WWE SmackDown Live Full Results, Grades & Highlights for 03/13/18

On Sunday, the SmackDown pay-per-view Fastlane welcomed a Raw interloper and waved goodbye to WWE’s preeminent free agent. The undefeated Asuka cut short Charlotte Flair’s victory celebration to challenge the SmackDown champion to a title match at WrestleMania. And John Cena transitioned from competing in the WWE title match on Sunday to challenging the Undertaker. Both male combatants will likely show up solely on Raw to promote that fight. SmackDown can expect to achieve clarity regarding two other WrestleMania bouts this week, as both the U.S. title and SmackDown tag-team championship matches seem likely to become triple threats.

Intro: My SmackDown icon photograph on SlingTV is now a black-and-white picture of Raw superstar Bray Wyatt. Apparently, my Internet television service isn’t keeping up with the brand split. Anyway, we’re live from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where I saw Stone Cold Steve Austin win his final WWE championship in 2001. We are notified that Shane McMahon is going to make a WrestleMania announcement tonight. He’s sacrificed himself to the Undertaker and AJ Styles respectively the past two years, and I’ve got a good idea who he might face this year.

– Styles walks to the ring to soak up some cheers. His last month of repeatedly opening SmackDown takes me back to Triple H doing the same on Raw 15 years ago to cut an interminable, self-aggrandizing promo each week. Conversely, AJ’s appearances are welcome, as the fans seem to be cheering his in-ring performances as much as his character’s progression.

– Boos when Styles recounts Cena slamming him through an announce table at Fastlane. AJ recalls the timeless parental advice to suck it up and find a way when the going gets tough, and the crowd is behind him. He wins over fans by believably promoting a simple babyface message touting a strong work ethic and the value of doing things the right way. When the crowd chants, “you deserve it”, he corrects them by stating, “I earned it.” Styles has everything he needs to win support from fans across the spectrum, from the defiant males to kids and their parents.

– AJ affirms his respect for Shinsuke Nakamura and the similar paths they’ve taken. He declares his own phenomenal talent, at which time Nakamura walks to the ring. Dueling chants for both men. Nakamura gets a little fuzzy with his promo, although his meaning is clear enough that the crowd doesn’t need to repeatedly yell, “What?” Although they do. He proclaims that his dream (“Knee to face”) will come true at WrestleMania, and he will become WWE champion.

– Rusev Day interrupts the face-off, as the Bulgarian Brute will compete against Styles.

WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Rusev (non-title match)

– Rusev overpowers Styles early, flooring him with a big shoulder-tackle. The announce team reasons that Styles can’t be 100% after Sunday’s six-pack challenge. Styles rebounds with a dropkick and a clothesline that drives Rusev over the top rope. AJ slingshots himself over the ropes to the floor, belting Rusev with a forearm on the way down. That should be viewed as more than just a transition move.

– Rusev drops AJ with a spinebuster, and sends him airborne with a big back-body-drop. It’s remarkable how long AJ remains vertical, upside-down, when taking that maneuver. Rusev throws a knee to the body and roundhouse kick that look devastating.

– A missed Machka Kick leads to a Pele Kick for AJ. Later, the two opponents go from a failed Styles Clash to a failed Accolade attempt to a protracted battle over a Calf Crusher. When AJ finally hooks the submission hold, Aiden English ambushes him.

Result: AJ Styles beat Rusev by disqualification when Aiden English interfered.

Grade: B

– English punches away at Styles as a seated Nakamura glares at the action from ringside. He rises from his chair only to stand and watch as Rusev kicks Styles to the mat. That move triggers Nakamura to enter the fray. He nails English with a wheel kick and blasts Rusev with a Kinshasa. A wincing Styles eyes his challenger warily from the mat, resting his head against the bottom turnbuckle. As Shinsuke leaves the ring, Corey Graves says that Nakamura is a cagey competitor who wants his WrestleMania opponent weakened.

