SmackDown airs tonight (Feb. 24) with a live show from Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. This is the first SmackDown episode during the six week build towards WrestleMania 39, which takes place on the weekend of Apr.1 and Apr. 2.
GUNTHER needs an opponent for WrestleMania 39
Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER extended his lengthy title reign with a win over Madcap Moss last week. After clearing out nearly every relevant babyface on the SmackDown roster, GUNTHER needs an opponent for WrestleMania 39. Lots of fans hope it will be Brock Lesnar.
That sounds like a great idea on paper and a no-brainer decision, of course, but this week’s episode of Raw threw a wet blanket on it. That’s because The Beast was challenged to a WrestleMania match by…Omos?
Omos is one of the worst workers on the WWE roster. We’ve already seen him lose against Braun Strowman, who is no longer a clear cut upper card guy in WWE. The idea that WWE would book a singles match of Lesnar vs. Omos at WrestleMania is laughable, but it looks like that’s we’re this is going. So the question is, why is WWE potentially wasting everyone’s time with this garbage match at WrestleMania?
It’s actually not that hard to put the puzzle pieces together and figure out WWE’s logic. Brock is in a slump and needs a win, while WWE isn’t looking to end GUNTHER’s title reign any time soon. If WWE books GUNTHER vs. Lesnar, the only way for Lesnar to win without GUNTHER losing the title would be another shitty DQ finish, just like we got in Brock’s match at Elimination Chamber.
That’s why Lesnar vs. Omos is likely happening in Hollywood. Lesnar can throw the giant around for three minutes and get an easy, quick win, while GUNTHER can retain his title in a banger elsewhere on the card. It’s a complete waste of Lesnar at the biggest show of the year, but it’s not like he wants to work the longer style of match that GUNTHER prefers. Brock can get paid the big bucks while doing minimal work, which is exactly what he’s looking for.
So where exactly does this leave GUNTHER for WrestleMania? In the short-term, he will compete tonight as part of Imperium in a six-man tag team match against Moss, Braun Strowman, and Ricochet. GUNTHER has already defeated all three of these men in individual title matches over the last few months.
The rumor mill suggests GUNTHER could be booked into a three way title match at WrestleMania against both of the Banger Bros. Drew McIntyre has yet to challenge GUNTHER for the Intercontinental championship, so it seems like a plausible scenario. Maybe there will be a post-match angle tonight to get that story going.
The rest of the title scene
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair has a face-to-face confrontation with Rhea Ripley tonight. Ripley won the Royal Rumble and chose Flair as her opponent for WrestleMania 39. She’s looking to even the score after Flair beat her three years ago in an empty building at WrestleMania 36.
The Usos don’t have any opponents lined up for the SmackDown tag team titles, at least not until Sami Zayn finds a way to repair his broken relationship with Kevin Owens. How will Jey Uso respond after Zayn accidentally speared him at Elimination Chamber?
Roman Reigns defends the WWE Universal championship against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39. Reigns is not listed in WWE’s advertising for tonight’s show, so he might not be around to brag about his win over Zayn or address Jey’s status with The Bloodline.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions IYO SKY and Dakota Kai have their hands full with Becky Lynch and Lita on Raw. It looks like the winner of their upcoming title match will have to deal with the team of Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler soon enough.
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– Rey Mysterio has a rematch with Karrion Kross tonight. Kross is ice cold and looking to get his win back after losing in their first encounter. With Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio in the building, there’s a good chance that Dom will screw over his father here, giving Rey another reason to finally fight him at WrestleMania.
– Bobby Lashley says nobody can escape the Hurt Lock, including Bray Wyatt. I guess Lashley hasn’t considered that Uncle Howdy can probably escape by the simple process of spontaneous combustion. At any rate, Wyatt’s Firefly Fun House returns tonight. This is going to be a whole new spooky world for Bob to deal with over the next six weeks.
– Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez both came up short inside the Elimination Chamber. Is there any path for them to find a match on the card at WrestleMania 39?
– LA Knight is ready to stop talking about the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match, but he has yet to make his next move in terms of picking a fight with someone else on SmackDown.
– Natalya has been going back and forth with Shayna Baszler on social media. Perhaps it will lead to a singles match in the very near future.
– Which jabroni will be the next victim of Lacey Evans’ Cobra Clutch?
– Are Madcap Moss and Emma turning heel?
– Is Legado del Fantasma turning babyface?
– Has Top Dolla figured out how to successfully jump over the top rope yet?
What will you be looking for on SmackDown?
Originally posted at: Read More