WWE: Smackdown
February 18, 2016
Ontario, CA
Citizens Business Bank Arena

The current WWE champions are as follows:
WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (1/24/2016)
WWE Intercontinental Champion: Kevin Owens (2/15/2016)
WWE United States Champion: Kalisto (1/24/2016)
WWE Tag Team Champions: The New Day (8/23/2015)
WWE Divas Champion: Charlotte (9/20/2015)

Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton. Mauro Ranallo is out with the flu this week.

Kevin Owens opens the show and jams the IC belt in our commentators faces as he joins them at the table for the next match.

• The Lucha Dragons & Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev, Alberto Del Rio & Sheamus (w/King Barrett)
  

Rusev and Kalisto start us off here. So sad to see a guy who was once a monster now selling like this for a little guy. Del Rio gets a tag and receives the same treatment from Sin Cara. Sheamus runs in only to be dumped on the floor to join ADR. Meanwhile, Ziggler holds the ropes open for the Lucha Dragons to deliver STEREO TOPE SUICIDAS on those two. Rusev charges Ziggler and flies out to the floor as Ziggler leaps off the top onto him to take us into commercial. When we return, Sin Cara plays face in peril in the League of Nations corner for a few. Hot tag to Ziggler, swinging neckbreaker and jumping elbow drop to Sheamus gets two. Big DDT and the match breaks down. Out on the floor, Kalisto tries a headscissors on Del Rio only to get caught and swung into the barricade. Meanwhile in the ring, Ziggler hits the Famouser on Sheamus for two. He takes care of ADR and Rusev, but Kevin Owens hops up from the table and distracts Ziggler so much that Sheamus is revived and delivers the BROGUE KICK for the win. (7:57 shown) Typical Smackdown affair. **

After 12 years, Brock Lesnar returns to Smackdown – TONIGHT!

• Sasha Banks vs. Tamina (w/Naomi)
  

Tamina overpowers Sasha as expected here to start. Sasha blocks a couple corner charges and comes at her with double knees to the boobies not once but twice. Sasha nails Naomi off the apron and then gives Tamina a wheelbarrow bulldog into the (sort of) BANK STATEMENT for the tapout. (2:21) Naturally, Team BAD double-team Sasha afterwards only for Becky Lynch to run down for the save. Sasha pushes Becky away letting her know she doesn’t need her help. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR FASTLANE? ½*

When we come back, Becky Lynch tries to figure what’s happening with Sasha Banks backstage. She needs Sasha to work together so they can get to WrestleMania. Sasha says she doesn’t like Becky, but she hates losing. So why all the drama in the ring if you’re just going to make it all go away after the commercial break? At the end of the segment, you can plainly hear a fan whistling at the two ladies, which shows you that the Divas still have a ways to go for all of us guys to take them seriously.

Chris Jericho comes out to the ring to answer the challenge of AJ Styles for a third match at Fastlane. He welcomes AJ down to the ring, but instead we get the Miz. He says everybody is tired of seeing Jericho and Styles playing footsie. Jericho begs Miz to just quit the business. Me, you, and the crowd agrees he should. He’s not going to quit though. Miz says Jericho shouldn’t worry about AJ Styles because he has a match with the real A-lister right now. He tries a cheapshot, but you can see it coming miles and miles away.

• Chris Jericho vs. The Miz
  

Still no answer on whether we’ll see Jericho-Styles III or not. Miz gets up in Jericho’s face and gets chopped down. Awesome. Miz can’t stand anymore of that and tries to bait Jericho, but that doesn’t work either. Jericho delivers a suplex and takes Miz to the corner for a ten-count punch. He misses a corner charge though and runs his shoulder into the post. Miz abuses Jericho down in the corner and delivers the running clothesline he’s been known to do. Jericho escapes a chinlock and stops a superplex up top to nail Miz with a flying body press for two. As Miz ends up on the apron, Jericho hits the springboard dropkick. Miz kicks the ropes while Jericho is coming back inside the ring. Commercials! When we come back, Miz is back to working a chinlock. Jericho fights out and can’t get the Walls of Jericho, but he can land the jumping enziguri for two. He lands the bulldog, but Miz rolls away from the Lionsault and hits a DDT for 1-2-NO! Skull Crushing Finale gets countered to the Butterfly Backbreaker for another nearfall. Miz big boots Jericho down and gouges his face and eyes over in the corner nearly getting DQ’ed. He charges Jericho again only to get caught and put in the WALLS OF JERICHO for the tapout. (8:50 shown) Hey, I joke about Miz quitting the biz, but he brought it again this week. They haven’t been classics, but they have been the best matches I’ve seen out of him in a long while. ***

