Tonight’s episode of SmackDown LIVE opens up from The Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana as Tom Phillips welcomes us to the show. He is joined by Corey Graves & Byron Saxton. Graves then announces that Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair will join Kevin Owens on The KO Show tonight. Phillips then hypes Kofi Kingston’s big Gauntlet Match.
We go to the ring and out comes The Miz as he is being introduced. We then see a video package looking at Shane McMahon turning on him.
The Miz begins by saying that for ten years he has been focused on The Road to WrestleMania, but at what cost? Through his career he has taken shortcuts and besides his wife and daughter, he has sacrificed every relationship he has had in this business, and that is what this means to him. That is what his friendship with Shane meant to him and he gets choked up for a moment before continuing.
The Miz then says that he just wanted to make his dad proud of him, and as cheesy as it is, their team made his dad tell him he loves him and is proud of him for the first time. The Miz then says that Shane made that happen for him, and told him that one of his dreams was to be tag champs, so he did that for him. The Miz then says that people warned him, told him to watch himself, but he didn’t believe them, and he was wrong.
The Miz then says that at Fastlane, McMahon attacked him from behind in front of his 68-year-old father. His dad watched as Shane decimated him and then proceeded to put his hands on his father, and that’s something that will be with him for the rest of his life, watching his dad get shoved down as he yelled for someone to help his only son. The Miz then calls McMahon a conniving, vile, disgusting human being, rotten to the core just like his father.
The Miz then says that he wasn’t born best in the world, being a McMahon he was born the worst. Do they think they’re special because they’re billionaires and can do what they want? Well they may own this company, but they don’t own him, and they sure as hell don’t own Kofi. The Miz then says that he wasn’t born rich, he was born in Cleveland destined to flip burgers, and people told him he was average, but he didn’t make that a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The Miz then says that he proved everyone wrong and became a champion, and say what you will, you cannot deny his work ethic. The Miz then says that he has always believed that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard enough, and he has a proven success story. The Miz then says that the fans, his dad, none of them gave him love or respect, he had to earn it, and it took 15 years but he thinks he’s earned it. A “you deserve it” chant breaks out and The Miz agrees. The Miz then says that Shane deserves one thing, an ass-whipping from him at WrestleMania.
The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection make their entrance to send us to a commercial break.
Back from the commercial break and The IIconics grab a mic to cut a promo before their scheduled matchup against The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection.
Billie Kay starts by talking about the arrival of The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions and Peyton Royce says that they look scared and small in their ring. The IIconics then call them out of their comfort zone and mock them for going back to NXT and getting chased off of RAW, leaving them with no choice but to come to SmackDown LIVE and face the best team in the division in unfamiliar territory.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection (Sasha Banks & Bayley) vs. The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) (Non-Title Match): Bayley & Sasha dominate this one early on, despite a couple of botched spots in the opening moments. Lacey Evans comes out and walks down the ramp and the distraction leads to The IIconics turning things around. Peyton tags herself in and hits a cheap shot on Bayley from behind to take control of the match. Sasha gets the hot tag and cleans house. She connects with kicks and knee strikes on Peyton and pins, but Billie breaks it up. Sasha throws Billie outside then trades pin attempts with Peyton. Sasha gets distracted by Billie at ringside, which leads to Peyton slamming Sasha down by the hair. Peyton rolls her up and Billie holds down Sasha’s arms from the floor and Peyton gets the three count. The referee didn’t see Peyton’s interference. Winners: The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce)
After the match, Billie Kay & Peyton Royce head to the stage and celebrate as their music hits.
Rey Mysterio is interviewed backstage about his WrestleMania plans. He starts talking before stopping and he calls his son Dominic over. Mysterio then says that after he pinned Samoa Joe last week, he is going to wrestle him for The WWE United States Title at WrestleMania. Dominic then says that he is gonna watch his dad do what he does best and that is to take care of bullies and bring another championship home.
Kevin Owens makes his entrance and we go to a commercial break.
Back from the commercial break and commentary hypes up WrestleMania as it currently stands.
Kevin Owens then welcomes us to the new and improved Kevin Owens Show and says that this year there is no denying WrestleMania is all about Kofi Kingston. Owens then says that tonight we see if he can keep that momentum going and rest assured, he will be watching that match very closely. But another match that has everybody buzzing is the one his guests are in tonight, and he introduces them, first Becky Lynch & then Charlotte Flair.
