the contest. Humberto was phenomenal throughout the contest and made it a treat to watch. The match turned out to be much better than expected.
The Triple Threat Match created some differences between the cousins. It allowed Ricochet to capitalize and hit a 630 splash to Angel followed by a Recoil to Humberto for the win.
Ricochet won a memorable match just before the big event. It was good to see him retain his title on SmackDown. The finish of the match was outstanding. He hit a 630 splash to Angel and used the momentum to lunge forward and take out Humberto with the Recoil. The creative team needs to give him more of such spots to solidify him as a top superstar on SmackDown.
#3. The rivalry between Pat McAfee and Austin Theory got more intense on WWE SmackDown before WrestleMania 38
Austin Theory tripped Pat McAfee while he was in his zone, jamming out to Shinsuke Nakamura’s entrance theme. The SmackDown commentator chased the 24-year-old to the back where he hid in Mr. McMahon’s office.
McAfee kicked down the door and Vince McMahon immediately walked out to confront McAfee, threatening to fire him if he did not return to perform his duties on the announce table.
Theory continued his childish antics as he returned to throw a cup of ice at McAfee. WWE did well to build the rivalry between Pat McAfee and Austin Theory on SmackDown. The creative team has been very consistent in reminding fans that the two men will compete at WrestleMania 38.
It shows that Vince has a lot of faith in the 24-year-old. He has been getting a lot of screentime and has already competed in a WWE Championship match at Elimination Chamber. He could soon become the next United States Champion.
#2. Rick Boogs shined before The Usos and Austin Theory picked up a big win
Rick Boogs was slated to square off against one-half of the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Jimmy Uso. United States Champion Finn Balor caught Austin Theory and threw him in the ring before a brawl broke out.
Adam Pearce arrived to set up a massive six-man tag team match on SmackDown. Theory teamed up with The Usos to take on Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura & Boogs.
The Prince was isolated by the heels for some time. He made the hot tag to Nakamura to breathe life into the contest. Balor targeted Theory after coming back in the ring, but The Usos distracted the United States Champion.
Theory took advantage and picked up another big win to continue building his momentum. It was surprising to see Balor take the pin during the match. The Unproven One did well during the match and got a huge push out of it.
Boogs looked like a true star once again, and it made sense that WWE protected him from the finish. However, Balor shouldn’t have been thrown under the bus in a match he shouldn’t have been a part of. It looks like the creative team is building a silent partnership between Finn Balor and Pat McAfee.
#1. Drew McIntyre stood tall to end WWE SmackDown before WrestleMania 38
Fresh off his victory in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, Madcap Moss joined Happy Corbin in another episode of “Happy Talk” on WWE SmackDown. Their host on the show was Drew McIntyre’s sword, Angela.
Corbin made some jokes with the sword he stole from McIntyre on WWE RAW. A few jokes went over the line and did not sit well with the fans. This brought out The Scottish Warrior who was breathing fire.
He took down the heels with a steel chair and reclaimed the sword from the duo. He continued to destroy the Happy Talk set and stood tall to end the show.
McIntyre and Corbin wrote the penultimate chapter in their rivalry before WrestleMania 38. However, the creative team could have kept McIntyre’s late mother out of the story. McIntyre will likely knock over Corbin at The Show of Shows and stand tall to end the rivalry.
It was a good idea to let The Scottish Warrior close out the show before WrestleMania 38. He has been involved in this rivalry for a long time and needs to stay in the spotlight to move back to the top. WWE could use him as the first challenger to the unified world championships after WrestleMania.