{"id":76708,"date":"2019-03-19T13:05:24","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T18:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=76708"},"modified":"2019-03-19T13:05:24","modified_gmt":"2019-03-19T18:05:24","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-3-19-kofi-to-run-the-gauntlet-miz-responds-to-shane-sasha-bayley-pay-a-visit-charlotte-becky-dynamics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/03\/19\/wwe-smackdown-primer-3-19-kofi-to-run-the-gauntlet-miz-responds-to-shane-sasha-bayley-pay-a-visit-charlotte-becky-dynamics\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 3\/19:\u00a0 Kofi to run the gauntlet, Miz responds to Shane, Sasha &#038; Bayley pay a visit, Charlotte-Becky dynamics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3462387526\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3><strong>WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>MARCH 12, 2019<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>INDIANAPOLIS, IND. AT THE BANKERS LIFE FIELDHOUSE<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>AIRS ON USA NETWORK, 8:00 P.M. EST<br \/>\nBY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Arena, and Items Advertised by WWE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>WWE Smackdown returns to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IND. after appearing just five months ago.\u00a0 The arena opened for business in 1999 and has hosted many WWE TV and PPV events.\u00a0 One in particular stands out, and that was Survivor Series in 2012.\u00a0 That night saw the debut of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins as the Shield.\u00a0 They attacked Ryback and John Cena in the middle of their triple threat WWE Championship match against CM Punk.\u00a0 The Shield went on to become one of the more dominant factions in the history of WWE.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what is advertised by <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a> for tonight:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kofi Kingston must win a Gauntlet Match to earn WWE Title Match at WrestleMania<\/li>\n<li>The Miz to respond to Shane McMahon<\/li>\n<li>Sasha Banks &amp; Bayley pay a visit to Team Blue<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s next for Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Gauntlet Match: Kofi vs. Orton, Joe, Sheamus, Cesaro, and Rowan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Kofi Kingston wants a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania.\u00a0 He thought he had one at Fastlane, but he was removed in favor of Kevin Owens.\u00a0 On the night of Fastlane, he thought he was being added to make it a triple threat match, but instead he wrestled a handicap Texas Tornado tag match against The Bar (Sheamus &amp; Cesaro).\u00a0 Mustafa Ali was instead added to the WWE Championship match that evening.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Vince McMahon presented a WrestleMania WWE Championship opportunity to Kofi.\u00a0 Before he offered said opportunity, they had a conversation as Kofi was flanked by his New Day partners Big E and Xavier Woods.\u00a0 They talked about busting their a** and never complaining while being treated like garbage.\u00a0 Kofi talked about never complaining about a \u201cman like him\u201d not getting a WWE Championship opportunity through the years.\u00a0 He cited how he never had been trick-or-treating with his children and missed his son losing his first tooth.\u00a0 He wanted to know what he had to do to earn a chance at the championship.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the YouTube clip as you should watch the promo again to get the full effect:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mr. McMahon gives Kofi Kingston an opportunity to prove him wrong: SmackDown LIVE, March 12, 2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4XMjkjyWjNY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Vince talked about nobody including himself deserving anything, and that he created Raw &amp; Smackdown &amp; WrestleMania.\u00a0 He mentioned he had a conversation with Daniel Bryan, and they agreed Kofi was a \u201cB+ player\u201d (a callback to Triple H &amp; Stephanie McMahon saying the same thing about Daniel Bryan in 2013-\u201914).\u00a0 Nonetheless he was willing to give Kofi a championship match, but only if he won a gauntlet match.\u00a0 Tonight, he faces Randy Orton, U.S. Champion Samoa Joe, Sheamus, Cesaro, and Rowan.\u00a0 Here\u2019s Kofi in a <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a> exclusive following the announcement of the match.\u00a0 He\u2019s very real and pretty accurate.\u00a0 I wish all interviews on TV were like this:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kofi Kingston&#039;s time is now: SmackDown Exclusive, March 12, 2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ylBPlAenDcI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I suggest everyone read PWTorch contributor &amp; podcast co-host Cameron Hawkins\u2019 article regarding Kofi Kingston <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/03\/15\/editorial-the-ballad-of-kofi-kingston-who-does-kofi-kingston-sing-for\/\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 For many years I pondered the idea of Kofi being in the WWE Championship picture, but those thoughts waned a bit as he spent the last five years with New Day performing their antics.\u00a0 There\u2019s no doubt that Kofi can go, and he and New Day being more serious last week and recently as a whole with this situation has put them in a better light.\u00a0 The truth of the matter is he is someone that Vince usually doesn\u2019t give an opportunity to hold the WWE Championship.