SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Sonya Deville

 

Credit: WWE.com

Sonya Deville expertly goaded Charlotte Flair into another SmackDown Women’s Championship defense Friday night, her second in the last month.

The result was the same as the first.

Flair successfully retained her title, beating a game Deville with the Figure Eight submission. To do so, she had to fight from underneath, overcoming an onslaught from a challenger hellbent on making the most of a second chance.

Deville looked, as usual, like a star here.

A solid in-ring competitor, she knows she is a heel and carries herself as such. She has a huge personality that leaps off the screen every chance she gets to display it. It is for that reason that she has been able to establish herself as one of the most detestable heels on the roster, whether in the role of self-serving WWE official or entitled wrestler.

Flair was her typical great self, and the commentary team did a good job of putting over her WrestleMania showdown with Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley, which should be a defining moment in the career of the heel.

Backstage, Roman Reigns demanded answers as to where Jey Uso is. Neither Jimmy nor Solo Sikoa had them.

The Tribal Chief is a great, manipulative bad guy. Everything he does is with one goal in mind: maintaining his status at the head of the table. This was no difference. Great character work here, as usual.

Result

Flair submitted Deville

Grade

B-

Top Moments

1. • Deville grabbed Flair by the hair and pulled her to the mat, seizing control as the show entered the break.
   • The challenger nearly stole a win using the ropes for added leverage.
   • Flair countered a sunset flip into the Figure Eight. Deville tapped.

The Brawling Brutes vs. The Viking Raiders

One week after attacking Sheamus and Drew McIntyre, costing them a chance to compete for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, The Viking Raiders battled The Brawling Brutes’ Ridge Holland and Butch.

The babyface brawlers took the fight to the heels, but this really was all about highlighting Ivar and Erik. The Raiders halted a babyface comeback and, seemingly with the approval of Valhalla at ringside, scored the win following Ragnarok to Butch.

After the match, McIntyre and Sheamus returned and fought the heels off, a message that the issues between the teams are far from over.

The match was fine for what it was. The talent was there to ensure that, even though it was a match designed to enhance the heels, it would still be competitive and mostly good.

The Raiders still need a win or two to convince the audience that they stand a chance in hell of beating two former WWE champions, but Triple H and Co. have done a solid job of presenting the team as a genuine threat in the tag team division.

A second kudos on this night goes to Holland, who has worked hard to improve his in-ring game and is in, arguably, the best shape of his career. He was good here, never looking out of place while sharing the ring with veteran opponents. Pairing him with Sheamus and Butch may have been one of the best booking decisions of the last regime’s final year.

Result

Viking Raiders defeated Brawling Brutes

Grade

C+

Top Moments

1. • Butch paid homage to Sheamus, delivering 10 Beats of the Bodhran to Erik.
   • Ivar unloaded a barrage of back elbows to Holland in the corner, only for a tag to Butch to halt his momentum.
   • Erik turned Butch inside out with a lariat clothesline.
   • The Viking Raiders stared down at Valhalla before delivering the Ragnarok, almost as if they were awaiting her blessing to earn the win.
   • McIntyre and Sheamus attacked the victors and stood tall on the stage after the match.

Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Shotzi vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler

 

Credit: WWE.co

A spot in the Elimination Chamber to determine the top contender to the Raw Women’s Championship held by Bianca Belair was at stake in a Fatal 4-Way Match Friday night. Shayna Baszler, Zelina Vega, Shotzi and Natalya squared off for a shot at a WrestleMania title opportunity.

Baszler dominated momentarily, rocking her opponents with her hard-hitting strikes. As the pace quickened, the prospective contenders threw caution to the wind. In the end, though, it was a series of submissions that led directly to the finish.

Natalya interrupted a Karifuda Clutch to Vega, sent Baszler to the floor, and applied her Sharpshooter to the mouthpiece of Legado del Fantasma for the tapout victory.

All three competitors were better options than Natalya to win this one, but the fact that she is both a Hart and from Canada made her inclusion in this year’s Chamber event sensible if nothing else.

Still, think about what it would have meant for Shotzi or Vega to get the nod here and have the opportunity to build their in-ring successes inside one of the company’s most popular gimmick bouts.

As it is, Natalya gets a shot to earn a championship opportunity; a shot she stands next to no chance of actually winning.

Result

Natalya defeated Shotzi, Baszler and Vega

Grade

C+

Top Moments

1. • Michael Cole reminded fans that Baszler has previous experience in the Elimination Chamber having defeated every one of her opponents in the 2020 main event, the only woman to ever accomplish that feat.
   • Baszler rocked Natalya with the knee to the face that broke The Queen of Harts’ nose.
   • Shotzi delivered a low tope suicida to Baszler, and Vega followed up with a moonsault to both women.

Roman Reigns Addresses The Bloodline

 

Credit: WWE.com

Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns made his way to the ring to close out the show, with the intent of addressing the status of The Bloodline.

After accusing everyone of wanting more and more from him, Sami Zayn attacked from out of nowhere. Zayn sent The Head of the Table scurrying to the sanctuary of the floor and announced his intention to come after Reigns and his title.

This brought about a beatdown by Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa before Reigns spoke to a downed Zayn, vowing to beat him in front of his family in Montreal at Elimination Chamber.

When a storyline hits as frequently as this one has, you find yourself waiting for a misstep that halts momentum and causes a setback, but it just has not happened to this point. Every segment is a great one, especially over the last month.

Reigns is perfect in this role, manipulating every situation to his favor, while Zayn looked a lot like the fiery babyface fans fell in love with back in NXT. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the added element of Jey Uso’s allegiances has helped enhance the program.

Reigns vowing to break Zayn in front of his family in Montreal adds an extra level to the upcoming championship match, commanding views for what will be the hottest championship match WWE has produced in years.

This is wrestling perfection, and one day, we will look back on it as one of the truly great WWE programs of all time, right up there with the Mega Powers, the Hart brothers rivalry, and Steve Austin rebelling against Vince McMahon.

Grade

A+

Top Moments

1. • “You know what I saw? I saw greed. I saw the same thing I see in every single person I interact with these days.”
   • “This place has come unglued!” Cole exclaimed as a fired-up Zayn stood tall in the center of the ring.
   • “You’re wrong about me. I never wanted anything from you…until now. I want something from you now. And I’m gonna take it because I’m coming after you and the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship!” Zayn warned Reigns.
   • “We want Jey! We want Jey!” the fans chanted.
   • “They want Jey, but I don’t have Jey because you broke up by Bloodline,” Reigns said.
   • “You broke up my family, now I want to break you in front of yours,” Reigns said, issuing a challenge for Elimination Chamber.