WWE SmackDown Grades: Shane O’Mac Pays For His Fastlane Sin
Photo by WWE’s Twitter
The post-Fastlane edition of WWE SmackDown didn’t necessarily feature anything outstanding, but it did feature several solid moments regarding the blue brand’s road to WrestleMania.
The March 13 edition of WWE SmackDown followed up the Fastlane pay-per-view by immediately turning its focus to WrestleMania 34 with several potential feuds and matches coming to light and some already set in stone.
WrestleMania 34 is less than four weeks away and there is still work to be done for the blue brand in terms of building its matches for the show. With that being said, let’s take a look at a few grades from the March 13 edition of WWE SmackDown.
5. Opening Segment
The dream match that the WWE universe has wanted to see for a while wasn’t a complete guarantee heading into WrestleMania 34. But after this past Sunday’s Fastlane pay-per-view, the match everybody wants to see will happen on the grandest stage of them all.
AJ Styles will defend his WWE Championship against Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura in what promises to be a classic encounter between two of the most talented WWE superstars of all-time. And last night, Styles and Nakamura both turned their attention towards that match in the opening segment of the night.
The Phenomenal One opened up last night’s show by addressing the match with The King Of Strong Style. Styles said he has earned everything he’s gotten in the WWE and how he has wanted this match for a long time, especially given how both his and Nakamura’s careers have been very similar up to this point.
Nakamura then came out and addressed Styles in his own, quirky, yet serious way. He said he respects Styles, but he feels it’s his destiny to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34 and give Styles a knee to the face. This segment was well-done given how it was the first interaction between the two when the match was made official just two nights prior.
It was great to see both The Phenomenal One and The King Of Strong Style in the same ring together face-to-face as WrestleMania season really heats up.