\u00a0 That thought process should change now, as the fans are clearly behind him and for good reason.\u00a0 Putting obstacles in front of Kofi is fine but they should be careful how much they do so and know when it\u2019s time to stop and give him his chance.\u00a0 <\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-207731364\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3><strong>The Miz Responds to Shane McMahon<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Last week, Shane McMahon explained his actions at Fastlane in regard to his attack on his former tag team partner, the Miz.\u00a0 To recap, he attacked Miz and his father as they came up short in their attempt to regain the Smackdown Tag Team Championship from the Usos.<\/p>\n<p>He claimed he was tired of people coming to him asking what they can do for them.\u00a0 He claimed the WWE fans have no idea what he does behind the scenes for them (we probably don\u2019t but could you do me one favor and stay behind the scenes?).\u00a0 He talked about being the \u201cBest in the World\u201d not because he won the trophy, but because he was born that way.\u00a0 After several other points, Shane then announced that at WrestleMania he and the Miz will go one-on-one.<\/p>\n<p>Miz was not at the show last week as he was home \u201crecovering.\u201d\u00a0 He has been quiet on social media in regard to this situation, because I\u2019m sure he\u2019s overwhelmed with joy that the Browns got Odell Beckham, Jr. (good luck with that as he already wants to rework his contract).\u00a0 Anyway, tonight Miz responds to Shane.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 Shane\u2019s heel promo last week was mostly good, but it was not specific to his issue with the Miz.\u00a0 He utilized issues with everyone that had been boiling up inside him for a long time rather than what specifically got to him with the Miz.\u00a0 Perhaps we get some of that tonight when Miz responds if Shane interrupts.\u00a0 In the big picture one thing I fear out of this is that it leads to Shane being a heel authority figure on Smackdown in the time to come, which for heaven\u2019s sake we don\u2019t need in 2019.\u00a0 The show is moving to FOX in the fall and the McMahon family struggles could be a major focal point, for better or worse.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Sasha Banks &amp; Bayley Come to Smackdown<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>WWE Women\u2019s Tag Team Champions the Boss \u2018n Hug Connection (Sasha Banks &amp; Bayley) announced on Raw last night that they would be coming to Smackdown.<\/p>\n<p>The IIconics have expressed frustration with the champs not coming to Smackdown, especially considering they were the finalists in the Elimination Chamber match to determine the champions.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been on Raw and NXT, but not Smackdown.\u00a0 Here\u2019s Peyton on Twitter and also the IIconics together on the Fastlane kickoff show.\u00a0 Ironically, Beth Phoenix was at the kickoff show.\u00a0 She &amp; Natalya challenged the champs at WrestleMania last night on Raw:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/PeytonRoyceWWE\/status\/1107123506372857856?s=20<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The IIconics have shown up and insist that THEY are the future of the Women&#39;s Division! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WWEFastlane?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WWEFastlane<\/a> @BillieKayWWE\u00a0@PeytonRoyceWWE <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OcxZRrCYXf\">pic.twitter.com\/OcxZRrCYXf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1104868944769216512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 10, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Sasha &amp; Bayley are finally fulfilling their promise of coming to Smackdown.\u00a0 They\u2019ve already been challenged by Beth &amp; Natalya.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see if the IIconics throw their hats in the ring for a shot at the champs.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2982209324\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t help but notice a bit of heel tendencies in Sasha &amp; Bayley last night, especially when Bayley asked Natalya &amp; Beth if they wanted more time to prepare.\u00a0 If they are in fact turning them heel it would strange as there were plenty of better times to do so in the past.\u00a0 Nonetheless, it\u2019s not out of the realm of possibility we get a cross-promotional multi-team match for the titles involving the IIconics, Nia Jax &amp; Tamina, and Natalya &amp; Beth Phoenix at WrestleMania.\u00a0 That\u2019s sloppy and even sloppy for me to type, but WWE likes to get as many people on the card as possible.\u00a0 <\/em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Next for Becky Lynch &amp; Charlotte Flair<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch will take on Raw Women\u2019s Champion Ronda Rousey in a triple threat match at WrestleMania for the championship.\u00a0 The match is rumored to be the main event of the show.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve gone around and round with this story with many layers added since Becky won the Royal Rumble.\u00a0 Last week, Becky and Charlotte had a one-on-one verbal exchange in the ring.\u00a0 Becky admitted she goaded Ronda into interfering in the match at Fastlane between her and Charlotte that allowed her to enter the match at WrestleMania (remember, the one she earned by winning the Royal Rumble and challenging Ronda, but then she got suspended and\u2026oh never mind we know the rest).\u00a0 Charlotte touted she hasn\u2019t been hot for just six months, but for four years and was chosen to get the job done.