John Cena comes out to a decent response from the fans, it seems Roman really has taken over as the main heel. Cena comes to the ring and he says he wants to talk about SmackDown and how he found his path to WrestleMania. He says he doesn’t take his status as a free agent lightly. He knows if he tried to give this promo on Tuesday that he would be interrupted by Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, or someone, so he decided to give it tonight. He says the fans aren’t going to like what he has to say but it needs to be said.
Cena declares his intention to win the title at Fastlane on Sunday and become the first 17-time WWE Champion. He talks about what the critics will say when he beats AJ Styles and steals his WrestlleMania moment. He suggests Styles use his rematch clause right away to make the match at WrestleMania a Triple Threat between himself, Styles and Nakamura. I like this version of Cena who keeps pitching matches for himself but not getting any. Bizarrely, Cena is interrupted and Goldust makes his way to the ring.
Goldust quotes Marlon Brando from On The Waterfront, and says he always wanted his golden moment but it never quite worked out. He says he wants to have a WrestleMania moment, too, and he will do it by stopping John Cena from going to WrestleMania. He says he is going to become the director of this motion picture and he lays out Cena with a right hand. We head to a break with John on the mat and a match about to happen.
*Commercial Break*
John Cena Vs. Goldust
We return to see this first-time ever match underway, and Goldy is in charge. Cena blocks a punch, throws some of his own but Goldust gets a Manhattan Drop and a forearm off the ropes for a quick cover. Another Manhattan Drop, Goldust bounces off the ropes but a double clothesline lays both men out!
Goldust ducks Cena and floors. While lying on the mat, Goldust takes the chance to rub Cena’s chest because why not. That backfires though because it fires Cena up, he hits the ropes, but Goldust catches him with a snap powerslam to counter the shoulder block!
Goldust gets down to Cena on the mat, rubs his hands up John’s chest again, and again that gets Cena up, he ducks the powerslam this time and grabs a sleeper hold! Goldy breaks with a low blow that referee Chad Patton doesn’t see but it’s not enough to finish the match! Cena lifts himself and ducks a clothesline to hit his shoulder tackles, then a back drop, followed by a Five Knuckle Shuffle and the AA for the win!
Winner: John Cena
After the match, Cena celebrates as the commentators hype Fastlane, this Sunday.
We see Kurt Angle backstage on the phone but he’s interrupted by Elias. He says he knows Kurt is busy, so he thinks Kurt should ban the Symphony of Destruction match tonight. Elias says it sends a bad message because there will be musical instruments around the ring for them to use when music should really be a positive thing. Angle says he will consider it, then quickly says nope. Elias says that’s fine, whatever happens Braun is on him. Angle says he recalls Elias running away last week but that won’t happen tonight because their match will be Falls Count Anywhere.
Later tonight, we get the third annual Mizzie Awards and Paul Heyman will be here, but up next, Bayley will talk about her friendship with Sasha Banks.
*Commercial Break*
Hillbilly Jim is the latest inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame: Class of 2018!
Bayley makes her way to the ring after the break. She here’s to talk about what is going on with Sasha Banks. She says she knows it was every woman for herself but what Sasha did was…Absolution interrupts before she can continue. Paige mocks her and says she is a stupid little kid and not a real wrestler. She says Bayley needs to learn a lesson and Mandy Rose steps in to face the Hugger.
Bayley Vs. Mandy Rose
Mandy forces the Hugger into the corner. Collar and elbow again, Bayley with a wristlock, into the armbar, into the ropes, shot off, drop down, Rose counters the leapfrog with a double leg into the corner and a scoop slam into a cover for two. Into the corner, Bayley with shoulder thrusts, tube man elbow, but Mandy rolls outside to regroup with Absolution and we go to break.
*Commercial Break*
Back from commercial, Mandy has Bayley locked down with a reverse chinlock, wrenching her around a little to sink it tighter. The Hugger fights to her feet, body blows, Rose fires a kick back and follows it with a delayed vertical suplex lift dropped into a forearm to the face! Only good for two, Bayley with some forearms and a backslide, small package, Mandy ducks a lariat and hits a wicked running knee strike for a near-fall.
Rose unleashes some mounted forearms and goes for another cover but Bayley kicks out. Mandy looks for a takedown but Bayley is in the ropes and able to kick her off and pass her around to hit the middle rope Stunner. Bayley smashes Rose’s face into the turnbuckles over and over again followed by a Saito suplex. Bayley looks for a second suplex, but Sonya Deville attempts to interfere. Bayley isn’t phases and hits a diving corkscrew forearm smash from to Rose. Bayley catches Rose with a roll-up for the win!
Winner: Bayley
As soon as the ref counts three, Deville immediately runs into the ring to attack Bayley. Sasha Banks runs down to make the save and we’re left with the two in the ring. Sasha holds her hand in the air, then goes for a hug but Bayley pushes her away and walks off.
The Commentary team talks about the Symphony of Destruction match for later and then we see a Women’s History Month vignette about Eunice Kennedy Shriver to send us to break.
*Commercial Break*
We return to see Nia, who is icing her elbow backstage and looking disappointed when Alexa Bliss and Mickie James roll up. Alexa sends Mickie away and sits down next to Jax, saying she knows she’s unbelievably disappointed that she lost at Elimination Chamber and tonight and isn’t going to WrestleMania. She knows how disappointed she is in herself and says it must be embarrassing but she doesn’t want Nia to feel like a failure. She tells Jax she has friends and even though she’s not on the WrestleMania card she knows she will be next year and shouldn’t be ashamed. She should be proud of everything she’s accomplished in such a short time, and look at what she’s overcome. Her entire life she’s been an outcast, bullied and scorned because she’s so much bigger than the other kids. Even now, she sees how people look at Jax in the airport and says she can’t let this keep her down because everyone will lose all respect for her, and that gets Nia full-on crying.
Back at ringside, the commentary team asks if Ronda Rousey did the right thing at the start of the show tonight and recap that segment for us before hyping the WrestleMania match between the four.
Braun Strowman appears in a selfie promo about how Elias is gonna get these hands and start the countdown to his extinction. We cut to Elias walking backstage and we go to break, that match is up next.
*Commercial Break*