Owens then welcomes them and says that nobody knows better than he does how friendships sometimes go wrong. No one can get under your skin like a former best friend, right? Owens then says that things have been said back and forth over the past few months and he reads some choice quotes from the history of their feud, starting with Ronda Rousey running them down and then Charlotte telling Becky she will be carrying her bags by SummerSlam and Lynch saying her opponents were chosen and Flair shoehorned in when she didn’t belong.
Owens then says that the point he is trying to make is that the have talked a lot and nobody really wants to see them talk anymore. But this is The Kevin Owens Show, and what does he always say? Fight Owens Fight. But that’s not it, and tonight it’s Fight Becky Fight and Fight Charlotte Fight. They stand up and Flair says that she would beat the holy hell out of Lynch. Owens steps away and then gives Becky the nod to respond and she does so with a right hand.
Flair then takes her down over the announce table with mounted punches. Lynch then fights back, rolls her around and starts knocking parts of the set over as Charlotte bails. Flair then rams Becky into the apron and the barricade. Referees then swarm to break them up but can’t pull them apart. Security then joins the fray and Flair & Lynch each knock a guard out. Becky continues the hammering followed by a side headlock. Flair & Lynch then brawl back into the announce desk and they finally get pulled apart.
We then head backstage where AJ Styles is being interviewed.
He says that he thinks Randy Orton has advantages most of them haven’t had, being a third generation superstar and of impressive proportions. And AJ would even say that Orton is great, but the difference between them is Orton is a first round draft pick and he is a walk-on, but look at them now. Styles then says that at WrestleMania, they will face off and Randy may have said this was his house, which sounds like another advantage, but Styles isn’t coming to build, he is coming to tear the house down, because he is the Phenomenal AJ Styles. Before he leaves, Styles wishes his good friend Kofi Kingston good luck tonight.
Daniel Bryan makes his entrance and we go to a commercial break.
Back from the commercial break and WWE Champion “The New” Daniel Bryan gets on the mic.
He says that Kofi Kingston being in the gauntlet tonight is an injustice because he doesn’t deserve the opportunity. Bryan then says that listen, he knows better than anybody what it’s like being held down by The Authority, but that is not what Kofi is going through. Kofi was chosen to replace Mustafa Ali before The Elimination Chamber, hand-picked from the tag division and given an opportunity he never earned.
And he fought valiantly but both times he lost and Kofi Kingston has earned nothing. Because Kofi, unlike Bryan, is nothing more than a B+ player. And that’s okay to us, because B+ is good enough. But B+ is not good enough and no matter how much you chant “Kofi! Kofi!”, he’s going to lose, because he lost and then he lost again.
The New Day make their entrance followed by The Bar.
We then go to a commercial break before the match begins.
Back from the commercial break and The Gauntlet Match is underway.
Kofi Kingston vs. Rowan, Randy Orton, The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) & WWE United States Champion Samoa Joe (WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Gauntlet Match): Kofi starts off against Sheamus, with Cesaro at ringside. Kofi dumps Sheamus out to ringside early on and hits a suicide dive on him. Sheamus turns things around back in the ring and pummels on Kofi on the apron. Kofi misses a shot and Sheamus drops him then stomps on him against the ropes. Sheamus ends up dropping Kofi throat-first on the middle rope, then he distracts the referee and Cesaro hits a cheap shot on Kofi. Sheamus pins for a two count. Kofi starts fighting back and he levels Sheamus with a dropkick. Kofi follows up with a leaping clothesline and then the Boom Drop. Kofi hits a kick and a flying cross body for a two count. Sheamus comes back and locks Kofi in the Texas Cloverleaf. Kofi escapes, but Sheamus puts him back down with a knee to the face for a two count. We see The Usos & The New Day backstage watching on a monitor and eating pancakes. Sheamus misses the big boot and Kofi capitalizes with the Trouble In Paradise for the three count. Sheamus has now been eliminated.
Cesaro enters the match next and immediately attacks Kofi from behind as Kofi is recovering. Cesaro puts the boots to Kofi and then pummels on him in the corner. Cesaro charges at him in the corner, but Kofi blocks with a foot to the face. Kofi starts fighting back and he leaps off the top rope towards Cesaro. Cesaro catches Kofi in mid-air then slams him down for a two count. We see more wrestlers backstage watching the match on a monitor. Back in the ring, Cesaro hits a backbreaker on Kofi, then swings him. Cesaro applies a Texas Cloverleaf and Kofi starts to fight up, so Cesaro hits a suplex on him. Cesaro then applies a single leg crab on Kofi and talks some trash to him. Kofi fights out and Cesaro looks for The Neutralizer, but Kofi reverses it. Kofi hits the SOS for the three count and Cesaro is now eliminated.