\u00a0 She declared herself Miss WrestleMania (if she said Mrs. WrestleMania would that mean she\u2019s married to Shawn Michaels, Mr. WrestleMania?).\u00a0 She said that WrestleMania is her main event, and Becky was taking so much credit for doing so little.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the back-and-forth which is worth watching especially for Becky calling Charlotte a \u201cplastic-faced dope.\u201d\u00a0 My Irish wife certainly got a kick out of that:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Charlotte Flair plans on ruining Becky Lynch&#039;s WrestleMania dreams: SmackDown LIVE, March 12, 2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ain6uL5qxJg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Tonight, we\u2019ll continue to get ready for this big match.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 I can\u2019t take it with this match anymore.\u00a0 There have been so many twists, turns, and changes that I just want to get to it already.\u00a0 There\u2019s only so much analysis one wants to do with a storyline, match, and what have you.\u00a0 WWE had the match they needed when Becky told Ronda \u201cI choose you\u201d the night after the Royal Rumble.\u00a0 We\u2019re where we expected to be now, and thus we turn our attention in that direction.\u00a0 One thing puzzles me.\u00a0 They probably felt they needed to add the layers because there was a lot of time between the Rumble and WrestleMania, correct?\u00a0 They also wanted to add Charlotte.\u00a0 Tell me something how was WWE able to build a match over a year\u2019s time in 2011-\u201912 between John Cena and The Rock without adding ridiculous layers and twists and changes?\u00a0 I don\u2019t recall suspensions or crazy to get ready for that match and they had a year.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Items to Anticipate Tonight:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>R-Truth and Rey Mysterio defeated U.S. Champion Samoa Joe &amp; Andrade.\u00a0 Rey pinned Joe.\u00a0 Look for the U.S. Title picture to start becoming clearer.\u00a0 Ideally Rey faces Joe one-on-one, but a multi-man match is more likely as WWE has shown a propensity towards those matches for the secondary titles on the big stage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Rowan &amp; WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defeated Kevin Owens &amp; Mustafa Ali when Rowan pinned Ali after a claw slam.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to say where we are with Owens and Ali especially after they just wrestled for the WWE Championship at Fastlane.\u00a0 I don\u2019t anticipate them being inserted into that picture, but there doesn\u2019t seem to be a clear direction for them.\u00a0 There\u2019s always the Andre the Giant Battle Royal for them at WrestleMania.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>After a great promo last week, Randy Orton vs. A.J. Styles was confirmed for WrestleMania.\u00a0 Orton talked about him really being the one to build Smackdown, considering he made his debut in 2002, became the youngest World Champion, and worked the Undertaker at WrestleMania.\u00a0 A.J. talked about his being proud to work his way through the indie scene and be here in WWE with several others that were on that journey.\u00a0 Orton couldn\u2019t help talking about A.J. working for Dixie Carter and copying the nWo\u2019s \u201ctoo sweet\u201d (referring to his days in the Bullet Club in New Japan Pro Wrestling).\u00a0 A.J. talked about the RKO being a rip off of WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page\u2019s Diamond Cutter.\u00a0 Hopefully they stay apart until WrestleMania, but I fear they may be involved in some tag team match on the way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Start Time &amp; Matches Advertised on the Arena Website <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Banker\u2019s Life Fieldhouse\u2019s website advertises a start time of 7:45 p.m. local.\u00a0 They show the following matches:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kevin Owens vs. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan<\/li>\n<li>A.J. Styles vs. Randy Orton<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They also show Asuka, Rey Mysterio, and New Day appearing.\u00a0 Just in case you didn\u2019t know, the card is subject to change at any time.<\/p>\n<p>205Live will follow the main show.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankPeteani or e-mail\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"mailto:fpeteani@gmail.com\"><em>fpeteani@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><em>.\u00a0 Questions and discussion are welcome.\u00a0 Thank you for reading!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3887015710\"><div id=\"pwtor-957692102\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER MARCH 12, 2019 INDIANAPOLIS, IND. AT THE BANKERS LIFE FIELDHOUSE AIRS ON USA NETWORK, 8:00 P.M. EST BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton Arena, <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/03\/19\/wwe-smackdown-primer-3-19-kofi-to-run-the-gauntlet-miz-responds-to-shane-sasha-bayley-pay-a-visit-charlotte-becky-dynamics\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 3\/19:\u00a0 Kofi to run the gauntlet, Miz responds to Shane, Sasha &#038; Bayley pay a visit, Charlotte-Becky dynamics\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,52,4403,27,5893,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-opnionandanalysis","category-smackdown-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/KingstonKofiGG_3x2_600.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76708"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76714,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76708\/revisions\/76714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}