WWE SmackDown: Rousey and Flair reach Backlash boiling point
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
This week on "SmackDown," Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair gave an intense preview of their upcoming "I Quit" match.
Welcome back to my weekly "SmackDown" roundup, this time covering Friday's edition of the show featuring the final build toward Rousey vs. Flair at WrestleMania Backlash, a brutal tables match and more.
Here’s a quick recap of the match results:
-Shayna Baszler defeated Sasha Banks via pinfall with assistance from Natalya outside of the ring
-Gunther defeated Drew Gulak via pinfall after hitting a powerbomb.
-Sheamus and Ridge Holland defeated Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in a Tables match after Butch re-emerged to assist his team, which allowed Ridge and Sheamus to slam Woods through a table.
-Sami Zayn defeated Shinsuke Nakamura via count-out.
Best moment: Rousey and Flair pull-apart brawl
This browser does not support the Video element.
Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey had to be separated by WWE officials multiple times during Friday Night SmackDown ahead of their WrestleMania rematch.
Out of the two brawls between Backlash opponents this week, the fight between Rousey and Flair at the top of the show was more effective.
Backstage officials and referees attempting to pull them apart just made for a better visual than the 3-on-3 brawl to close the night.
Plus, the animosity between Rousey and the SmackDown Women’s champion feels more authentic (whether that’s good acting or not).
As far as their match on Sunday is concerned, Ronda should win the SmackDown Women’s title to freshen things up.
The program with Charlotte is starting to feel a little stale after months of feuding and a title change would fix that.
Match of the night: Sheamus and Ridge Holland vs. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in a Tables match
This browser does not support the Video element.
Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston came to Friday Night SmackDown looking for payback against Sheamus and Ridge Holland for violent attacks after the match was over last week. The four superstars locked horns in a violent Tables Match as they looked for retribution.
This went nearly 15 minutes, had an actual story behind it, and was entertaining from the opening bell.
There were also cool spots throughout like this:
Even the return of Butch got a good reaction from the crowd.
Love it or hate it, the man formerly known as Pete Dunne is doing a great job of getting the Butch character over as an unpredictable firecracker – and (so far) audiences seem to be responding to it.
Additional highlights:
Shinsuke Nakamura's promo regarding his beef with Roman Reigns may have been brief, but it was incredibly necessary.
Their feud had been dropped out of nowhere and this at least made it clear that they'll pick up again at some point in the future.
This was a fun interaction between Drew McIntyre and RK-Bro.
This browser does not support the Video element.
All chaos broke loose when Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre were added to the WrestleMania Backlash Showdown between Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos.
Lingering question: Is Lacey Evans going to be a heel?
After weeks of telling her emotional life story, it appeared as though Lacey Evans was heading for her first babyface run in the company.
This week, however, when the videos concluded, and she finally re-appeared in front of the live audience – the crowd was instructed to show Evans proper respect by standing up and applauding her entrance.
Typically, that’s something that would be done for a heel performer. Especially when you consider how similar it is to how she was presented as a heel during her initial run when she just walked to the ring without doing much else.
Is this a repeat of that gimmick in a different outfit?
I hope not. I was looking forward to something new from her.
Don’t forget to follow all your favorite WWE Superstars and shows in the FOX Sports app to receive alerts on what they’re doing and more.