0 of 7
Credit: WWE.com
With the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on Feb. 21, this week’s show was all about building the event and the feuds that will shape the map.
Roman Reigns promised us a big announcement about the universal title this week, but after Kevin Owens surprised him with a Stunner last week, The Tribal Chief had to keep his eyes open.
This week also marked Seth Rollins’ return to the blue brand for the first time since Survivor Series after appearing at the men’s Royal Rumble game.
What did Reigns have to say about the Universal Championship? What has the Messiah planned now that he is back? Did Edge of Bianca Belair choose their WrestleMania opponent?
Let’s take a look at everything that happened in this week’s episode of SmackDown.
Updates start after the first segment / match. Make sure to refresh this page for live results.
1 of 7
Reigns, Paul Heyman and Jey Uso topped the show. Adam Pearce was waiting in the ring with a folder. Reigns told Pearce that he had no authority over the champion and that he is just waiting for him there.
The chief said he would retire Edge if they eventually did fight at WrestleMania. He vowed to keep the title for as long as he wanted before asking for the Elimination Chamber.
Pearce told him he had a contract stating that Reigns would defend the Universal Championship in the Elimination Chamber. Heyman took over, telling Pearce Reigns that he would only defend the title at the PPV, but that he wouldn’t do it in the room.
Pearce said he would think about it, but in the meantime, Uso and Owens would be in qualifiers for a spot in the room. Reigns hit Pearce in the face, but eventually left without doing anything violent.
Grade: B-
Analysis
This was a solid segment, but it didn’t reveal anything we didn’t know yet. We knew there would be qualifiers and we knew Reigns would somehow defend the title at the PPV.
The Tribal Chief is great in this role, but this segment bordered on repetitive. We’ve seen him assert his authority over Pearce before, so this didn’t break new ground.
Uso’s twist that may have earned a spot in the room was the most interesting thing to get out of here. Heyman, Reigns and Pearce were all good, but this segment was almost unnecessary.
2 of 7
Sonya Deville turned a tag team match with Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin taking on Rey and Dominik Mysterio in a chamber qualifier for both members of the winning team.
Zayn gave a promo before the match ended when he was knocked down by father and son. The referee called for the bell and the king began to fight Rey. Zayn tripped Rey, so Dom hit him with a suicide dive that nearly ended when the young Superstar crashed into the announcement table.
We returned from a hiatus to watch Rey try to fight back against Corbin. Dom and Zayn came in and the younger Mysterio hit a nice tornado DDT before a near-fall.
Corbin took the 619 from both opponents, but Zayn eventually hit Dom with a Helluva Kick for the pin and the win.
Grade: B-
Analysis
It’s always nice to see a father and son team up in a WWE ring, but when it comes to this feud, WWE has to put a fork in it because it should have happened by now.
Corbin has fought both Mysterios in singles and tag matches so many times without a meaningful storyline behind them that it’s almost too obvious that no one has any idea what to do with the Mysterios right now.
Zayn’s pre-match promo was as good as you’d expect. He’s great at making a nothing match as a main event because he’s so passionate about his delivery.
As for the fight, all four boys did a good job. Winning Zayn and Corbin was also the right decision. Dominik is not ready for a game like the chamber.
3 of 7
Big E was in the ring to issue an open challenge for the IC title when Apollo Crews showed up. The champion told him he didn’t get another chance after failing so many times, so Shinsuke Nakamura got the chance.
The crews stayed ringside to watch Big E take control after the break. He hit Nakamura with a pair of forearms and a splash on the platform. Crews stepped onto the platform for distraction, and Nakamura took advantage with a kick to the head.
The Rockstar hit a flying knee from the middle rope for a count of two. Big E planted him with a urinagi for another near-fall. As Big E prepared to hit his finisher, Crews delivered a drop kick to cause a disqualification.
Grade: C +
Analysis
This was a short match, so none of the Superstar involved had enough time to make it more than a run-of-the-mill encounter. What mattered was what came next.
Crews has been teasing a whole turn for weeks, but it finally happened on Friday when he hit Big E with that drop kick. Now Crews must prove he can be a convincing villain.
Big E and Crews have great chemistry, but they’ve already had five title games in 2021. If this feud continues, it must end soon.
