SMACKDOWN REPORT: 12/02/15

Bray Wyatt def. R Truth via Pinfall

Paige def. Summer Rae via Submission

Fandango def. Adam Rose via Pinfall

Tag Team Turmoil Match:

Reigns & Bryan def. Miz and Mizdow via Pinfall

Reigns & Bryan def. The Usos via Submission

Reigns & Bryan def. Los Matadores via Submission

Reigns & Bryan def. Slator Gator via Pinfall

Reigns & Bryan def. The Ascension via DQ

Reigns & Bryan def. Kane and Big Show

This edition of Smackdown was heavily based around the relationship between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns. In fact, they were in the ring for half the. All in all, this was an enjoyable episode of Smackdown, with some great in-ring action between Reigns, Bryan and The Usos.

The efficiency of the opening segment, which set up the Tag Turmoil match, was refreshing to see. We were treated to a singles match almost immediately and did not have to sit through a 15 minute promo first. However, the three matches to kick off the show were below par. It was smart to start the show with Bray Wyatt, as it's a good way to get the crowd going early. But his match against R-Truth was only going to have one outcome. The same can be said for Paige's match against Summer Rae. Finally, it appeared Adam Rose may have dropped the Exotic Express for good, as he fell to Fandango for the third time in two weeks. WWE Creative have been pushing this idea for the last few weeks, with Rose attacking the Exotic Express multiple times and ultimately abandoning them at ringside after his match. This is good for his character development, as it's hard to take him seriously as a heel when the Exotic Express just follow him around, and add nothing to the storyline.

Tag Team Turmoil

This match lasted over an hour and saw the team of Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan outlast six other teams to walk away victorious. Throughout the early stages of this match, Reigns and Bryan were constantly tagging themselves in, trying to one-up each other, and ultimately building heat. They dispatched The Miz and Damien Mizdow relatively quickly, which then brought out The Usos.

When The Usos came out second I was very excited, but also very interested to see where they would take the match. Immediately I thought both teams needed to come out of this match looking strong, and that's exactly what they did. This was a fantastic match, with a great storyline. As the tension between Reigns and Bryan continued to rise, Bryan's relentless offence forced Reigns to stand up for his cousins. This family tension went back and forth between Reigns and The Usos until Bryan eventually applied the Yes Lock to finish the match. The match lasted 26 minutes, and although they lost, The Usos did come out looking strong, as Reigns and Bryan had been pushed to limit.

Following their demolition of Los Matadores and Slator Gator, Reigns and Bryan were then set to face off against The Ascension. It's hard to say that Reigns and Bryan come away victorious from this match as The Ascension brought a beat down to both men, which resulted in disqualification. This was a strong statement from WWE Creative with The Ascension man handling two of the biggest stars on the roster. I hope to see Connor and Viktor in some actual matches over the coming weeks, as opposed to the squash matches they've been in since they came up from NXT, as they are a team that has to a lot to offer in WWE's tag division.

Finally, as The Ascension had to be held back by several referees, Big Show and Kane made their way to ring. The most interesting aspect of this match was the potential face turn from Big Show. The hostility between Kane and Big Show rose throughout the match, as Kane questioned whether Big Show was taking their task seriously. What resulted was Big Show hitting Kane with a KO Punch. They could very easily blow this off as the situation getting the best of him, much like they did for Randy Orton a few months back, but the seeds have been planted for a possible turn. The match ended shortly after, as Reigns hit Big Show with a Spear and Bryan landed his Flying Knee for a pinfall victory.

The show ended with Reigns and Bryan sharing a mutual respect for one another, as they both looked up at the Wrestlemania logo. With just over a week until Fastlane, WWE creative have done a great job in building this rivalry, and is a match that I cannot wait to watch.

#BrayWyatt #Paige #RomanReigns #DanielBryan #TheUsos #BigShow #Kane #WWE #Smackdown