The show opens up with Dolph Ziggler making his way down to the ring with no music. As he starts walking to the ring his music starts, and Tom Phillips welcomes us to the show. Tom Phillips is joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton on commentary.
Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler: Baron Corbin’s music hits but he doesn’t come out. They stop his music and start it again. The camera goes backstage to reveal Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn both beating down Corbin. Corbin starts fighting back, but the duo overpowers him and throws him into some production equipment. Kevin says “one down, one more to go,” and they walk off.
Owens and Zayn start walking towards the ring, and it seems they have their sights set on Dolph Ziggler, who is still standing in the ring. Owens and Zayn split up to surround Ziggler. Ziggler runs out of the ring and starts brawling with Sami Zayn in the crowd. Owens runs over and joins Sami in beating down Ziggler. Owens and Zayn throw Ziggler back into the ringside area, where Ziggler tries to fight back but they drop him again. Sami hits a big boot on Ziggler, then walks off with Owens. As Owens and Zayn are heading backstage, Baron Corbin comes back and starts fighting with them on the ramp. They double team Corbin again until the referees break it up. Owens and Zayn finally leave as Ziggler and Corbin are being helped to their feet. Winner: No contest
This brings us to our first commercial break.
Back from the commercial break and we get a recap of what just transpired between Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin & Dolph Ziggler.
Charlotte Flair vs. Sarah Logan: The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan), Becky Lynch & Naomi are all at ringside for this one. The opening bell sounds, and Charlotte and Logan wrestle down to the mat and trade holds. Charlotte fights up and hits a big boot that sends Logan outside for a breather. Back in the ring, Sarah drops Charlotte and puts her in a shoulder hold. Sarah reverses a suplex attempt and hits a chop on Charlotte, but Charlotte no-sells it and answers with a series of chops herself. They brawl back and forth until Sarah drops Charlotte and pummels on her with a series of elbows to the head. Sarah pins for a two count, then applies a shoulder lock. Sarah continues to beat on Charlotte and slams her into the turnbuckle. Charlotte comes back with a slam into the corner and a spike natural selection for the three count. Winner: Charlotte
After the match, Naomi and Becky enter the ring to celebrate with Flair. Ruby and Liv pull Logan to safety as Flair’s music plays. We go to replays as the baby-faces continue to celebrate. Flair exits the ring and heads to the commentary table to gesture that she has one left in her war against the Riott Squad. Flair raises her title at the commentators and she looks up at the WrestleMania 34 banner.
We head backstage where we see Shane McMahon walk up to Daniel Bryan. McMahon asks Bryan if Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are the type of WWE Champion he’s looking for. McMahon says that it is not going down like that, and he has already spoken to Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler, and he is going to give them their opportunity tonight, in singles matches. Corbin will face Owens and Ziggler will face Zayn, and if either win, they get a spot in the title match at Fastlane, and if Sami or Kevin interfere in the match that they are not in, they are out of the match.
This sends us to a commercial break.
Back from the commercial break and we get another one of the Black History Month Video Packages centered around WWE’s trip to the National Civil Rights Museum.
Baron Corbin vs. Kevin Owens (If Corbin wins, he is added to the WWE Title Match at Fastlane): The opening bell sounds and Owens starts off strong with strikes on Corbin. Corbin fights back and throttles Owens out to the ringside floor. Sami Zayn is backstage watching. Back in the ring, Owens starts working on Corbin and hits a big boot on him. Corbin fires back with a big right hand that sends Owens back outside for a breather. They brawl around ringside until Owens whips Corbin into the ring post, and Corbin sells the bad ribs from earlier in the night. Back in the ring, Owens takes control and hits a cannonball in the corner for a two count. The fight spills out to ringside again, where Corbin whips Owens into the barrier. Back in the ring, Owens comes back with a senton for a two count. Owens works on keeping Corbin grounded, but Corbin fights his way up and hits the chokeslam backbreaker. They slowly get up to their feet and brawl back and forth. Corbin slides outside and then back in the ring for a clothesline from behind for a two count. Corbin misses a shot in the corner, and Owens goes up top. Corbin cuts him off, but Owens drops Corbin’s neck over the top rope. Owens approaches Corbin on the mat, but Corbin hits the Deep Six out of nowhere. Both men are slow to get up, and Owens hits a superkick. Corbin evades a Pop-Up Powerbomb, and comes back with the End of Days for the three count. Corbin has earned a spot at Fastlane. Winner: Baron Corbin
After the match, we see an irate Sami Zayn watching backstage. Corbin celebrates and stands tall as his music hits. We go to replays and come back to more hype for Fastlane.