4 of 7
The entire SmackDown roster was ringside for Rollins’ return promo. He talked about how becoming a father changed him in a way he never expected.
He said he now realizes he’s the great leader that SmackDown needs to make it great. Then the whole grid began to run away. The lights came on and he realized that the only person who stayed was Cesaro, but even he eventually walked away.
Rollins snapped Cesaro’s knee as he walked up the slope and started to knock him down. Daniel Bryan and some officials came out to rescue.
Grade: C.
Analysis
Rollins said he was changed by the birth of his baby, but then went on with the same nonsense about being a savior. Actually nothing has changed.
This would have been a perfect opportunity for him to drop the Messiah thing, but it seemed more like he was doubling down. We’ll see where this goes, but for now it looks like Rollins is the same guy he was last year.
The promo he gave was fine, but it won’t be his most memorable. The selection that came down to him didn’t have the impact it should have, but that’s because it didn’t make sense for everyone to be out there in the first place.
5 of 7
Liv Morgan came out of the gate with a drop kick as soon as the referee called the bell. Bayley hit a back elbow before Morgan sent her to the center rope and hit a drop kick in the back of the head.
The Role Model rolled out of the ring and when Morgan tried to dive on her, Bayley stepped aside and sent her into the barricade.
Morgan recovered and hit a facebuster for two seconds. Bayley knocked her off the middle rope and hit a shoulder breaker that left Morgan screaming in pain. Morgan hit an enziguiri out of nowhere.
Billie Kay came down to talk to Ruby Riott at ringside, and the distraction led to Bayley hitting Morgan with her finisher for the win.
Grade: C +
Analysis
Morgan and Bayley both looked good in this fight, but the finish was too much like anything else we’ve seen with Kay and The Riott Squad.
Kay is a funny personality, but WWE is treading water with her character. She must either join The Riott Squad or make it clear that they don’t want her.
6 of 7
Otis and Chad Gable fought in the next game against Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. Dawkins and Gable kicked things off by switching waist locks on the mat.
Ford applauded their technical exchange and commented so he could try Gable. The Street Profits took control for a moment, but Gable was able to hit a belly-to-belly suplex so he could bring in Otis.
The Dozer raged and took out both men. He hit the caterpillar on Dawkins. Gable filled in for a doubles team, but Ford eliminated Otis first.
Dawkins planted Gable with a spinebuster to get Ford ready for a huge splash to take the win.
Grade: B.
Analysis
Otis and Gable’s team seemed random at first, but they merged into a logical duo. Both men have found success in amateur wrestling and use it as part of their characters.
As always, Ford and Dawkins worked as one. They are one of the best teams working today and never miss an opportunity to show off.
It was not specifically mentioned that this was for a title shot, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the profit used the profit as leverage if they asked Pearce.
7 of 7
Despite being attacked by Rollins, Cesaro was able to participate in the main draw along with Bryan. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode looked confident as they entered. This was another Chamber qualifier.
Bryan took control of Ziggler early on, but when Cesaro came in, The Showoff went after his injured knee. As soon as he could, Cesaro tapped out to recover.
Roode was able to avoid a suicide dive from Bryan and he accidentally hit Cesaro. Corbin and Zayn came to watch while the show ended. Reigns and Heyman were shown behind the scenes when we returned.
Ziggler and Roode controlled The Yes Man for a long time. The Swiss Superman finally got the hot tag and went crazy on his opponents. Roode attacked his knee as he was about to swing Ziggler at his feet.
Cesaro hit Ziggler with a backbreaker off the torture rack before locking the Sharpshooter for victory over submission. Uso attacked them with a chair after the game. Corbin and Zayn immediately joined, but Zayn eventually eliminated Corbin as well. KO walked down to hit Stunners on everyone like he’s 1998 Stone Cold Steve Austin. The show ended with KO saying he was coming for Reigns.
Grade: B +
Analysis
The least shocking thing about Friday’s show was that it ended up being the best game of the night. Ziggler, Roode, Cesaro and Bryan are among the most reliable artists in the world, so they had no problem working together.
So far Zayn, Corbin, Bryan and Cesaro have qualified for the Chamber. Owens and Uso are likely to get their chances of qualifying next week.
This was a decent installment of SmackDown, but it was a notch below some of the recent episodes in terms of moving storylines. Much of what we saw felt repetitive.