Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 3/28/17

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.

-- Smackdown:
- Announcing situation:
Wow, I really hope Mauro's OK. Missing the show a few weeks back must have really depressed him.

- Bryan/Shane/AJ:
So, Shane's about to sign a contract to face a man who threw him through a car window, and he's coming out dancing like it's no big deal? I hate that kind of thing.

I like Shane not wanting to be like Stephanie as a GM.

AJ's definitely really great.

Since it doesn't make sense for AJ to be in the Wyatt feud, this is pretty much the highest they can push him at Mania.

Oh, wow. Shane thinks he can win??

Also, imagine losing to your boss.

Hahaha I like AJ pointing out how Shane's not going to be able to Kamikaze his way through this one. I definitely expect some crazy stunts, though. No way is Shane going to pull out a bunch of suplexes.

Shane's had a pretty memorable in-ring career.

Fine enough to sell this one.

- Ellsworth promo:
There was only so much they could get out of James, but at least he's got a regular role now.

- Carmella vs. Becky:
Carmella could probably benefit from more work in the performance center.

Ummm.... OK. I can only imagine how much chaos will be involved in the title match itself.

Mania should be a pretty big deal with a lot of people involved in the title match.

- Alexa/Carmella vs. Becky/Mickie:
Whoa, wait. Becky teaming with Mickie after that whole La Luchadora thing?? I guess it's that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" mentality.

Poor Carmella is the fourth wheel here.

Fine work overall so far.

Ha. I was wondering where Natalya was for all this!

This is heating up well.

Fine enough ending, I guess. I'm ready for the big clustermess match already.

- Post-match:
BAH GAWD IT'S NAOMI.

She's back!!!!

Huh. I wonder if they'll save Tamina for later. They're keeping her out of the ring for a while now.

- Bryan/Breezango:
No matter how seldomly they use Breeze and Fandango, at least they're not The Vaudevillains. Main Event should feature some Smackdown action here and there.

- MizTV:
Yeah, they're stretching this one out as much as they can. I love Miz, but I'm ready for Nikki to take a break and for "Total Divas" to not be such a big plot point.

Taking the piss out of Total Divas is at least pretty funny.

I hope Miz gets another run at the top at some point. He's so good.

Cena's pretty fun when they let him cut loose some.

It's definitely worth keeping track of how much John will be working Hollywood vs. WWE. He's absolutely earned the right to ship off to do movies, but I hope we continue to see him in the ring as long as he can deliver big matches.

Oh MANNNNN Maryse BTFO by Big Shoot John.

This is fun. I'm liking Cena not having to be the top guy.

I'm getting Dr. of Thuganomics Cena vibes here. Where has this John been all these years?

- A. Alpha/Slater/Rhyno/Mojo vs. Usos/Breezango/Ziggler:
Wait. The Smackdown tag team titles aren't on the line at Mania? That's disappointing.

Cool to see the former amateurs show off their skills to start.

Fun work from American Alpha.

I don't think the Gore will ever not be over.

Fine work going on here.

I like all these guys.

Mojo can be pretty fun for a guy just going on a tear for a few big moves.

That was a lot of fun!

- Harper promo:
Luke's got to be involved with Bray vs. Orton, right? He could be part of a pretty big moment that night.

- Bray vs. Harper:
This is pretty fun. Two big guys slugging it out.

I'm rarely a fan of a dropkick in a big grudge match. It hurts believability.

Fun match so far.

NICE of Harper to go for Bray's own move on him.

I'm usually not a fan of consecutive suicide dives, but it worked there.

Pretty good work here.

- Orton promo:
That was cool. I'm excited for Mania.

-- 205 Live:
- Neville promo:
I mean, he's got a point.

I'd like to see character progression for more characters.

- Swann vs. Ariya:
I assume Noam not being cleared is an angle.

Nice start.

Fine enough action to start.

Daivari's not a bad heel.

I'm liking this well enough.

Solid stuff.

Pretty good work there at the end!

- Alicia/Swann:
I really hope Alicia's getting herself the presents or there's some other crazy swerve.

- Gulak/Mustafa:
OK, yes. Some names are getting some angles and development.

I like the idea of Gulak being essentially the anti-cruiserweight, focusing on a ground game and the like.

- Mustafa vs. B. Scott:
Mustafa's pretty solid.

Yeah, Ali's quite the athlete.

Fine match for an Ali exhibition.

- Kendrick vs. Tozawa:
Akira Tozawa is a force of nature.

Brian messed with the wrong guy.

Good work from Tozawa.

I like Brian's role in 205 Live. He's pretty much a trainer making these guys more well-rounded and suited for WWE.

I'm enjoying this.

Kendrick's a devious dude.

Hahaha good scouting from both men.

Nice ending!

- Kendrick promo:
Fine to keep things going. I'm pretty much ready for it to wrap up, though. Where's Tajiri??

- Neville/Aries:
I'm loving the more full character Neville's developed on 205 Live.

Neville's a pretty solid cocky douche who can back it up.

Hahahahahahaahah nice video package.

Both men are great.

I'm sure they'll have quite the match at Mania.

Neville making a statement!

Fun work to end the night.

More wrestling coming up.