WWE: Smackdown
March 10, 2016
Milwaukee, WI
Bradley Center

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 Mauro Ranallo, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton.

We kick off the show tonight with MizTV. His special guests are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. We take a look at Sami Zayn saving Neville from taking a powerbomb on the apron. If this isn’t a match at WrestleMania, then I don’t understand anything about the times we live in. This feels like an episode of daytime trash TV as Miz first brings out Zayn to give his side of the story as to why Owens turned on him. Sami feels they were like brothers at one point. He was the best man in Kevin’s wedding. Zayn made it to WWE before Owens did. When Kevin finally made his debut in NXT, that’s when Owens powerbombed him on the apron. Zayn still doesn’t know why Owens did what he did. Without further ado, Miz brings out Kevin Owens. He explains that powerbombing Zayn on the apron was the best thing to do for him. While Zayn was signed by WWE two years before him, Owens made his RAW debut a year before Zayn. He’s convinced he made the right decision getting Zayn out of the way. With Zayn eliminating him at the Royal Rumble and what was done to him on RAW, Owens thinks he’s the victim here. Zayn says he plans to beat Owens for the IC championship at WrestleMania. Owens reminds Zayn that this isn’t NXT and here Zayn is nothing. This comes down to Zayn challenging Owens to a fight – right now. Owens doesn’t think Zayn deserves to be in the same ring with him and starts to walk out when Neville appears on the rampway. He has some unfinished business with Owens and wants the IC title too. Miz interrupts the whole thing and says he’s more deserving of an IC title shot than either of them. Zayn drops some truth on Miz telling him that this situation has nothing to do with him and that his years of main eventing WrestleMania are far, FAR behind him. Well, those are fighting words when you’re as delusional and insecure as the Miz. He nails Zayn from behind, but Zayn sends him running when he threatens a big boot. We’ve got ourselves an opening tag match!

• Sami Zayn & Neville vs. Kevin Owens & The Miz
  

I know! What a shocking turn of events! Miz gets controlled to start as Neville and Zayn work the arm. Of course Owens wants none of Zayn. Neville does a corkscrew moonsault off Zayn who was on all fours for two. Miz yanks Neville to the floor. He comes back inside going after Owens with a bunch of kicks, but then he comes off the ropes and Miz pulls the top rope down for Neville to fall out to the floor as we go to commercial. When we come back, Neville is still your face in peril. Lots of chinlocks and teasing tags to Zayn. He does manage a hot tag to Zayn though. Flying body press, ten-count corner punch, and the rope walk tornado DDT on Miz. He wants Owens, but Owens refuses to tag. He takes his IC championship and heads for the exit sign – because that’s what’s best for business. He leaves Miz all alone for the HELLUVA KICK for the win. (8:15 shown) Watch there be a multi-man match for the IC belt at WrestleMania. Ugh. **½

In the bathroom (YES, the bathroom), R-Truth tries to help Goldust out with some toilet paper. This still doesn’t mean they will be tag team partners though.

• Brie Bella vs. Summer Rae
  

Why is Brie still even here? I figured she would be gone after Fastlane. Anyways, Lana joins us for extra special commentary. She’s sitting on the table. I love how Bryon Saxton is the Meg Griffin of the commentary team. I LOVE IT. Anyways, Lana is just observing Brie because she feels she isn’t a *real* woman. Brie wins with the YES LOCK. (2:02) Just like on Raw, Lana interrupts and gives Brie the Bella Buster. ½*

They air a video package on Shane McMahon showing us what he used to be able to do 10-15 years ago.

Chris Jericho comes out to explain why he turned on AJ Styles this past Monday on RAW. I love how they thought making Y2AJ t-shirts would throw people off the scent of the turn. And who gets pinned and then turns on their partner? Someone needs to watch the Barry Windham heel turn back in 1988 if they want to know how an effective turn gets done. Jericho has some props: a trash can and a Y2AJ t-shirt. He’s mad that everybody cheered AJ Styles more than they cheered him; making him feel like a piece of trash. He’s the best in the world at what he does. And yet, the people still chant for AJ Styles and they can all go to hell. He’s tired of people telling him that the next big thing is here. Well it’s only been a few months and that next big thing is already gone. Jericho feels he’s not the next big thing, he’s the only thing. The steam is still rising off the cup of his WWE coffee, and yet you still chose AJ over him. Shame on you people! Okay, we get it Jericho. He pours some lighter fluid into the trash can and lights the shirt on fire before dropping it inside the can. YOUR CAREER IS GOING UP IN FLAMES, AJ STYLES. Jericho is the one who will light the fire. Okay, well that was pretty good. The reason he turned on AJ is a little weak and not very creative as he kept harping on the same point making it seem deeper than it really was, but the symbolic part was pretty cool.

