Smackdown Reax - 2/26/15

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.

I mostly liked the opening segment. I'm disappointed to see Bryan drop down the card after Fastlane, but I guess that was more or less inevitable as the part-time names and returning Orton fill up the most important matches. I would have been OK with Bryan vs. Sheamus again, I think. They have really good chemistry.


Miz vs. Ambrose was pretty good. I'd like to see Mizdow win the IC Title in whatever clustermess match this is leading to.

I still find it odd Orton's on good terms with Rollins. Maybe since Reigns will presumably be busy with Kane and Show in the coming weeks, they didn't want Orton facing the same names. Who knows? I still expect Orton vs. Rollins at WM31, which should be pretty good. And who knows? Maybe that will end up being part of a WWE Title feud a few months from now?

This angle with BNB reminds me of the days of the 24/7 Hardcore Title. I kind of miss that. I think it'd be fun for TNA to do given how many crazy matches they have along those lines. It'd be a perfect title for Bram.

Naomi vs. Natalya was pretty good. It's a shame WWE just did Tag Team Turmoil, because that could have worked well for WM31.

That was a pretty good segment between Rusev and Swagger. I like that Cena has to earn a rematch since Rusev beat him at Fastlane. I hope they keep the Bulgarian Brute's momentum going. I don't necessarily see that happening, though.

It feels a little random to have R-Truth on commentary, but obviously it's about to be part of the IC Title angle.

Good match between Barrett and Bryan, the former Nexus partners. R-Truth was pretty funny on commentary, and I'm glad to see him in a meaningful feud.

And the silly IC Title story continues. I'm fine with something like this here and there. At least Hornswoggle and El Torito aren't part of this (yet?).

Pretty good Reigns promo segment. He works better when he's in a controlled environment like this.

I miss the Hardcore Title days. It made things more chaotic than a straightforward, orderly show with interviews and matches.

Pretty fun Axel segment. He's growing on me. Obviously this storyline has an expiration date, but it could be fun for a while. I wonder what cameos we'll get in this year's Andre battle royal. I'm thinking Otunga again, along with Alex Riley and Brad Maddox. Maybe even The Bunny?

Good match between Fandango and Axel, but I want to see something longer. They're both good workers.

I liked the Miz/Mizdow segment. I suspect the commercial will be for laxatives, given WWE's fixation on that kind of humor.

I think it'd be fun for some Rosebuds to be part of the battle royal. Dress up some NXT names who wouldn't be recognizable.

I liked the squash by Goldust. Talented guy.

Nice post-match to keep the feud going. I'm excited for the rematch at WM31.

I liked Bray's promo. I think they can have fun with those two facing off.

I never expected Kane to go for a crossbody. Wow.

I had forgotten just how strong Ryback is.

The Zig Zag's still a pretty silly finisher, but Ziggler's made it work.

Pretty good six-man tag. It flowed pretty well.

Nice show overall.

More wrestling coming up.