Commentary discusses the SmackDown Top 10 List that debuted last week and the controversy surrounding some of the placement of the superstars on the list before informing us that Bobby Roode will have a United States Championship Open Challenge after the commercial break.
Back from the commercial break and Bobby Roode makes his way down to the ring.
Roode gets on the mic and says that from the moment he won the title he said that he wanted to be the greatest United States Championship in history, but to do that he has to steal a tradition from a man he wants to surpass, John Cena. Cena defended the title week in and week out against anyone and everyone, so it gives him great pride and respect to continue the United States Open Challenge.
Obviously the open challenge is for anyone in the locker room, but for tonight, he is hoping that the man who accepts his challenge comes out and meets him face to face instead of hitting him with an RKO out of nowhere.
Randy Orton comes out to answer the challenge and we have a match.
Bobby Roode vs. Randy Orton (United States Open Challenge): Jinder Mahal’s music hits before the bell can ring. Mahal says that at least the WWE Universe respects Orton, but the SmackDown roster does not as they voted him #9 on the top ten list. He talks up Randy’s credentials before reminding him that he beat him for the WWE Championship, but he does respect him. The rest of the roster thinks the Viper has peaked.
Randy then says that he doesn’t care about any top ten list and never will. Mahal questions this, bringing up that it has been sixteen years and he’s number nine, but Roode’s been around six months and he’s number five. Orton has sacrificed everything for his career, and this is how far he gets. Jinder says that he respects Randy again, but has it on good authority that Roode considers himself a future Legend Killer.
Roode says that those are big words for a man who couldn’t even make the top ten. Why couldn’t he make the list? Because nobody respects him, and speaking of respect, Roode has nothing but it for Orton and everything he’s done. But why is Orton number nine? Just his opinion, but people are getting sick and tired of being attacked out of nowhere. Randy asks if he means like when he RKO’s Sunil Singh out of nowhere. Jinder fires back with Khallas on both men. Jinder stands tall as fans boo him. We get replays as Jinder stands tall while his music plays. Winner: No Contest
We go to a commercial break on a hype reel for tonight’s Mixed Match Challenge.
Back from the commercial break and we are reminded that Ronda Rousey will be signing her WWE RAW contract at Elimination Chamber.
Big E does the usual New Day promo and the New Day makes their way down to the ring.
They head in the ring where they have eight platters of pancakes set out on a table. Kofi starts off by saying that you see today is Shrove Day, or Fat Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday, baby and to celebrate their favorite holiday, Big E is going to destroy the pancake eating record, which stands at 113 pancakes in eight minutes. Big E feels good and so it’s on.
We have a pancake counter on screen but no timer, which seems like a mistake. Big E is just jamming pancakes into his mouth but it’s not incrementing at all.
Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin interrupts Big E. Chad says that this is awesome, when he was training for the Olympics, this is exactly what he envisioned being a part of. Good job. Shelton says that he thinks what they’re doing is great, what New Day have done for pancakes is astronomical and that they should take their act on the road. Think about it, they could open up their own version of iHOP and leave the SmackDown tag division to a couple of serious competitors.
Big E exposes his nipples while Xavier asks if they’re being serious before reminding them that your boys set the record for longest reigning tag team champions in WWE. And riddle him this, who even wants to see Gable and Benjamin as champions? Nobody, that’s who. Chad throws a pancake on the canvas and Shelton follows suit as they mock New Day. Benjamin flapped his jack.
Big E gets hot about them touching their pancakes, and Gable says that it is okay because they have news, nobody likes pancakes. From now on, Shelton says that they are eating waffles. Woods and Kingston have to hold Big E back and we go to a commercial break.
Back from the commercial break and the next match is already in progress.
