A Room with a Review: SmackDown 02/14/20

SmackDown takes off to the Great White North with a show in Vancouver, BC for the first time in decades. I guess they didn’t learn from Raw’s snowy adventures in SLC.

• The show starts off with A Moment of Bliss featuring Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. Nikki wants to talk about celebrity crushes but never reveals her. The bit was kind of a dud. Carmella is their guest to promote her title match with Bayley later tonight. She blames Sasha Banks for ruining her friendship with the SmackDown Women’s champion. Bayley comes out and runs down the entire panel. Mella says let’s do this right now. Of course, right now means after the commercial break. 

• Time for my weekly “Heel Bayley is best Bayley” take. She has a whole different confidence in the ring that has given WWE a great women’s division heel that isn’t just a Mean Girl. Carmella does a horrible suicide dive that only connected because Bayley held her arms out to catch her. Bayley hits the Bayley-to-Belly, but can only get a two count. Carmella pulls out a top rope hurricanrana, but can’t keep the women’s champion down. Bayley gets the win by pinning Carmella while using the ropes for leverage. After the match, she jumps Carmella, which prompts Naomi to get in Bayley’s face. She and Mella team up and lay out Bayley. 

• We get a replay of King Corbin’s actions from last week, which has resulted in a fine and suspension for the former constable. He will be missed. 

• After the commercial, Kayla asks Bayley if Carmella will get a rematch. Bayley says that her next title match will be at Super Showdown(!) and she doesn’t care who it is. 

• Otis is prepping for his date when he gets a text from Mandy saying she’ll be a little late. Tucker gives him a pep talk and it’s really going to suck when she screws him over. 

• Next, it’s Sheamus against Shorty G and Apollo Crews in a handicapped match. I call it how to waste two of your best in-ring talents for the benefit of a guy who doesn’t need it. The twosome jump Sheamus before the bell rings in order to gain an advantage (because having two against one isn’t enough). In less than a minute Sheamus is back in control and trying to cave in Shorty’s chest. Not surprisingly, Sheamus wins after hitting Crews with a Brogue kick. 

• Kayla stops Carmella backstage and Mella says she deserves a rematch and demands that WWE and Fox make it happen. 

• They show Mandy arriving at the restaurant first. Now I’m convinced that Sonya is going to sabotage them. 

• For some reason, they are having an interview with Hulk Hogan via satellite. Please disappear, Hulkster. They manage to save it by having an NWO-themed episode of Firefly Fun House. Bray is going to take out Goldberg and says there’s room on his wall for Hogan. Hulk nopes out, even though he’s thousands of miles away. 

• Cesaro and Sami Zayn are in the ring. Sami has a ukulele and Cesaro has a cowbell. He’s calling it their protest concert and he name drops Billy Bragg. Just as they are ready to play they get interrupted by Elias. He says he’s holding a counter-protest. The crowd starts singing for Elias. Cesaro starts exploring the space and Sami says he needs LESS cowbell. Boy, they really roasted SNL from 20 years ago. They eventually gang up on Elias and Braun Strowman comes down to help him. 

• Kayla finds Naomi backstage and she wants a title shot. She says that Bayley is afraid of her. 

• Mandy is still waiting for Otis. Uh oh. 

• After the commercial, we get a recap of the Otis and Mandy story. Otis walks into the restaurant to see that Dolph Ziggler has beaten him there and is sitting with Mandy. Otis drops his roses and walks away, dejected. 

• Time for the main event. It’s the team of Miz and John Morrison vs Roman Reigns and a mystery partner. My guess is Daniel Bryan. The USOs couldn’t make the trip to Canada for unspecified reasons. I mean, we know why. Glug glug, vroom vroom.  Anyway, it’s Daniel Bryan. And though he was barred from competing tonight, King Corbin has purchased a ticket and will be sitting ringside. I bet he won’t interfere. 

• Back from commercial and Reigns and Morrison are fighting for the first time. It was a pretty standard tag match ending with Roman getting the pin on Morrison after a spear. Corbin jumps Roman and the show ends with the King posing at the top of the ramp. 

• Again, SmackDown just seems to be missing something that the other shows have. Besides the women’s stuff and Otis/Mandy, everything was just rehashing some version of things they’ve already been doing. What do you think is missing from the show? Let me know in the comment section below.

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