Big Boss Man is finally going into the WWE Hall of Fame.

• Lucha Dragons vs. King Barrett & Sheamus (w/Rusev)
  

So they push King Barrett and Sheamus facing the New Day over the WWE tag titles at Roadblock BEFORE the match. Why not instead push that the winner of this match faces the New Day at Roadblock? It makes this match seem like a foregone conclusion as to who will win. It’s not like Kalisto already has a match announced for the show. Anyways, there’s a shine sequence from Lucha Dragons until Kalisto gets dropped by Sheamus and sent out to the floor. Commercials! When we return, Barrett is kicking Kalisto around and grabs a chinlock. Sheamus tags in taunting Kalisto continuing to damage him with a powerslam. More face in peril stuff. Sheamus starts talking junk and misses a charge in the corner. Hot tag to Sin Cara, he wipes out Barrett with a tope suicida. Quebrada inside the ring gets two. Kalisto takes a bump on the outside onto Sheamus. As Sin Cara heads up top for the finish, Rusev pushes him down. Barrett turns his elbow pad inside out and delivers the BULL HAMMER for the W. (7:12 shown) Like I said, they don’t think things through. This was totally expected and the win meant nothing and the loss meant more. *½

Ryback was shown watching this match on the monitor backstage. Now JoJo wants to know what he thinks about the loss for the Lucha Dragons. He seems to feel pretty mad that Kalisto is the US champ. Ryback tells us that he thinks not all men are in fact created equal.

More McMahon family footage shown from Raw.

Back to the show, Renee Young speaks with the Usos. She asks about the Dudley Boyz being so aggressive. They aren’t surprised. Why would they be surprised? Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose come by as well. It’s all just a big hype for the main event. WYATTS FIRST, ROADBLOCK SECOND.

• The Usos, Dean Ambrose & Dolph Ziggler vs. The Wyatt Family
  

Ambrose and Luke Harper start us off. Harper gets controlled by the good guys with arm work. Once Harper has enough and heads to the floor, we go to commercial. When we come back, now Harper is in control on one of these Usos. Ziggler gets a tag and delivers his Stinger Splash and tries his swinging neckbreaker, but Harper shoves him off into a clothesline by Rowan. Tag to Bray, he throws Ziggler around and tags BRAUN STROWMAN. He’s a big, big man. Back to Harper, he grabs a chinlock on Ziggler. When he tries to come back, Harper counters a dropkick and catapults Ziggler in the ropes. Ziggler takes a count on the outside and rolls in at nine. He tries a Famouser, but Harper tries to counter to a powerbomb only for Ziggler to counter again with a sunset flip powerbomb for 1-2-NO! Jumping DDT to Harper leads to a hot tag to Jey Uso. Samoan Drops, buttalanches, and planchas everywhere. SAMOAN SPLASH to Harper hits knees doe. HOT TAG TO AMBROSE! He looks to put away Rowan with his five moves of doom. That is until Bray Wyatt appears. He gives Jimmy a Uranage, but turns around into a superkick from Ziggler. Two superkicks to Strowman doesn’t do anything. He runs Ziggler down with a shoulderblock. Ambrose breaks up a lifting triangle hold on Jey and draws Strowman into the ringpost. Rowan tries to step to Ambrose, but he winds up taking DIRTY DEEDS. Cover, 1-2-3! (9:43) This was a tough one to book. Do you sacrifice Bray Wyatt looking strong going into Roadblock against BROCK LESNAR, or do you put over Ambrose so it’s clear he’ll lose at Roadblock? Unless you are part of that select few WWE wrestlers, momentum rarely if ever works in your favor when it comes to WWE booking. In fact, almost hovering around a slump is really where you want to be going into a WWE title match. So yeah, this does not bode well for any Ambrose fan thinking he’s going to put a “monkey wrench” in the WrestleMania plans. UNLESS THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT US TO THINK. Nah, probably not. ***

Until next time, so long for now.