It’s time for a big SmackDown In A Nutshell, because WrestleMania is almost here!
That’s right folks, we are basically there.
I will say WrestleMania is almost here, but the reality is…we are in Los Angeles for the whole weekend.
Tonight’s SmackDown kicks things off, with the Hall of Fame ceremony the cherry on top this evening.
Saturday and Sunday gives us WrestleMania, with plenty of immense matches.
Rhodes versus Reigns is the big one, but it is not the only one.
Who wants to see KO and Sami Zayn win the tag belts?
Or father versus son?
Heck, even Brock Lesnar versus Omos is getting some pretty good buzz.
But before that all happens, we’ve got the last bit of hype on Friday.
Plus, while it isn’t on the main show anymore…the Andre The Giant battle royal happens tonight too.
After all, WrestleMania is almost here, so it’s time to get into things, shall we?
It is time for…
SmackDown In A Nutshell: WrestleMania Is Almost Here
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and find out how things go!
source: YouTube TV, app, screenshot
Best Match of the night:
Match-wise, I will take the battle royal.
It had nice spots, loved the big men squaring off, it was fun. Even if you knew Lashley was winning from the start.
I mean…he was the only one to get an entrance…
Promos were where it was at, though.
Loved the opening one between Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and the Usos.
Jimmy and Jay played on Zayn and Owens’ history of breaking up. Sami pushed the right buttons too, pointing out how poorly Reigns treats his cousins.
And then, of course, Reigns and Rhodes. Cody had plenty to say, Roman was a man of few words…and it all worked.
Good stuff.
WrestleMania is almost here!
Worst match of the night:
I guess the women’s match?
Seriously was too short to be useful.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
No specific chants, but they were hot for quite a few segments.
If this carries over into both nights of WrestleMania, that will only help.
And then the RAW after…should be superb.
Star of the Night
He may have come in fourth, but the fans were on fire for LA Knight.
And it is a broken record, but everyone in the Bloodline storylines has gone to another level.
As called out here…the body language, the eye cues…just next level.
his face says it all. anytime they bring up roman he can never look them in the eyes because HE KNOWS they’re right. #smackdown pic.twitter.com/X8MMivEBtD
— pau (@316REIGNS) April 1, 2023
If you are missing it…here’s the point…
&
Sami Zayn continues to chip away at Jey Uso and the abuse he’s suffered under Roman Reigns.
Jey is the key to it all. If the Bloodline crumbles this weekend, it’ll be because of him.
That promo did exactly what it needed to do. Well done. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/CVliYKSlEd
— Just Alyx (@JustAlyxCentral) April 1, 2023
Spot of the Night:
I can’t pick one, there were a few good ones in the battle royal.
Spot fest for sure, but not a bad thing.
Jobber of the Night:
Baron Corbin. Man was out before anyone in the battle royal even broke a sweat.
Seriously, WWE should send him back to NXT for a bit to refresh him, no?
Upset of the Night:
The LA fans were upset that LA Knight was out, and I can’t blame them.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
Latino World Order is back!
source: @wwe, twitter, screenshot
Botch of the night:
I have no complaints.
LOL Moment of the night:
On a night focused on whatever last-minute hype there was to be had, there weren’t many laughs.
That said, I did chuckle at one scene.
Early on in the Andre battle royal, you had a massively crowded ring.
Every Superstar was pairing off to fight. Except one.
There was Dexter Lumis, just standing stoically in the corner, watching.
Dexter Lumis is brilliant ?? #Smackdown pic.twitter.com/3ZJCDiYjd5
— Ɔ Wrestling (@CWrestlingUK) April 1, 2023
It made me laugh.
This take did too…
There, Dolla proved all of the haters wrong by going over the top rope! Yippee yay! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/N8u8Oa2WYz
— ????™ of Burial Squad ☝️?? (@TheEnduringIcon) April 1, 2023
Noteworthy Moment:
Who knows for how long…but…
LWO IS BACK OH MY #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/bbp7bKZTYm
— Roman Reigns SZN ? (@reigns_era) April 1, 2023
Overall lowlights:
The biggest one would be the women’s match not having much time or adding much value.
I totally understand the point of the video packages, and they were good…but they blocked time from the women’s match.
Meaning…give them more time, or cut the match. I am not a fan of cutting the match, but what’s worse…a match cut, or a match with like, blink and you miss it run time?
Overall highlights:
The opening promo.
Of course, the main event promo.
Lashley winning the Andre the Giant battle royal.
LA Knight being mega over.
Lots to like…and WrestleMania IS HERE!
After the final bell:
I don’t need to say WrestleMania is almost here anymore.
Because…it is here. After all that build, after all the hype, the biggest show of the year is here.
Will we finally see Roman lose the belts?
Can Cody Rhodes finish his story?
Will KO and Sami get sweet redemption?
So much to look forward to!
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