SmackDown notes: Madcap Moss wins Andre Battle Royal
By: Dave LeClair
SmackDown aired live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX, the same city as the entire WrestleMania weekend. Going into the show, WWE hyped up the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, a three-way match featuring Ricochet, Angel, and Humberto, and a Happy Talk segment with Drew’s sword as the special guest (yes, you read that right). It’s also the final show before WrestleMania.
Match Results:
- Madcap Moss won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
- Ricochet defeated Angel and Humberto to retain the IC title
- Naomi and Sasha Banks defeated Carmella and Zelina Vega
- Rick Boogs versus Jimmy Uso was thrown out due to outside interference
- The Usos and Austin Theory defeated Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Rick Boogs
Several of the wrestlers… I mean Sports Entertainers were in the ring for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal when the show started. The Dirty Dogs and Finn Balor were the only performers to receive entrances.
The final four were Madcap Moss, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, and Finn Balor. Balor and Moss ended up surviving, with Moss ultimately eliminating Finn Balor to win the battle royal.
As expected, Angel and Humberto teamed up to beat up Ricochet for the bulk of the triple-threat match. Once it came time to go for the pin, the team started clashing, with Humberto even going for a roll-up on Angel. In the end, Ricochet overcame the odds and won with a 630 into a Recoil.
In a battle for the all-important momentum, Sasha Banks and Naomi took on Carmella and Zelina Vega. Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Natalya, and Shayna Baszler were at ringside for the match. Naomi scored the pinfall over Vega.
The show featured a lengthy recap of the Flair and Rousey feud, which was incredibly well-produced. Nothing particularly newsworthy came from the segment, but it did lead to a Charlotte Flair promo where she talked about stuff that’s cool. Carlito wasn’t there, but I have to assume he approved.
Another fantastic video package for the Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns feud aired and it emphasized how good the build for this match has been.
Austin Theory attacked Pat McAfee while he danced to Nakamura’s theme song. Theory ran to McMahon’s office and McAfee kicked open the door, leading to a rare appearance from the boss. He threatened to fire McAfee or take away his match at WrestleMania if he didn’t get back to commentary, further teasing McMahon’s involvement in the feud.
During the Rick Boogs versus Jimmy Uso match, Theory came out and threw a drink at McAfee, leading to Finn Balor coming down and attacking Theory, as McAfee was ordered to stick to commentary by McMahon. This led to the match being thrown out.
After the commercial break, a six-man was made featuring Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Rick Boogs taking on The Usos and Austin Theory. Austin Theory pinned Finn Balor to win the match.
I kid you not—the main event segment was Happy Talk with Corbin and Moss and Angela, Drew’s sword. What better way could there be to end the final SmackDown before WrestleMania? Corbin made a questionable joke about Drew McIntyre’s late mother, which led to McIntyre almost murdering Happy Corbin with Angela. Drew McIntyre cut a table in half to end the segment.