– We see still photos of Harper and Rowan finally bludgeoning someone (the Usos and New Day at Fastlane). Graves says the announce team is awaiting a medical update on Xavier Woods, who was powerbombed onto the ring-steps after his team’s match.

– Backstage, a sullen Big E guards his ribs. He tells Dasha Fuentes that he wishes Woods and Kofi Kingston were here to help fill Graves’ rental car with pancake batter, but they’re not. Big E yells that he will represent his brothers in the New Day. Jimmy Uso walks up to Big E. As his own brother is injured, Jimmy suggests they team up to fight back. They bump fists and walk off to take care of business.

– Kid Rock is being inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame. In his second autobiography, Chris Jericho wrote about being given just a two-minute warning that he need to introduce Kid Rock before the musician’s first televised WWE appearance. After handling hype man duties, Jericho was forced to jump down into a hole seven feet under the stage to get out of the camera shot. He was unable to get back up on his own after Kid Rock’s performance, forcing a stagehand to pull Y2J out of the hole while 15,000 people laughed at him.

– Styles grimaces in pain as he confronts Nakamura backstage, telling him he didn’t need his help tonight. Nakamura correctly says he looked like he did. He promises to look after AJ until WrestleMania, when he’ll beat him with a “knee to face.”

– Jimmy has his right arm taped up as the faces await Rowan and Harper in the ring. Didn’t they just agree to team up a few minutes ago? I guess matches can get booked fast when it’s live TV. Tom Phillips calls the Bludgeon Brothers attack at Fastlane “atrocious”.

– As soon as the Bludgeon Bros set down their mallets, Jimmy and Big E vacate the ring to rush them. Big E runs Harper into the ring apron, then his team grabs steel chairs and claims the ring. After considering their options, Harper and Rowan grab their mallets and enter the ring. The referee bails quickly and a standoff ensues.

– The chairs and mallets clash, and the mallets win. Armed with inferior weaponry, Big E and Jimmy are forced out of the ring. Looks like we’re still having a match even after that attempted murder.

Jimmy Uso and Big E vs. The Bludgeon Brothers

– Back from break, Harper drives Big E into the mat with a spinning spike slam. The Bludgeon Brothers press the advantage as Rowan delivers a big splash.

– Jimmy Uso tags in to dish out a series of strikes to Harper. He dives off the top rope with a corkscrew move onto Harper, then superkicks Rowan off the ring apron.

– It goes bad for Uce quickly, as Harper clocks Uso with a running boot. When Big E interjects himself, Harper tosses him out of the ring straight to Rowan, who throws him into the ring-steps. Harper slaps Rowan and launches him into Uso in the corner. The Bludgeon Brothers execute a double-powerbomb to win their first semi-competitive match on television.

Result: The Bludgeon Brothers beat Jimmy Uso and Big E when Rowan pinned Uso after a double-powerbomb.

Grade: C+

– After the match, Rowan and Harper sit next to each other on the apron, looking like two old chums relaxing at the fishing hole. Then Rowan nods and they spring into action. Harper takes a running start and crushes Big E against the ringside barrier. He proceeds to feed Big E into a running cross-body-block from Rowan, and the Bludgeon Brothers take their leave.

– More still photos from Fastlane. We see Kevin Owens crack McMahon with a superkick at ringside, then Shane screwing over Owens and Zayn by preventing both of them from scoring the winning pinfall.

– Backstage, Renee Young asks Zayn who he blames for his failure to win the WWE title at Fastlane. Sami blames Shane and Kevin Owens. If it wasn’t for Shane’s obsession with Kevin Owens, he’d be WWE champion. But Zayn also calls Owens a self-absorbed egomaniac, and claims he paid the price for being guilty by association. He vowed not to pay that price again.

– Flair walked that aisle. She said she felt honored that Asuka challenged her for the SmackDown women’s championship. Flair said that Asuka is here tonight, and she wanted to meet her “woman to woman” in the ring.

