WWE SmackDown Results: March 1, 2016

Smackdown was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, where Dean Ambrose opened the night with a promo. He’s interrupted by Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens, who points out his own lack of an opponent for WrestleMania 32. Owens attempts to attack Ambrose, who was sitting in a chair that becomes a weapon when he hits the champ with it.

This long-standing feud was fine, but this seems odd considering Ambrose does have an opponent for WrestleMania. It looks like these two are just going to become a default match to headline television shows because they put on a good match and show believable dislike for one another.

League of Nations def. The Usos

The League continues its build to relevance as a team with a meaningful win over the former tag champs. After the match, the Dudley Boyz come in for a beatdown on the Usos, teasing a table shot that never happens.

Perhaps it’s just a general lack of interest in the product as a whole right now, but there’s nothing fresh about this “No Tables” stance from the Dudleys. Everyone knows that one of the Usos will be put through a table eventually or one of the Dudleys will be, or that honor may even be reserved for one of the tag champions – either from New Day or Y2AJ – at WrestleMania. But we know that someone is going through a table, and it will likely be sooner rather than later.

Dolph Ziggler def. The Miz

Ziggler gets his win back with a roll-up, which is expected because he may be the epitome of 50-50 booking.

It’s hard to say what these two are working toward, but it seems likely to be some sort of multi-man match at WrestleMania for the Intercontinental title. I don’t know if such records are kept, but Ziggler has to be among the leaders in appearances in such matches.

Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (no contest)

Both women start the match with a cliched look to the WrestleMania sign and put on a predictably solid match before the Flairs make their way to ringside during the action. At one point, Becky gets a break from a hold by going to the ropes, and that gets Charlotte into the mix. She attacks both women, leaving them on the ground as she leaves the ring.

This build is fine, but most fans are probably just anticipating the obvious triple threat that’s coming at Wrestlemania. Regardless of how the writers get there, that match is a huge statement for the quality of women’s wrestling coming from NXT.

These three women didn’t even debut on the main roster until July of last year, and now they’re set to likely square off for one of the top women’s titles in the world at the top wrestling show in the world.

The Undertaker appearance from Raw gets a replay, which seems silly since it was somewhat awkward and unnecessary. Also, it probably wasn’t the smartest move to have Undertaker choke Vince McMahon mere weeks after Titus O’Neil was suspended, allegedly for touching the boss. On the other hand, the creative team could be working on a story there, but unless that story involves a big early return for Titus, that still seems insensitive.

Next up is a New Day promo leading into a singles match between Kofi Kingston and AJ Styles. They cut a promo on Y2AJ, who are fairly easy targets, as legendary as they are.

AJ Styles def. Kofi Kingston

The build for Styles has been a unique one, as this match sees him win after a Springboard Elbow. That makes at least the third different move he’s used to finish an opponent, including the Calf Crusher and the Styles Clash.

It makes very little sense that Y2AJ would already be in line for a tag team championship match, considering teams like Ambrose and Reigns or the newest iteration of the Wyatts have yet to get that chance. Still, these two working together as champions, presumably, is pretty neat and definitely adds interest to a division that has struggled to stay relevant in recent months.

Dean Ambrose def. Kevin Owens (non-title match)

Ambrose hits the Dirty Deeds on Owens, which should probably earn him an Intercontinental title shot down the road. He may already be owed a rematch there, but that will likely come after his upcoming world title shot, which he did not earn through any traditional measure.

Owens attempts to attack Ambrose after the match by putting him through a table, but the Lunatic Fringe ends up hitting an elbow drop to Owens on it. The table, unfortunately, does not break, and Owens merely slides off.

This show continues the foot-dragging the creative team did on Monday regarding the build to what is assumed to be the biggest show of the year.