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WWE

With the final show leading to Sunday's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, WWE seemed to spend the first hour of SmackDown simply killing time to complete the final stage of the Road to WrestleMania. The show dragged, the matches and moments carried little gravity and nothing seemed to build toward Sunday's event. The final 45 minutes of the show did deliver some developments for one of the eponymous matches at Elimination Chamber and may have managed to be a pivotal moment in the in-ring careers of Heavy Machinery, however, and helped give the show a little life.

Let's take a look at what went down when WWE brought SmackDown to Keybank Center in Buffalo, New York.

The Fiend delivers a message to John Cena

After last week's confrontation with John Cena, Bray Wyatt hosted a new edition of Firefly Fun House. Wyatt decorated the walls of the Fun House with several pictures of Cena. He said without Cena -- and the loss at WrestleMania 30 -- the Firefly Fun House would not exist before thanking and forgiving Cena. Wyatt then said Cena helped create something else, "The Fiend," a being that is built on pain and fueled by vengeance. Wyatt closed the segment by asking Cena to let him in.

There wasn't much to the segment beyond helping to build to the WrestleMania match. But that's more than can be said for almost the entire edition of SmackDown. The history between Cena and Wyatt and what the WrestleMania 30 match meant for Wyatt's career is an intriguing story, but WWE TV leading up to WrestleMania will suffer for having one-sided promotion like Wyatt having to do all the heavy lifting in Cena's absence and Roman Reigns having to do the same with Goldberg. Grade: C

Heavy Machinery comes up short in gauntlet match

With so little else happening that had larger relevance to Elimination Chamber or WrestleMania, the tag team gauntlet match to determine which tag team would receive the coveted final entrant position in Sunday's tag Elimination Chamber match was notable for its direct impact into a big pay-per-view match. Fans were treated to a match that went nearly 45 minutes, with Heavy Machinery in from start to finish, but ultimately it was Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode who managed to score the final pin for prime position heading into Elimination Chamber as Ziggler stole yet another moment from Otis.

Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode def. Heavy Machinery to win the tag team gauntlet match. New Day and Heavy Machinery opened up the gauntlet before Machinery picked up the first pinfall of the match after Otis pinned Big E, starting off the match with a bit of an upset after a fairly lengthy opening "match." Lucha House Party was the next team out. Heavy Machinery then eliminated Lucha House Party after Otis hit a Caterpillar in a longer in-ring segment than either team has had on SmackDown in what may be months. The Usos were out next and they were next to fall to the Cinderella run of Heavy Machinery when Tucker reversed a pin into a crucifix for the win, moving on in the match. Next out were SmackDown tag champs John Morrison and The Miz. As the champs entered, Otis was down and out on the outside and Tucker was at a clear disadvantage. Still, Heavy Machinery managed another upset, this time when Tucker hit an inside cradle pin on Morrison for the elimination. Miz and Morrison beat down Tucker after the pin and then took out Otis, leaving the team in terrible shape for the final pairing. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler were the final team out for the match, immediately taking it to the beaten down Tucker while Otis was on the outside aver having been thrown through the ringside barricade. A fired up Otis eventually made his way back into the match and took things over before looking to hit Roode with a Caterpillar when Ziggler, who had made a blind tag, slid in to hit a superkick to win the match.

Heavy Machinery were interesting options for an attempt to recreate last year's lightning in a bottle pre-Elimination Chamber moment with Kofi Kingston. Still, the crowd stayed firmly behind Tucker and Otis as the lovable underdogs. And Otis continues to be always on the losing end when it comes to interactions with Ziggler (see below for more Mandy Rose interaction). In a show that dragged and lacked any feeling of importance, it was nice to have a single story told over 45 minutes, so that's something. Grade: B

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

  • Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross hosted the NWO on A Moment of Bliss to open the show. A slow interview segment was interrupted by Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura with Zayn discussing their Elimination Chamber handicap match against Braun Strowman. Strowman ran in as both trios were showing down in the ring, running off the heels before promising Zayn, Cesaro and Nakamura would "get these hands."
  • Sasha Banks & Bayley def. Naomi & Lacey Evans via pinfall after a failed attempt to hit the Split-Legged Moonsault. The "technical difficulties" of the past weeks continued during the match, this time showing a Mustafa Ali blue circle more clearly. Later in the night, Banks and Bayley were speaking backstage where they brought up the Bella Twins and said no one from the past, present or future could touch them, before insulting the Women's Revolution.
  • New Day were interviewed backstage, promising to win the gauntlet match later in the evening and the tag team Elimination Chamber match on Sunday.
  • Sheamus def. Apollo Crews via pinfall with a Brogue Kick in a short match.Crews blew off another attempt from Shorty G to unite in a quest to take down Sheamus together.
  • Drake Maverick was backstage and asked Drew Gulak to help him because he wants a match with Daniel Bryan. Bryan showed up to interrupt the interview as Gulak was talking about his weaknesses. Bryan challenged Gulak to a match at Elimination Chamber.
  • Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville def. Carmella & Dana Brooke via pinfall after Rose hit Brooke with a running knee. Dolph Ziggler accompanied Rose & Deville to the ring and provided late interference.
  • King Corbin was being interviewed backstage when interrupted by Elias, seemingly setting up the next feud for both men.
  • Otis of Heavy Machinery apologized to Mandy Rose backstage for being late to their Valentine's Day date and saying he had received a text from her saying she was running late. Rose said it was too late and a woman "doesn't appreciate being stood up."