– Asuka made her first-ever appearance on SmackDown Live. Charlotte welcomed her to SmackDown, and reminded her to be careful what she wished for. Asuka responded with a cheery, “Thank you!”

– Flair says that people all over the world have asked her what would happen if she faced Asuka. She framed their match as a question of who would bow down when the Queen and the Empress of Tomorrow square off. Charlotte said she wanted Asuka to select her for the WrestleMania women’s title match, and she knew this would be a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She warned Asuka that she’d end her winning streak at WrestleMania, and cement her own legacy.

– Asuka told Charlotte that she picked her because she likes a challenge. She showed some swag, shimmying when she told the Queen that she’s the “Em-preeesss.” She looked Flair in the eyes and told her, “Asuka bows to no one.” This is a big (and welcome) improvement over her promo on Raw last week.

– Asuka’s music plays with both women still in the ring, then is interrupted by Randy Orton’s theme song. The new U.S. champion walks out as we go to break. He’ll be ringside for the upcoming match between Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal.

– As we return from commercial, Phillips posits that Roode knew his road to WrestleMania had closed at Fastlane. That … seems doubtful. Orton stood mid-ring. He says he’s been called a lot of things in his career, but, until now, he’s never been called U.S. champion. Orton’s victory puts him on the list of grand slam champions, and “that is actually a list I care about.” He puts over Roode as a tough competitor who earned his respect, then gets intense, telling any potential threats, “This title is mine now.”

– Roode makes his entrance. He congratulates Orton (“You got me”), but reminds Randy that he’s got a rematch coming. And that title bout is happening at WrestleMania. Weak pop for that statement. Roode uncorks a “Glorious” that did not fit the moment.

– Mahal appears and offers his own kudos to Orton on finally winning the U.S. title. He notes that Orton needed an eternity to claim that championship, while Roode, who has been in WWE for “a cup of copy”, required only months to win it. He tells everyone to forget the Orton/Roode rematch and watch Mahal “inflict carnage” on Bobby Roode.

Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal

– Jinder avoids an early Glorious DDT by rolling to ringside. He then avoids a ticked-off Orton at ringside as we go to break.

– We return to find Mahal and Roode cracking skulls as Jinder bounds off the ropes. Roode recovers first, pelting Mahal with right hands, a running forearm, and two clotheslines. A third clothesline (this one from the top rope) prompts Roode to get glorious again. While Mahal blocks the DDT, Roode stifles his corner charge and delivers a blockbuster from the middle turnbuckle for a near-fall.

– Mahal dumps Roode to ringside, then pastes him with a thrust kick upon his return. That move gets a two-count. Mahal goes for the Khallas, which Roode attempts to twist into the DDT. A series of counters concludes with a Roode spinebuster, which nearly ends it.

– As Roode looks to ascend the turnbuckles, Sunil Singh blocks his path. Sunil gets plowed into the ring-post for his troubles. Roode proceeds to the top rope, but Singh’s distraction gives Mahal time to trip up Roode, who crashes down groin-first onto the turnbuckle. Mahal follows up by hitting the Khallas for the win.

Result: Jinder Mahal pinned Bobby Roode after a Khallas.

Grade: B-

– After the match, Orton slithers into the ring to RKO Mahal. The Viper holds up his U.S. title belt over his WrestleMania challenger(s).

– Young interviews Owens backstage. KO takes exception to Zayn’s remark about the Fastlane screwjobs being all his fault. Owens calls Zayn too selfish to see that he’s not the only wrestler to get cheated on Sunday. He labels Zayn a liar and McMahon a spotlight hog. Owens says he has no problem teaching Sami a lesson and opening his eyes to the truth. Conspicuous by his absence: Daniel Bryan.

– Phillips introduces the video package on the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal. This should mean we don’t have to sit through a random ten-women tag-team match on this year’s Mania preshow.

