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From being just another tag team competitor on SmackDown Live, Kofi Kingston has emerged to become one of the biggest stars in no time. While Raw is working hard to build its road towards WrestleMania 35, knowing that both its top titles will be on the line, SmackDown Live is working towards its buildup for Fastlane instead.
This episode of SmackDown was no different, as WWE continued to put together great storylines for the event. While heading towards Fastlane, SmackDown delivered a few punches this week which surely surprised its fans as well as some people backstage.
Let’s take a look at 5 moments from the show that surprised everyone, and how it could impact the men and women involved in the days to come.
#5. Cesaro and Johnny Gargano’s match gets scrapped
Last week on SmackDown Live, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano arrived on the blue brand and shocked everyone by decisively beating the former SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The Bar.
WWE officially announced on February 23rd that Cesaro would be taking on Johnny Gargano in singles action on this week's SmackDown, much to the delight of the fans.
Both superstars are extremely talented and therefore, the match could have actually been termed as a dream match. While the WWE Universe was all geared up for the clash, the creative forces changed the match at the last moment and gave The Bar an unexpected tag team contest instead.
This somewhat toned down the excitement around the new NXT call ups.
#4. The Hardyz return
While on one side, WWE disappointed fans by scrapping the Cesaro and Gargano clash, they did still manage to pull off a surprise
The Hardyz made their unexpected return this week on SmackDown Live, with the return of Matt Hardy from a hiatus.
Matt Hardy looked healthier and better than he has for some time, and it was made evident that some time off was what the superstar needed to get back on track. Even though he was a tad lethargic, he can be forgiven knowing the number of injuries the superstar has suffered over the years.
While the SmackDown Live tag team division is already packed with many top teams such as Sanity and The Good Brothers not even getting matches, it was surprising to see WWE pairing the two men back together on SmackDown instead of Raw.
The Hardyz defeated The Bar who seem to be freefalling in the tag team division now.
#3. Kofi Kingston lost his championship shot
Shane and Stephanie McMahon hosted the contract signing between Bryan and Kofi, going over the career highlights of The New Day veteran before he was introduced.
While it seemed as though the fan-favorite superstar was finally going to get his well-deserved chance, it wasn’t to be. After Kofi thanked the fans and the management for the opportunity he was finally getting, Vince McMahon appeared to scrap the superstar of the opportunity and handed it to another 'deserved' candidate'.
The WWE Universe wanted to watch Kofi get his chance at the top title, and it was extremely surprising to watch Vince pull off the move so close to Fastlane. While WWE may be saving Kofi for something bigger, perhaps WrestleMania 35, we cannot wait any longer to watch the man get what he deserves for so long.
#2. Kevin Owens returned
While Kofi was getting ready for his big moment, Vince McMahon interrupted to disappoint him, and a large section of the WWE Universe.
In doing so, he gave the fans another match to look forward to including a man who made his return from injury this week. That man is none other than The Prizefighter, Kevin Owens.
Owens had been absent from Raw due to injury for some time but made his return from injury on SmackDown Live instead. KO returned as a face rather than a heel, and it was also surprising to see the manner in which he was introduced that took the spotlight away from another face.
Vince McMahon doesn’t usually favor faces on screen, and watching him do so on SmackDown raises a few questions.
Owens’ return on SmackDown is a welcomed move, but that will surely crowd the upper-card of the brand which already has AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, Samoa Joe, and others competing to come out on top.
#1. Daniel Bryan took another pin
Since becoming the WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan has done an outstanding job at establishing himself as a heel once again. From one of the top faces of the brand, Bryan is by far one of the biggest villainous characters on the blue brand.
In doing so, Bryan has also declared that he will remain the WWE Champion forever but to do so, the man needs to put up great defenses for his title.
It is surprising to see WWE letting him take pinfall defeats in recent days. Last week, he took a pinfall from Kofi Kingston to allow the New Day member to get the push he deserved. Previously, he did the same for Mustafa Ali in order to establish the new superstar.
While both those pins helped in the storylines being created, Bryan taking the pin from Kevin Owens this week did not make much sense.
As Rowan was also part of the match, he should have taken the pin instead which would have been more logical. Letting the champion take so many pins will surely dent his image and could create some storyline hiccups.
