The February 28th edition of WWE SmackDown aired live on the USA Network from the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN.
– The Miz comes out to the ring and calls out John Cena to kick off SmackDown. The Miz cuts a scathing promo on Cena and says he has stolen opportunities from him. The Miz finally lets Cena speak, and Cena tells The Miz he stole Chris Jericho’s personality and other wrestlers’ moves. Cena says The Miz is just repeating what AJ Styles said about him. Cena does a mic drop and walks off, but Maryse grabs Cena and tells him he wishes he was half the man The Miz is and slaps him across the face. Nikki Bella runs out and Maryse runs off with The Miz following her. Nikki gets on the mic and tells Maryse “I’ll break you bitch,” and Maryse and Miz run out through the crowd.
– Becky Lynch def. Mickie James: This one is a two-out-of-three-falls match. Becky controls the opening moments of the match and sends Mickie to the outside with a dropkick. Back in the ring, Mickie gets in some offense but Becky comes back with more kicks. Mickie shuts Becky down with a tornado DDT for the three count for her first fall of the match. Mickie continues the offense and goes up top for a cross body, but Becky dodges it and rolls up Mickie for the three count for her first fall of the match, and the score is now 1-1. Both women are down, and Alexa Bliss walks out to ringside for a closer look. Alexa gets on the apron and distracts the referee, then Becky gets in her face which leads to Mickie accidentally knocking Alexa off the apron. Becky gets Mickie in the Dis-arm-her from behind for the win.
– Luke Harper is in a dark room and he cuts a promo on Bray Wyatt, saying Wyatt should be very afraid of him. Immediately after, we see a video of Bray Wyatt talking about Randy Orton being his brother now.
– Alexa Bliss does an interview backstage where she chews out the interviewer. Natalya interrupts and lets Alexa know that she plans to take the Women’s Title from her.
– AJ Styles does an interview in the back where he says he’s feeling good heading into his match with Harper tonight, and says the WrestleMania main event is where he belongs.
– AJ Styles def. Luke Harper: The winner of this match gets a shot at Bray Wyatt’s WWE World Championship. Harper levels AJ with a dropkick early on and AJ rolls to the outside to recover. Harper dodges an elbow from AJ then beats him down around ringside. Harper is on the apron and AJ kicks his leg out, then hits a Pele kick from the floor to Harper’s head on the apron. Back in the ring, AJ delivers some kicks to Harper and continues working on his knee. Harper fires up and drops AJ with an elbow, then goes out to the apron and slingshots over the top rope with a senton bomb on AJ. Harper throws AJ outside and follows up with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Harper goes for a powerbomb but AJ reverses it into a hurricanrana. AJ throws some kicks at Harper, but Harper catches AJ and throws him with a t-bone suplex for a two count. Harper follows up with a powerbomb for another two count. AJ comes back and hits the Phenomenal Forearm on Harper and pins. Harper gets his foot on the rope at the two count, but the referee doesn’t see it and counts to three and declares AJ the winner. Shane McMahon comes out and restarts the match. AJ goes for the Styles Clash, but Harper reverses into a pin for a two count. Harper throws AJ outside and AJ gets in Shane’s face. Harper goes to superkick AJ, but AJ moves and Harper kicks Shane in the face instead. AJ throws Harper into the ring steps then back into the ring. Styles follows up with a springboard 450 splash for the win.
– We go backstage where Carmella and James Ellsworth confront Nikki Bella and John Cena. Nikki tells Carmella to get lost, and Ellsworth tells her “you can’t talk to my friend that’s a girl like that.” Ellsworth calls Nikki phony, which leads to Cena challenging them to a mixed tag match next week.
– Backstage we see Daniel Bryan congratulating AJ Styles on winning a shot at Bray Wyatt’s WWE Championship. Styles doesn’t shake Bryan’s hand, and says he’s curious what Wyatt has to say tonight.
– Dean Ambrose vs. Curt Hawkins – No Contest: Ambrose hits the Dirty Deeds on Hawkins before the match starts and Hawkins is out. Ambrose grabs the mic and cuts a promo on Baron Corbin, telling him that messing with Ambrose is a very bad idea. Ambrose says he wants Corbin right now and challenges him to come to the ring. Corbin shows up on the big screen instead and declines to come out to the ring. Corbin says he’s going to run over Ambrose like a deer on the road.
– Dolph Ziggler def. Apollo Crews: Chairs are legal in this one. Crews jumps Ziggler before the bell to give him a taste of his own medicine, then takes him in the ring for a belly to belly overhead suplex. Crews throws Ziggler outside and follows up with a moonsault off the apron. Back in the ring, Crews continues working on Ziggler then lays a chair on him and hits a standing moonsault for a two count. Ziggler attempts a superkick, but Crews catches his foot and grabs him. Crews hits a back suplex on Ziggler onto a chair for two. Crews unfolds a chair, but Ziggler drop toe holds Crews into it. Ziggler picks up Crews then appears to drop him crotch-first on the unfolded chair in the ring for the win.
– Bray Wyatt comes out to the ring to address AJ Styles. Wyatt says it didn’t matter to him whether Styles or Harper won the shot at his title, because they’re just mortals. Bray gets interrupted by Randy Orton on the big screen. He appears to be in a barn, and we get close-up views of maggots and some creepy sound effects. Orton says he’s in Wyatt’s world, but it’s not Orton’s world and it never was. Orton claims to be in Wyatt’s sacred ground of worship, and says “Abigail” is buried beneath him. Orton picks up a shovel and says in a moment, he will be the master and Wyatt will be the servant. Orton tosses aside the shovel and picks up a gas can and starts dumping it all over the barn. Orton says he’s coming for Wyatt at WrestleMania. More shots of maggots in the ground, and Orton pours out more gas. Orton walks outside and appears to have left a cameraman locked inside the barn. Orton continues pouring gas outside the barn, then sets it on fire. Wyatt is shown in the ring freaking out and then he starts tearing apart the announce table. Wyatt freaks out at ringside as SmackDown goes off the air.
– Backstage News on WrestleMania Plans, More HOF Inductees, Update On RAW Star Returning