The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) vs. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable: Xavier is at ringside watching and throwing out pancakes to fans. The New Day starts off strong, but Gable and Benjamin are able to take control of the match after a boot to the face. Gable starts working over Kofi’s shoulder, and then hits a spinning heel kick on Kofi for a two count. Gable pounds on Kofi in the corner, then tags in Shelton. Kofi fights back and throws Gable outside. Kofi dodges a shot from Shelton, then goes to tag Big E, but Gable pulls Big E off the apron. Shelton drops Kofi in the ring, then rolls outside and hits a cheap shot on Xavier for good measure. Shelton taunts the fans, and Kofi capitalizes with a flying stomp on Shelton. Big E and Gable get the tags, and Big E hits some belly to belly overhead suplexes. Gable fires back with a suplex of his own, then tags in Shelton. Gable gets knocked outside, then The New Day double teams Shelton with a Midnight Hour for the win. Winners: The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston)
After the match, The New Day celebrates as we get replays.
We head backstage where Dolph Ziggler runs into an interview. He says that he has been a little more selective lately, picking his spots and somehow here we are, another opportunity. He lives for this, he loves it, and it’s about doing what he was put on this planet to do, perform in that ring. No one does what he can do, and no one will outshine him, and Sami and Kevin know that, hence the attack from behind.
They know it will take a hell of a lot more than that to stop him, and the only reason he’s back is for the one thing that’s eluded him his entire career. He wants to main event WrestleMania, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t walk in there as WWE Champion.
That sends us to a commercial break.
Back from the commercial break and we get a hype reel for WrestleMania.
We see The Usos walking in a smoky area talking about how dominant they are and how it’s lights out for anybody who challenges them. The Usos then says that they are not just any other tag team, they’re real brothers and nothing can break their bond, ride or die from the womb to the tomb. A screen showing their promo is suddenly destroyed by The Bludgeon Brothers, Harper and Rowan. They stare at the cameras to end the segment.
We head backstage where we see Kevin Owens giving Sami Zayn a pep talk that turns into him telling Sami not to let him down, and Zayn tells him there’s no “we” in the title match, it’s every man for himself. Sami walks off, leaving Owens looking shocked.
We get the entrances for the main event, but the actual match will have to wait until after the commercial break.
Back from the commercial break and commentary hypes up a Six-Woman Tag Team Match for next week.
We head back to ringside and the main event match is underway.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Sami Zayn (If Ziggler wins, he is added to the WWE Title Match at Fastlane): Owens is shown backstage watching on a monitor. Ziggler is selling a neck injury from the beat down earlier in the night, and the action is slow to start. Zayn leans up against the ropes repeatedly to force a referee break, and then cheap shots Ziggler. Ziggler finally hits a neck-beaker and a splash in the corner, then another neck-breaker. Sami rolls to the outside for a breather. Back in the ring, Sami backs Ziggler into the corner and repeatedly slaps him upside the head. Sami chokes Ziggler with his boot, then chokes Ziggler across the rope. Ziggler fights back and hits Sami with a shot to the face that sends Zayn rolling outside to regroup. Back in the ring, Sami goes for a suplex, but Ziggler escapes and hits a DDT. Both men are slow to get to their feet now. Ziggler goes for a Fame-asser and misses the first attempt, but he connects with the second attempt, and pins Sami for a two count.
Ziggler goes up top, but Sami hits the ropes and stops him. Sami climbs up and joins Ziggler on the turnbuckle. They trade punches on the turnbuckle until Zayn grabs Ziggler and hits a t-bone suplex off the very top rope. They slowly get up and start trading strikes until Sami throws Ziggler head-first into the ring post. Sami misses a big boot, and Ziggler hits the Zig Zag for a two count. Ziggler misses a superkick, and Sami throws him into the ring post again. He throws Ziggler into the ring post again, then goes for a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Ziggler fights out. Ziggler rolls up Sami for a two count, then Sami hits a t-bone suplex into the corner. Sami looks for the Heluva Kick, but Ziggler ducks and hits a superkick for the three count. Ziggler has earned a shot at the WWE Title at Fastlane, and the Fastlane main event is now a Fatal 5-way. Winner: Dolph Ziggler
After the match, Ziggler has his arm raised as his music hits. We go to replays. Ziggler poses in the corners as we see the WrestleMania sign hanging high. Fans pop big for Ziggler. SmackDown goes off the air as Ziggler goes to ringside to continue the celebration.