– Carmella announces her entry in that battle royal, calling herself “the modern day Moolah.” Gesturing to her Money in the Bank briefcase, she craftily informs us that we never know what other “fabulous surprises” may occur at WrestleMania.

Naomi vs. Carmella

– Carmella pulls Naomi by her hair, shrieks at the referee that Naomi is grabbing her hair, then twice slings Naomi to the mat by her hair. That is quality cheating.

– More vicious offense from Carmella this week. She unveils a new move in which she pulls back on Naomi’s arms, then boots her face-first into the turnbuckle. Following that maneuver, Carmella wraps Naomi’s hair around the middle rope and attempts to pull it out. A celebratory moonwalk neatly finishes off this sequence.

– Naomi ends the shenanigans by leaping onto Carmella, then rubbing her face into the mat. Carmella slaps Naomi once, and Naomi slaps Carmella … a lot. This looks like a real fight where one person is exceedingly pissed. Carmella ducks numerous roundhouse kicks, only to get clobbered with a knee lift to the skull.

– Befitting her early-match strategy, Carmella counters a springboard move by kicking out Naomi’s leg, then whipping Naomi to the mat by her hair. The Princess of Staten Island folds up her stunned opponent for the pinfall.

Result: Carmella pinned Naomi after slamming her off the middle rope to the mat by her hair.

Grade: B-

– Shane McMahon bounces out to the ring. I hope he doesn’t bust out a cheap pop by shouting out Indianapolis in the last 10 minutes of this broadcast.

– Good lord, he just did it.

– Shane mentions his “myriad issues” with Zayn and Owens, but refuses to apologize. He recalls the feud starting with Owens pummeling Vince McMahon. When Shane looked for revenge at Hell in a Cell, Zayn inserted himself into the rivalry by pulling Owens off a table just before Shane crashed through it from the top of the Cell.

– McMahon notifies us that Bryan will return to SmackDown next week. The crowd jeers because they’re missing him now. When Bryan returns, however, he’ll be going it alone. Shane announces that he’ll be taking an indefinite leave of absence as SmackDown Live’s commissioner.

– Before that happens, Shane will make one special matchup. At WrestleMania, Owens and Zayn will continue to fight forever.

– As Shane attempts to exit, Owens enters the scene. He congratulates Shane on making a decision he actually agrees with, then snarks at his future ex-boss.

FIGHTING WORDS: “Let me be the first to wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.” Kevin Owens to Shane McMahon

– Zayn walks purposefully to the ring without dancing or jumping around. What a waste. He accuses Shane of booking this match solely to appease the fans, and thanks God that McMahon is leaving. Shane tells both men he’s giving them a great opportunity to compete at WrestleMania.

FIGHTING WORDS: “We appreciate that, Shane. And we think you’ll appreciate this, too.” – Kevin Owens

– Zayn forearms Owens from behind, and the two Canadians stomp down McMahon in the corner. Shane briefly holds his own, throwing fists at his enemies, but Owens grabs him in a rear naked choke and there’s no coming back. Zayn assaults Shane with right hands, then lands a Helluva Kick with KO holding McMahon in the corner. Sami returns the favor by feeding Shane into a Pop-up Powerbomb.

– Referees hit the ring, but Owens kicks two of them, warding off the rest. Shane spills to ringside, where Owens and Zayn force his head through a steel chair and hurl him into the ring-post. They each grab one of Shane’s hands and drag him up the aisle to the backstage area. We catch up with them as they exit the gorilla position, still clutching McMahon.

FIGHTING WORDS: “We’re the good guys here!” – Kevin Owens

– Owens thinks of one more thing before Shane leaves. KO and Sami powerbomb Shane on top of some backstage equipment. Shane wheezes like he has a collapsed lung as referee Mike Chioda summons emergency medical technicians, who attempt to apply a neckbrace to McMahon as we go off the air.