The Superstars of Friday Night SmackDown headed on out to New Orleans, Louisiana for another night of combat inside the Smoothie King Center.
The women’s content this week began with a vignette for Zelina Vega. Against a background reminiscent of Japanese streets at night, Vega said that her whole life, people have taken one look at her and tried to define her. “She’s too small to make it”… “She’s too small to beat me”… “She’s too small to be champion!”… all criticisms related to her small stature, but her size hasn’t stopped her in the past at achieving success, having been a former Women’s Tag Team Champion and the first-ever Queen’s Crown winner. Footage of Vega from the past few years was shown as she mentions that she has never had it easy, having to scratch and claw to get anything in WWE, but this is a fresh start because she has something to prove, and things won’t be over until Zelina Vega says it’s over.
A vignette for Charlotte Flair aired, albeit this one featured recycled dialogue from one of her pre-Royal Rumble segments. This vignette was mainly the same with footage of her previous title reigns and lying on a boat in a fancy dress. However, it also featured footage of her performance and victory in the Royal Rumble, as well as her declaration to challenge Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 41.
New Orleans then started running on Tiffy Time when WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton faced off against Candice LeRae. During Stratton’s entrance, it was announced that a tag team match pitting her and Trish Stratus against LeRae and Nia Jax was made official for Elimination Chamber on Saturday, March 1st, coming after last week’s assault at the hands of the heel tandem.
Before the action could begin, Stratton grabbed a microphone to cut a promo. She says that she knows what the fans know: that ever since winning the Women’s Championship, everyone has been so obsessed with her. Last week, she had Nia Jax beat until Candice LeRae decided to interfere and help her little “meal ticket”, and that at Elimination Chamber, her and Trish Stratus will make sure that the “Unstoppable Force” comes to a definitive end. She then switches gears to talking about Charlotte Flair and how she took her “sweet old time” to grab a chair, a mic, look down upon her, and pick her as her WrestleMania opponent. In that moment, the Buff Barbie’s dreams became true, and as she laid there in the ring, looking up at her, she realized that the rumors were true – no one loves to kick a girl when she’s down quite like Charlotte Flair. At WrestleMania, Stratton won’t be coming for Flair’s legacy, she’ll be coming for the spot she desires the most – the number 1 spot as the top girl in the WWE.
Nia Jax and Candice LeRae made their way out, with Jax commenting on how Stratton is “really cute” – she actually believed she would beat her last week. LeRae adds that Stratton wouldn’t even be standing in the ring right now if it wasn’t for her “mentor” Trish Stratus. Jax also thinks it’s cute that she is addressing Charlotte Flair, when she won’t even see WrestleMania. After Jax and LeRae destroy her at Elimination Chamber, the Irresistible Force plans on coming back for her WWE Women’s Championship.
Stratton retorted, telling Nia to give it up as the Women’s Champion isn’t hers anymore, and after she beats Candice, she won’t have anyone to do her dirty work anymore either. Jax and LeRae decide to stop talking and attempt to corner the champ, but referee Daphanie LaShaunn came in to stop it before the commercial break.
The show returned to commercial, and while things were off to a rough start, things got more intense when Charlotte Flair made her presence felt and joined the commentary desk. LeRae primarily targeted the arm in the early goings, although Stratton was eventually able to perform a moonsault onto the outside, with momentum continuing to pick up for the champ as the match went on. Jax eventually tried to pull her partner out of the ring but would get hit with a dropkick by Stratton, who then performed an Alabama Slam against the barricade on LeRae as she stared at Flair, who on commentary referred to herself as the top woman in WWE and unattainable.
After hitting the Prettiest Moonsault Ever, Stratton won the match, but was immediately attacked afterwards by the Irresistible Force. Trish Stratus would make the save, taking out both Jax and the Poison Pixie, but the two wouldn’t let up. Tiffany and Trish would get taken out by an Annihilator that was performed with both of them on top of each other. Flair would then get in the ring, pointing at the WrestleMania sign over a laid out Stratton once again, before leaving.
A video package had aired earlier in the night featuring the competitors in the men’s Elimination Chamber, so now the competitors in the women’s Elimination Chamber were highlighted in their own segment.
After that video package, Byron Saxton interviewed Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair and Naomi, who would be going one-on-one with Liv Morgan. Speaking to them backstage, Saxton asked the two about them viewing the footage of Jade Cargill’s attack last week that led them to believe Liv and Raquel Rodriguez were responsible for the attack. Naomi said that she doesn’t think they were responsible, she knows they were responsible. Saxton adds that this coming Monday on Raw, Naomi and Belair will be defending their titles against Liv and Raquel, now asking the two on their readiness for that match. Belair says that the two are so ready as they have been waiting for months for an update on Jade, who has been recovering and thus hasn’t been able to text them back, so they took matters into their own hands to get answers for themselves. Now, they’re going to get revenge on Liv and Raquel so they can finally move on and focus on the Elimination Chamber match because one of them is going to win and face Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania. Naomi ends the discussion by stating that not only will Liv and Raquel be feeling the “GlowEST” on Monday, but Liv is going to feel it tonight.
One final vignette aired, this time featuring Alexa Bliss. In a classic film-style motif, Bliss says that when she was away, there was a lot of change that happened in her, with the video glitching as she said “change”. But when she looks around, she sees that WWE is still the same. The names and faces may be different, but the desperation and insecurities remain the same. We’ll see in Toronto that she’ll turn the Elimination Chamber into something of a playground of her own. She knows the Chamber, she loves the Chamber, and she’s won the Chamber, and for the other five women, it’s going to be a hell like they’ve never experienced before. This is her division, and she is in charge. The vignette ends with her chuckling and saying “See you soon!”, perhaps a sign that she is returning to the heelish tendencies that defined the first several years of her career.
Bianca and Naomi made their entrance to Naomi’s music, but as they got up to pose on the ramp, out from under the ring came Liv and Raquel to cheap shot them both from behind. Taking out Belair, the two made quick work of Naomi. Officials came out to tend to the champions, without the match ever starting.
The show returned from commercials with Nick Aldis scolding Liv and Raquel. He orders the two to leave the building and the two laugh in response before walking away. Just as he’s done dealing with them, in walk the Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. Green tells Aldis to have no fear, as her and Piper are here to take Bianca and Naomi’s places in the Elimination Chamber match. When the head honcho tells her that they will make it to the show, Green complains and mentions that she had an outfit ready. To her, it is a travesty to not have “the greatest Canadian export since maple syrup” on a Canadian event. Aldis claps back and says that they are testing his patience, announcing that Green will be in action next week on SmackDown in Toronto, but does not mention an opponent, only saying “it’s going to be a good one”. Green wants more details, but it’s too late as Aldis has already walked off.
Next week’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown will air from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the host city of the Elimination Chamber event on Saturday, March 1st. As of this writing, here’s what’s set to take place next week:
- Chelsea Green in action
Make sure to share your thoughts on this week’s episode of SmackDown in the comments below!
