WWE SmackDown Before Fastlane: Results, Full Recap and Grades

The latest episode of Friday Night SmackDown packed punch, and a lot of storylines came into perspective before WWE Fastlane, but more importantly, WrestleMania. 

While Edge made his huge return to SmackDown a decade after his last match on the brand, there were also a lot of cues put into action and storylines which will be detailed below. 

Here is a look at everything that happened on the March 19, 2021, episode of SmackDown.

1. The Tip of the Spear -Edge defeats Jey Uso

Edge overcame Roman Reigns’ guard Jey Uso with a convincing performance on his return to the blue brand. Uso fought tactically and targeted the legend’s ribs, taking the attack to ‘The Ultimate Opportunist’. 

However, a lapse in his defense for a brief moment saw him being taken down with a Spear. Edge then achieved the victory via pinfall.

Through this win, he cemented his role as ‘enforcer’ for the Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns match at Fastlane. Edge’s presence will ensure a clean fight and no chance for a Jey Uso interference. 

Although things really didn’t go his way since Roman Reigns blindsided him as the show closed, with a taste of his own medicine in a Spear. ‘The Rated-R Superstar’ was left gasping at the feet of the man he chose to challenge. 

Grade: B+

2. Sasha Banks (C) defeats Nia Jax (SmackDown Women’s Championship match)

Sasha Banks has had a heated history with Nia Jax, but the Champion managed to come out with a pinfall victory. Shayna Baszler attempted to interfere but was pursued by Bianca Belair to the ring. She did attempt to land a kick but ended up hitting Jax instead. 

Sasha did obtain the Jackknife Pin to secure the victory but did not repay the same favor to her future challenger Bianca Belair. 

Grade: B

3. Bianca Belair Vs Shayna Baszler ended in no contest 

Tamina and Natalya bumped into this match before it got interesting, which made the disqualification rule factor in. The newly formed tag team proved their dominance once more, but things remain unsettled between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair in their mini-feud against Shayna Baszler. 

What’s puzzling is that neither of the two has turned heel yet but will still face each other at WrestleMania. This should be sorted out since two faces fighting each other wouldn’t really make sense. We may see the two falling out weeks before WrestleMania.

Grade: D+

4. Rey & Dominik Mysterio humbled The Street Profits 

The Mysterios counted their run as the popular father-son duo that has been achieving some success in the Tag Team division. They managed to defeat former Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The Street Profits, by coming out on top in their match with the pinfall victory. 

However, they were then immediately confronted by Chad Gable and Otis, both of whom managed to walk away with the win after Otis hit a Splash on Dominik Mysterio from the second rope, scoring the pinfall. 

Grades: Mysterios vs Street Profits: C+

Alpha Academy vs Mysterios: B

5. King Corbin defeated Sami Zayn

King Corbin has continued his surprising run of wins after silencing WWE’s resident conspiracy theorist on SmackDown. Actively promoted as the least anticipated match in WWE history, Sami Zayn couldn’t put an end to his woes and soon hit the mat with the End of Days. 

After his loss, he confronted Kevin Owens, his former best friend, who tried to convince him that his poor form wasn’t a result of WWE trying to ‘screw’ him but his own shortcomings. This was met with a Helluva Kick, which may tee up the next match for Fastlane or possibly WrestleMania.

Grade: D

6. Seth Rollins confronts Shinsuke Nakamura

‘The Friday Night Messiah’ instigated an injured Cesaro enough for his partner Nakamura to come out. Rollins doesn’t know the force he has just awakened and will meet the full brunt at Fastlane. He experienced the first taste of Nakamura’s boots as he was quickly beaten down by the furious partner of Cesaro.

All in all, this episode of SmackDown once more fell short of what it was last year, and the brand still needs a lot more star power to keep things interesting.

Its primary storylines are keeping it up, but the side stories also need to be interesting. With the entire Reginald angle not really catching on with fans, WWE must look at different avenues before the blue brand also begins sinking.