Smackdown in Lafayette begins with Dean Ambrose coming to the ring carrying the WWE World Heavyweight Title. Of course, he also has Mardi Gras beads around his neck. Seth Rollins interrupts and Dean hands over the title. However, he then reveals that it's just a replica he bought at the concession stand because he lost the real belt somewhere between New Orleans and Lafayette. Classic Ambrose. He says he'll retrace his steps and bring it to Money in the Bank, where he'll win it. He leaves through the crowd before Kane comes out. This leads to Kane and Seth bickering because Kane has to make Seth look like a bitch at every turn. This was your typical opening segment, but it was better than usual due to Seth and Dean's chemistry.
Our first match in a non-title bout between Intercontinental Champion Ryback and the Miz. I still would like to point out that Miz is a fantastic heel still. This goes just over five minutes, with the highlight being a stalling suplex. Ryback wins and then Big Show comes out. I have no interest in this program still. He claims Ryback is no match for him. That's all. Nothing more happens. Next, R-Truth is on commentary as his opponent for Sunday, King Barrett is in action. He goes one on one with Jack Swagger. I feel like I haven't seen Swagger on television in months. Barrett wins in about two minutes, picking up a rare televised win. Lana gets interviewed by Michael Cole but is cut off by Rusev. He yells at her in typical Rusev fashion. I like him as the monster who is also a jaded ex, but it's become the same thing over and over.
Seth Rollins takes on Dolph Ziggler next, in a match I feel like I've seen 100 times. Despite this, these are two guys who always manage to at least deliver a good match. This was their standard solid stuff and Seth wins by pulling the tights. I still don't get why Seth has to be booked like shit. Paige takes on Alicia Fox in our next match. They surprisingly get nearly five minutes and work decent with it. Fox and Paige are both solid, but this was seemingly just going through the motions. The Prime Time Players get interviewed about their upcoming Tag Team Title shot at Money in the Bank. It's fine stuff and they mock the New Day clap with "Prime...Time Players". I think that match on Sunday should be solid.
With Ziggler already competing, the remaining six MITB participants had a 6 man tag match. Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Neville took on Kane, Sheamus and Kofi Kingston. This was a fun contest that unfortunately ended via disqualification when New Day got involved. A big brawl erupts and Neville climbs a ladder in the ring. He takes out everyone with a beautiful cross body. The show ends with Neville climbing up and retrieving the briefcase. In the end, this wasn't a good episode of Smackdown. While Seth/Dolph was solid, we've seen it a ton. Besides that, the only things worth it are the Dean/Seth interaction and Neville's close to the show. Let's go with a 3/10.