Jericho puts over Miz, but makes sure to tell us that Y2J once again comes out on top. Now Jericho calls out AJ Styles again and this time we do get AJ Styles. Once he’s in the ring, Jericho lets Styles know how much he respects him and acknowledges him as one of the best performers in the world, but he’s not going to give him another match. When nothing will change his mind, Styles gives Jericho his strike attack and clotheslines him to the floor. This Ontario crowd is solidly behind Styles here. Jericho feels what Styles just did was a stupid move. Now Styles has got the rematch he thinks he wants, but Jericho says Styles will regret it. Okay, cool.

They take us back to Monday Night Raw when Paul Heyman had the Dudley Boyz attack Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose came out for the save.

Back on Smackdown, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose are checking up on each other. Dean says it’s been a long week – he just wants to get out to the ring so they can do their thing. Believe Dat. No Dirty Deeds jokes tonight though, homie. Ambrose comes upon Paul Heyman and messes with him. Heyman reminds Ambrose that Brock Lesnar is here tonight. He’s in a really bad mood and he’s looking for Dean. It doesn’t seem like Ambrose is too worried. Ambrose tells Heyman to tell Brock not to keep him waiting. More trolling ensues.

JoJo meets with the New Day backstage. They will be guests on the Cutting Edge Peep Show at Fastlane. New Day doesn’t feel Edge & Christian are even musicians like they are. They don’t think Edge & Christian are hip anymore. They do a little dancing for a GIF. It’s pretty wild.

• Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) vs. Natalya
  

Natalya controls to start working off a headlock. Over in the corner though, Natalya avoids a corner charge and atomic drops Charlotte on the mat. Basement dropkick by Natalya sends Charlotte on the run as we go to break. When we return, Charlotte has to bait Natalya out to the floor so she can drill her with a big boot from the side of the ring. WOO! Natalya escapes a body scissors and avoids a rolling knee drop from Charlotte. Discus Clothesline connects as does a release German suplex. Charlotte rolls to the floor and rips on the apron where Natalya stands to turn the tide again. Back in, Charlotte jumps on Natalya and applies the FIGURE-8 for our third tapout of the night. (3:56 shown) WOO! Brie Bella comes down looking for a fight and delivers some YES kicks. Flair pulls his daughter out to prevent the running knee. With the belt left in the ring, Brie gets to celebrates with the belt, which is hopefully the closest she’ll come to it. *

R-Truth is seen apologizing to his woman over the phone about what happened with Goldust last week. Truth comes upon Goldust who calls himself “Dusta Rhymes” doing a black guy gimmick. Isn’t this supposed to be offensive? Truth seems to be warming up to the idea of a tag team, but only time will tell.

Video package airs hyping the Wyatt Family against the Titans.

• The Dudley Boyz vs. Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns
  

After Ambrose gets done handling D-Von, Bubba Ray tags in and gets in Roman’s face wanting a piece of him. Well, Roman handles him just fine as well. They dish out double suplexes as well on each of the Dudley Boyz. As they clean house on the Dudleyz, we go to commercial. When we return, Ambrose is *your* friend in peril. I think we all know where this is heading. A few minutes passes and Bubba Ray gets too busy trash talking Reigns. Ambrose avoids a senton splash and hot tags Reigns. Samoan Drops and clotheslines are everywhere. As he sets up for the Superman Punch, Brock Lesnar’s music hits and here he comes with Paul Heyman behind him. The Dudley Boyz jump Reigns and Ambrose, but their efforts are futile. Brock Lesnar appears at ringside and throws Ambrose into the barricade for the DQ. (8:55 shown) Reigns tries to save the day, but he and Ambrose go to SUPLEX CITY. Reigns manages to nail the Superman Punch on Lesnar though. With Lesnar staggered, Roman goes for the SPEAR only for Brock to sidestep and let him rush into Ambrose. He does hit the full impact of the move, but Ambrose takes offense anyways and tries for Dirty Deeds only for Reigns to counter to the Samoan Drop. Lesnar then grabs Reigns and delivers the F-5 as both men are left lying on the mat with Lesnar standing tall to close out the show. Oh yeah, the match was just more typical Smackdown tag formula. **

Before we go, WWE Champion Triple H comes out to the ramp and stares at Brock Lesnar. I can’t believe I’m typing that sentence in 2016, but here we are.

WWE Fastlane is this Sunday LIVE on the WWE Network! I doubt I will be watching.

Until next time though, so long for now.