Rowan enters the match next. Rowan steps in the ring and Kofi charges, but Rowan swats him down. Rowan hits a splash in the corner, then throws Kofi out to ringside. Rowan runs around ringside and tackles Kofi on the floor. Rowan continues to beat Kofi down on the floor and repeatedly slams him into the fan barricade. Rowan grabs a steel chair and smashes it over Kofi’s back. The referee calls for the DQ and Rowan is now eliminated. Rowan now picks Kofi up in a bear hug, then slams him into the ring post. Rowan throws Kofi into the timekeeper’s area and it looks like Rowan wants to put him through the announce table. Rowan grabs Kofi by the face and slams him through the table. Rowan leaves Kofi laying at ringside and heads backstage.
Samoa Joe enters next. Joe beats on Kofi and hits a big kick in the corner. Kofi starts to fight back, but Joe shuts him down with a clothesline for a two count. We see more wrestlers backstage watching on the monitor. Joe looks for the sleeper, but Kofi fights out with a jawbreaker. Kofi charges Joe in the corner, but Joe catches him and suplexes him down to the mat. They trade strikes and Joe looks for a suplex, but Kofi escapes and takes Joe down with a double-leg. Kofi misses a shot in the corner and Joe chops him then looks for the Muscle Buster. Kofi reverses it into a roll-up for the three count and Joe can’t believe it. Joe is now eliminated. We see the wrestlers backstage celebrating. Joe chokes out Kofi on the apron until referees and agents pull Joe off, then Joe heads to the back.
Randy Orton enters next. Kofi finally gets up after Joe choked him out and Orton immediately starts beating on him. Orton looks for the RKO, but Kofi pushes him away and hits the Trouble In Paradise. Kofi tries to pin, but he’s too slow and Orton rolls out to ringside for a breather. Orton takes Kofi to the turnbuckle, but Kofi fights him off. Kofi hits a flying cross body off the top, but Orton turns it around into a pin for a two count. Orton then hits a DDT on Kofi. Orton wastes some time and when he goes to pick up Kofi, Kofi rolls him up into a pin for the three count. Orton is eliminated and Kofi has won the gauntlet. Winner: Kofi Kingston
After the match, The New Day hits the ring to celebrate with Kofi as the music hits. Orton sits up in the corner and can’t believe it. Big E & Xavier Woods raise Kofi on their shoulders as they point to The WrestleMania 35 sign. WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon comes out to the stage with a mic. Vince wants to say what everyone around the world is thinking – congratulations to Kofi. Vince then says what Kofi has accomplished is nothing short of miraculous and he is going to WrestleMania. Vince then says that Kofi is going to WrestleMania as long as he can defeat this one last Superstar. Vince orders Woods & Big E to the back or Kofi will forfeit his opportunity. From the bottom of his heart, Vince wishes good luck to Kofi. The music hits and out comes WWE Champion Daniel Bryan.
WWE Champion “The New” Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Match): The bell rings and Bryan immediately starts working over Kofi. He beats on Kofi in the corner, but then Bryan wastes some time and Kofi fires back with punches and kicks. Bryan comes back and hangs Kofi upside down in the corner, then he connects with a series of kicks. Bryan takes Kofi to the top rope and hits a belly to back superplex. Bryan then applies the Yes Lock, but Kofi gets his foot to the bottom rope to break the hold. Bryan hits another series of kicks, until Kofi ducks one and hits the S.O.S. on Bryan. Kofi covers for a two count. Bryan fights back and puts Kofi in the corner, then hits a series of running kicks. Kofi ducks a kick and rolls up Bryan for another two count. Kofi looks for a cross body off the top, but Bryan dodges it. Bryan then grabs Kofi’s hands and repeatedly stomps on his face. Bryan follows up with the running knee to the face for the three count. Winner: WWE Champion “The New” Daniel Bryan
After the match, Big E & Xavier Woods hits the ring to check on Kofi as Bryan makes his exit. Bryan raises The WWE Title belt on the ramp as SmackDown goes off the air.