Daniel Bryan

Wrestlemania XXXV

Wrestlemania XXXV
Date: April 7, 2019
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips
America the Beautiful: Yolanda Adams

As long as this show is going to be, there’s something special about getting to see it every year. This year’s show is built around the three major matches and the question of how many happy endings we can have. You know it’s not going to be all three, but which of the three doesn’t go through. Those matches consist of Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins, Smackdown World Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston and the winner take all match for both Women’s titles as Ronda Rousey faces Charlotte and Becky Lynch in a genuinely historic main event. Let’s get to it.

Read moreWrestlemania XXXV

Smackdown – April 2, 2019

Smackdown
Date: April 2, 2019
Location: Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s the final final show before Wrestlemania and with five days to go before the longest event in history, I’ll set the over/under for matches being added at two. Tonight in theory should be the first time we get to see the strong promos between Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan because less than two weeks is enough time to build a WWE Championship match at Wrestlemania. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – April 2, 2019

Smackdown – March 19, 2019

Smackdown
Date: March 19, 2019
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s a Kofi Kingston night as he has to run a gauntlet match to get to the main event of Wrestlemania. In theory, with so few shows left to go before the pay per view, they’ll finally announce the match and let us have a few weeks to build. There’s a lot of other stuff to build on the way there too though and I’m not sure how much time everything else is going to get. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – March 19, 2019

Smackdown – March 12, 2019

Smackdown
Date: March 12, 2019
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

Now believe it or not, this show is going to mainly be about the McMahons. It’s a Vince and Shane night in this case, with the former being here to address Kofi Kingston and the latter to explain why he attacked the Miz. Maybe that’s why this year’s Wrestlemania build isn’t exactly setting the world on fire. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – March 12, 2019

Smackdown – March 5, 2019

Smackdown
Date: March 5, 2019
Location: Mohegan-Sun Arena At Casey Place, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Fastlane and as of last night, it seems that the company actually cares about the show for a change. This week is focusing on the build towards the pay per view, though there is also another US Open Challenge. There’s a good chance that is going to lead to something on Sunday though, which is acceptable enough. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – March 5, 2019

Smackdown – February 26, 2019

Smackdown
Date: February 26, 2019
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

We’re less than two weeks away from Fastlane and you actually know a thing or two about that on this show. The big story continues to be Kofimania, which has you believing that the title could actually change hands at the pay per view. Tonight is the contract signing, where Kofi needs to get in a great promo to really push this forward. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – February 26, 2019

Smackdown – February 19, 2019

Smackdown
Date: February 19, 2019
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

Kofi Kingston! Rhythmic Clapping! Sunday’s Elimination Chamber match for the Smackdown World Title was one of the most dramatic moments WWE has presented in years. Kingston was on the verge of becoming WWE Champion and while he came up short, the question now is can he actually pull off the upset. With the nothing Fastlane coming up, Bryan is going to need a challenger. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – February 19, 2019

Elimination Chamber 2019

Elimination Chamber 2019
Date: February 17, 2019
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young, Tom Phillips, Percy Watson

It’s the first of two stops on the Road to Wrestlemania and that means we’ll be seeing a big steel structure. In this case it’s for the WWE Championship and the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. The structure alone makes this a little more interesting and hopefully it’s good on top of that. Let’s get to it.

Read moreElimination Chamber 2019

Smackdown – February 12, 2019

Smackdown
Date: February 12, 2019
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Elimination Chamber and we have some big matches to get through. As was the case last night on Raw, we’ll have some kind of a match to determine the other team starting the women’s tag team Elimination Chamber match. On the opposite end, there is also a gauntlet match to determine who will enter the men’s Elimination Chamber match last. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – February 12, 2019

Smackdown – February 5, 2019

Smackdown
Date: February 5, 2019
Location: Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Elimination Chamber and unlike Raw, we actually have some stuff set up for the pay per view. That includes the Smackdown World Title match, meaning we have some singles matches between the six competitors to get through for the next two weeks. Those start tonight so let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – February 5, 2019

Smackdown – January 29, 2019

Smackdown
Date: January 29, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the final night in Phoenix and that means we should be hitting the ground running. Last night’s Raw wasn’t too bad and hopefully we get a good show out of the blue side. We need some #1 contenders since the Royal Rumble winners are going after the Raw Titles and with Elimination Chamber coming up, there are some free spots open. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – January 29, 2019

Royal Rumble 2019

Royal Rumble 2019
Date: January 27, 2019
Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s the first of the Big Four pay per views and that means it’s time to really get going with the busiest season of the year. In this case that means a pair of Royal Rumble matches, which may or may not have the highest levels of drama. I’m not sure who we’ll be seeing tonight, but it could be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Read moreRoyal Rumble 2019

