Let's head to the latest Smackdown:
-Braun Strowman vs. Gunther-As expected, this was a highly enjoyable and entertaining match with the two displaying some solid chemistry here. Braun kept up with him and put in some great work, the psychology with the arm integrated well throughout, and a hot closing stretch gave this a fun overall conclusion. Generally no complaints here.
-Sami Zayn meets with Heyman-A nice bit of backstage interaction with the two as Heyman uses his psychological wordplay to boost Sami's confidence in tonight's match the way only he can. I smell shenanigans with The Usos not being there but it wouldn't be The Bloodline without that kind of chicanery.
-Rey Mysterio meets Karrion Kross-Rey coming out to declare himself for the Rumble is as expected (not let's slow our roll on the confirmations folks, we're just about at double-digits and that's about all we need to know there) before Karrion and Scarlett arrive to stoke the fire about Rey being a miserable dad which leads to a physical altercation that leaves Mysterio laid out. I still don't know why they set Rey on this path to meet him, he's not that interesting and I'm not sure what the main purpose of being targeted is about.
-Liv Morgan is psycho-Backstage with Emma and Maxxine, Liv states she wants to be the first one in the Women's Rumble and go the distance which the other two think is crazy and Raquel seems to agree when she reminds them that she's the biggest and strongest one there. That leads to a match later tonight as they're continuing the 'Psycho Liv' storyline from earlier which is not a bad idea.
-Teagan Nox vs. Xia Li-Oddly, for a match supposedly built on the idea that Xia's upset about all the returns coming in and upending her on the pecking order, that should mean she goes over in the match to prove her point so the upset victory by Nox here is a bit weird. Even weirder is their lack of time as this was way too brief for anything important to get established or either to look good. Everything else is fine but the mechanics of the feud here is quite confusing.
-The Viking Raiders issue a challenge/Drew and Sheamus get their next target-Recounting the after-show attack from last week and that they're getting a chance for revenge next week in the beginning stages of a tag-team tournament for the Smackdown titles. That could mean the belts are being split up with the upcoming Usos/Judgement Day match being set for the Raw titles although I don't recall that part being announced even if it easily could've.
-Bray Wyatt again says nothing-Honestly, I'm just about giving up on this return, nothing he's saying means anything unless his stable is coming together in this Blackout Match which could be the case here as that would finally make something out what he's yammering on endlessly about. Beyond that, I don't really care anymore as this psychological babble makes for interesting TV anymore.
-Kevin Owens Speaks-Talking backstage about the upcoming match and how it got approved as a means of trying to get to Sami that they're using him prompts Sami's arrival to talk about The Bloodline accepting him for who he is and how hard he worked to get the family he wanted. Fiery and highly enjoyable work here continuing to thread this along nicely before the inevitable and I'm all for it.
-Raquel Rodriquez vs. Liv Morgan-Not quite as good as their match from the Gauntlet segment a few weeks ago but they still displayed some fun chemistry teasing the Rumble elimination spots that popped up in the Kofi/Santos match from last week. Raquel looked strong and put Liv down to make her a threat in the match which is what's needed for her going forward.
-Imperium healing backstage-A brief bit about Gunther icing himself with the rest of the team backstage from the earlier match and saying he wants to go to the Rumble and win it (damn, come on guys, keep this stuff a secret!) which will allow him to go to Wrestlemania. Fine for what it is but let's stop with the announcements here, it's all in the surprises.
-Sonya Deville wants Charlotte Flair-After being denied her rematch with Charlotte, Sonya sneaks up on her backstage and they start brawling which is a weird way to start the feud but let's see where it goes as giving her something to do is a fine touch I can get behind while Charlotte needs a filler feud until 'Mania.
-Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn-As expected, there's a lot to like here as they displayed tons of chemistry and had a lot of fun in their match. With some fun near-falls and decent brawling to go along with their usual high-quality mat work which was enhanced nicely by Sami's aggressive streak due to his determination to win. I did call the Usos showing up just when the match was about to be won and the subsequent brawl and powerbomb through the table is a nice touch to weaken KO leading into the Rumble match so a highly enjoyable finish to the show.
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