WWE SmackDown LIVE Results: February 27, 2018By Cassidy| February 28, 2018 WWE SmackDown Previous Page Detailed Results With his place at WrestleMania in question, SmackDown LIVE kicks off with sixteen-time former World Champion John Cena. Cena says that, with the exception of Shinsuke Nakamura, everyone in the SmackDown LIVE locker room is trying to find their Road to WrestleMania. Cena then brings up the Fatal 5-Way Match for the WWE Title at Fastlane, saying that he wants in that match. Cena continues, saying that he’s not looking for a “handout”, he wants to do whatever it takes to “earn” a spot in the WWE Title match. Cena then asks what he has to do to make it to WrestleMania. This brings out SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon, who shakes hands with John Cena before saying that the pathway that Cena is proposing puts Cena in the middle of the WWE Title match at Fastlane. Shane then points out that, if Cena won at Fastlane, he would be walking into WrestleMania as the record-breaking seventeen-time World Champion. Shane is then interrupted by SmackDown LIVE General Manager Daniel Bryan, who makes his way to the ring. Daniel shakes hands with Shane and Cena before saying that SmackDown LIVE is the “land of opportunity”, saying that they are going to give Cena the opportunity in the main event of SmackDown LIVE tonight and, if Cena wins, he will be added to the WWE Title match at Fastlane! The GM then reveals that Cena’s opponent will be someone that Cena is very familiar with as Cena will have to defeat WWE Champion AJ Styles to gain entry into the WWE Title match at Fastlane! This leaves Cena glaring with concern at the WrestleMania sign before leaving the ring. With the Fatal 5-Way Match for the WWE Title coming up in less than two weeks, two of the participants in that title match would go one-on-one in the opening match of the night as Sami Zayn would go one-on-one with “The Lone Wolf” Baron Corbin with Kevin Owens a guest on commentary. During the match, another participant in the Fatal 5-Way Match for the WWE Title at Fastlane, Dolph Ziggler would run in through the crowd and blast an unsuspecting Kevin Owens with a super kick. This would distract Sami Zayn long enough for Baron Corbin to take advantage as “The Lone Wolf” would hit Sami with the End of Days, pinning Zayn to pick up the win. After the match, Dolph would attack Baron Corbin as well, hitting Corbin with the Zig Zag, leaving “The Lone Wolf” laid out. With a match against Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Title coming up at Fastlane, The Riott Squad’s Ruby Riott, with Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan in her corner, would go one-on-one with Naomi, with Becky Lynch & SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in her corner. In the end, it was Ruby Riott connecting with the Riott Kick to Naomi, pinning Naomi to pick up the win. After The New Day vows to beat longtime rivals The Usos and win the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at Fastlane, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos would come out to confront their Fastlane opponents. The Usos remind The New Day that they were the ones who walked away with the titles after their many battles last year. The champions then say that, for the past nine years, they’ve been trying to prove to the world that they belong at WrestleMania. The Usos then say that they’ve been in WWE for nine years and they have not competed at a single WrestleMania, declaring that this year is “our time”. The Usos then say that they are the “starters” and The New Day are the “sideline” before saying that the “future” is standing right in front of them. Big E then interrupts, saying that they’ve been “breaking barriers” and “setting records” before saying that they didn’t get to WWE because of their “daddies”. Big E then says that they didn’t sit on the sidelines, they “rushed the field” and took what was theirs before saying that, at Fastlane, they are going to take the SmackDown Tag Team Titles from The Usos and there’s not a “damn thing” they can do about it. The Usos then get in the face of The New Day but that is when The Bludgeon Brothers make their unsettling presence felt. Deciding to bring their oversized hammers with them to the ring, The Bludgeon Brothers would scare both The Usos and The New Day out of the ring as Harper & Rowan stare both teams down. The 2018 Royal Rumble Match winner was in action on SmackDown LIVE as Shinsuke Nakamura would go one-on-one with Aiden English, with Rusev in his corner. In the end, it was Shinsuke Nakamura connecting with the Kinshasa to Aiden English, pinning English to pick up the win, much to Rusev’s frustration. Then it was time for the main event as an epic rivalry would be renewed as sixteen-time former World Champion John Cena would go one-on-one with WWE Champion AJ Styles in a non-title match where, if Cena wins, he will be added to the WWE Title match at Fastlane. Throughout the match, both AJ Styles and John Cena would hit each other with their best shots as Cena would hit AJ with the Attitude Adjustment while Styles would hit the Styles Clash and, later, the Phenomenal Forearm but both men would refuse to stay down for the three-count. AJ then sends Cena into the steel steps on the outside before Styles gets back into the ring. However, the WWE Champion would refuse to accept a count-out victory, telling the referee to stop his count before Styles exits the ring, but Cena was lying in wait as Cena would grab AJ and deliver the Attitude Adjustment to the WWE Champion through the announce table! Cena then wearily rolls back into the ring, waiting for the ten-count but, somehow, AJ is able to get back into the ring at the last second. A frustrated John Cena would then go for another Attitude Adjustment but Styles would counter it into the Calf Crusher. Somehow, Cena would muster the strength to power out of the submission, standing up with AJ in position for the Attitude Adjustment, planting Styles with the Attitude Adjustment, finally keeping the WWE Champion down for the three-count as John Cena picks up the hard-fought win, meaning the WWE Title match at Fastlane will now be a Six Pack Challenge with AJ Styles defending his WWE Title against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and John Cena! After the match, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn would make their way towards the ring before Baron Corbin attacks John Cena from behind. Owens, Zayn, and Corbin would then put the boots to John Cena before Dolph Ziggler makes the save, taking Corbin out with a super kick before decking Kevin Owens with a right hand and hitting Sami Zayn with a super kick. While it initially appeared like there was a new alliance between AJ Styles, John Cena, and Dolph Ziggler, Dolph would quickly squash that idea by dropping AJ with a right hand before turning right around into an Attitude Adjustment from John Cena! This leaves Cena standing tall in the ring as Cena now has a renewed focus and that is becoming the WWE Champion at Fastlane and defending the title against Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania. What did you think of this week’s SmackDown LIVE? Post your comments in the box below.