Smackdown – January 22, 2019

Smackdown
Date: January 22, 2019
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and as luck would have it, we’re getting a 2/3 falls match between Rey Mysterio and Almas (still not liking the new name). There are still some spots available in the Royal Rumble matches so maybe we’ll fill some of those in tonight. Hopefully some are left open though, as the surprises are always nice. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – January 22, 2019

Smackdown House Show – January 13, 2019

I took in the Smackdown house show on Sunday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. As tends to be the case, a lot of the arena was empty but given the six of the place (with a seating capacity of 23,500), even an only somewhat full arena is a rather nice turnout. A few more fans came in after the show started so it could have been worse. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown House Show – January 13, 2019

Smackdown – January 8, 2019

Smackdown
Date: January 8, 2019
Location: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

We’re getting closer to the Royal Rumble and that means a few more matches need to be announced. One of those is the Smackdown Women’s Title match, which will be set tonight. This week will see Charlotte, Carmella and Becky Lynch facing off in a triple threat match with the winner getting the shot at Asuka later this month. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – January 8, 2019

Tribute To The Troops 2018

Tribute to the Troops 2018
Date: December 20, 2018
Location: Fort Hood, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton

This is one of the most unique shows that the company does every year as we’re at a military base this time around. As you can probably guess, the idea here is all about the troops and that changes some things. This isn’t going to be a storyline driven show whatsoever and it’s all about a fun night with a lot of celebrity cameos. Let’s get to it.

Read moreTribute To The Troops 2018

Smackdown – December 18, 2018

Smackdown
Date: December 18, 2018
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Tom Phillips, David Otunga, Corey Graves

The big story coming out of last night was the huge shakeup with the McMahons taking over the company again. This presents the question of what that means for Smackdown, which could be a few different things. The main story coming out of TLC is Asuka as the new Women’s Champion, which is likely setting up a big title match at the Royal Rumble. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – December 18, 2018

Tables Ladders and Chairs 2018

Tables Ladders And Chairs 2018
Date: December 16, 2018
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young, David Otunga, Tom Phillips

This show is now all the more interesting with Vince McMahon coming back to Raw tomorrow for the next shake up. That means things very well may mean nothing tonight, but at least we might get some entertaining stuff here. TLC has a tendency to be fun in a big insanity kind of way and that can carry it a long way. Let’s get to it.

Read moreTables Ladders and Chairs 2018

Smackdown – December 11, 2018

Smackdown
Date: December 11, 2018
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s the final show before TLC and the card is actually stacked. This week we have a rap battle between the Usos and the Bar, a Wrestlemania rematch between Asuka and Charlotte and, surprisingly enough, Daniel Bryan vs. Mustafa Ali. That’s a good thing for 205 Live fans but I’m not sure what to expect. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – December 11, 2018

Smackdown – December 4, 2018

Smackdown
Date: December 4, 2018
Location: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We’re coming up on TLC and the big story, and pretty easily the real main event of the show, is coming from Smackdown. That would of course be the women’s triple threat, though odds are we’re going to be stuck watching Baron Corbin and Braun Strowman close things out at the pay per view. Hopefully we get a nice show tonight though as this has been a heck of a build towards the women’s triple threat, especially now that Becky is cleared. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – December 4, 2018

Smackdown – November 20, 2018

Smackdown
Date: November 20, 2018
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s the final night in Los Angeles and that means it’s probably time for the Shane McMahon Show. Since being swept by Raw on Sunday, Shane has promised big changes for the show and that could mean several things. In theory this is the start of the long awaited Shane heel turn, meaning Paige’s job might be in jeopardy. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – November 20, 2018

Survivor Series 2018

Survivor Series 2018
Date: November 18, 2018
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

We’re finally here after what felt like the longest, most eventful two week build I’ve ever seen. The theme of the night is Raw vs. Smackdown and that likely means a lot of bantering between the commentators about the scoreboard and brand supremacy, which is all that matters around here. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSurvivor Series 2018

Smackdown – November 13, 2018

Smackdown
Date: November 13, 2018
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the final show before Survivor Series and last night’s big angle saw the Smackdown women’s division invade Raw with Becky Lynch laying out Ronda Rousey. Now though, it seems that Lynch is going to have to miss the show thanks to a concussion. I’m not sure what that means for Sunday, but I know it’s a downgrade overall. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – November 13, 2018

Smackdown – October 30, 2018

Smackdown
Date: October 30, 2018
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show before Crown Jewel and there isn’t much to talk about with this show. I’d expect a lot of build towards the World Cup of Wrestling with a tag match between the four participants already announced. I guess that since we’re already done with Money in the Bank this year we need another form of the same lazy booking style. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – October 30, 2018

Smackdown – October 23, 2018

Smackdown
Date: October 23, 2018
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Evolution and one of the last shows before Crown Jewel, which may or may not still take place in Saudi Arabia. The big match this week is a rematch of last week’s 1000th episode as AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan team up to face the Usos. Other than that, expect a lot of not saying where next week’s show will be taking place. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – October 23, 2018