WWE Smackdown Results
March 20, 2018
Report by Mike Killam for ProWrestling.com
Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan came out to kick off the show to one of the loudest ovations you will ever hear. He said that something terrible happened to Shane McMahon last week and he will be addressing that issue later on tonight when Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn arrive at the arena.
Bryan then got very emotional as he talked about being forced to retire two years ago on Monday Night RAW and becoming bitter, depressed and angry at the world while he watched his dreams slip through his fingers. He said that he has a lot to be grateful for, because he has the best fans in the world and they’ve supported him even though he can’t get in the ring and do what he loves to do anymore. He talked about how much support that Brie showed him, making him to go specialist after specialist and refusing to let him give up on his dreams, shedding some very real tears for his beautiful wife.
The crowd chanted “YES YES YES” and “THANK YOU BRIE” as the former world champion soaked in the love and support from the fans. Daniel finally got to the moment we’re all waiting for and announced that two months ago he asked WWE to reevaluate his condition and they sent him to the best doctors all around the world, and every single one of them said the exact same thing… “You are clear!” The fans lost their minds as Bryan said that he WILL compete in a WWE ring again, and asked the fans if they wanted to see him compete at WrestleMania 34. The loudest “YES” chant ever nearly blew the roof off the arena as we go to commercial break on an extremely emotional Daniel Bryan.
BACKSTAGE SEGMENT
Bryan is shown walking backstage and asks a referee if he’s seen Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn yet tonight, but apparently they still haven’t arrived at the arena. Dolph Ziggler walks up and says that he wanted to be the first person to say… “I can’t wait to beat you.” Bryan smiled and said “you can try” and walked away.
RUSEV vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Nakamura fired off with some knees and kicks to the gut as the crowd chanted “RUSEV DAY” as soon as the bell rang. The Artist was still in control after an early commercial break, stalking his opponent with more kicks and a little Good Vibrations in the corner as the Bulgarian Brute struggled to get anything going. He hit a knee lift in the corner and lined up for the Kinshasa, but Rusev leveled him with a superkick out of nowhere to finally get some offense in. Great exchange between the two as Nakamura was looking to put the match away with a variety of armbar submissions, but the big powerhouse kept escaping and countering move for move. The Artist eventually rolled one of his armbar attempts into a great pinning combination and snuck the three-count.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura