WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 4

On the Road to WrestleMania and a showdown with Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship, Ronda Rousey made her first in-ring appearance ever for the blue brand, battling Sonya Deville in a blockbuster main event.

That match headlined a show that also saw the tag team and Intercontinental titles up for grabs and the latest from Universal champion Roman Reigns ahead of his colossal Winner Takes All match against WWE champion Brock Lesnar in Dallas.

What went down, who built momentum for themselves and how did it effect the ongoing feuds and stories ahead of wrestling's most prestigious event?

Find out now with this recap of the March 4 Fox broadcast.

• Ronda Rousey vs. Sonya Deville
• Intercontinental Championship Match: Ricochet vs. Sami Zayn (c)
• SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: Viking Raiders vs. The Usos (c)

After a barrage of interviews from Superstars involved in tonight's show, Sami Zayn kicked off the broadcast by defending the Intercontinental Championship against Ricochet. 

The One and Only started hot, keeping the champion off-guard. A half-and-half suplex by Zayn on the ring apron turned the tide in his favor entering the break.

A cartwheel moonsault from the challenger, over the top rope and onto Zayn on the floor left Ricochet reeling. Zayn shoved Ricochet off the top rope and to the floor. The Jackass theme played and Johnny Knoxville made his presence felt, providing a distraction that allowed Ricochet to score a hurricanrana for the pinfall victory and title.

A totally shocked Zayn knelt in disbelief as Ricochet celebrated the championship win.

Result

Ricochet defeated Zayn to win the title

Grade

B

Analysis

It is about damn time Ricochet gets a chance to run with the Intercontinental Championship after going three years without any real direction. He is too incredibly talented to be wasted in the manner that he has been so to see him capture the title, paying off weeks of momentum building was more than welcome.

Zayn is a great heel, the likes of which an entire generation of young wrestlers will one-day study in hopes of being even a third as great as he is. He was great here, selling the shock and awe of what occurred and his backstage promo challenging Knoxville for a match at WrestleMania was even better.

This accomplished two things, highlighted two great talents and had the added bonus of a championship change. It was a great way to kick off the show. 

Footage from Vince McMahon's appearance on The Pat McAfee Show aired before Austin Theory made his way to the ringside area, confronting the SmackDown color commentary.

The egotistical young star claimed the boss set McAfee up because the former NFL punter's match at WrestleMania..it's against him.

Theory slapped McAfee and headed up the ramp to a chorus of boos. 

Grade

B

Analysis

This was an easy setup for a WrestleMania and establishes a conflict between Theory and McAfee.

We know from experience that McAfee will show up and show out come WrestleMania. Given Theory's youth, desire to be great and to see his star rise in WWE, expect the same from him. Do not be surprised if, on the heels of WrestleMania 38, we are talking about McAfee vs. Theory as one of the genuine hidden gems of the entire weekend.

Carmella and Queen Zelina will defend the women's tag team titles against Naomi and Sasha Banks at WrestleMania but Friday, Carmella squared off with Naomi in singles competition.

Naomi took the fight to The Most Beautiful Woman in All of WWE, leaving her reeling early. At ringside, Banks wiped out Zelina with a Meteora into the steel ring steps.

Back inside the ring, the babyface delivered the Rear View for the pinfall victory, giving the No. 1 contenders momentum ahead of their upcoming championship opportunity.

Result

Naomi defeated Carmella

Grade

C

Analysis

Like the thrown-together nature of the feud itself, this was a rushed match that did not give the competitors much time whatsoever to showcase their abilities.

The match, if given any time at WrestleMania, could be a boatload of fun given the talent involved but WWE has yet to give us any reason to believe the champions stand a chance at retaining.

Hopefully, with a few weeks left on the road to the event, that changes. 

Former brothers in 3MB squared off in the night’s next bout as Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal met one-on-one.

Despite a spirited offensive from a game Modern-Day Maharaja, McIntyre rocked the former WWE champion with the Glasgow Kiss and put him away with the Claymore for the pinfall victory.

After the match, he cut a threatening promo directed at Happy Corbin, hyping their match on the grand stage of WrestleMania.

Result

McIntyre defeated Mahal

Grade

C+

Analysis

It would have been nice to see the history between McIntyre and Mahal played up a bit but this was a still a fun sprint of a match that did not overstay its welcome. Instead, it hyped up The Scottish Warrior and gave him a chance to speak loudly and clearly to Corbin ahead of their showdown at WrestleMania.

McIntyre looks like a total star, a guy far ahead of what he has been given to do in recent months. He will be back in the title hunt post WrestleMania, where he belongs. This feud will be a bridge back to the main event for one of the genuinely great pros in WWE today.

SmackDown tag team champions The Usos attacked Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs, cutting off their entrance before Roman Reigns entered the arena to a thunderous ovation and made his way to the ring for a promo. 

The Tribal Chief asked Paul Heyman about his famous "spoiler" line, then asked the fans in Miami if they wanted a spoiler.

The Head of the Table claimed he would smash Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania and "with about a five-million in fireworks" going off, he would hold the WWE and Universal Championships overhead. Then, Lesnar will have no choice but to acknowledge him.

"Me! Me! Me! Me!" he exclaimed repeatedly, losing his cool. "Acknowledge me," he said to end the promo.

Grade

A+

Analysis

Reigns is doing GOAT work right now. He is on a whole other level than everyone else on this show, in this company and, arguably, in the business. His promo skills, facial expressions, body language and in-ring work are extraordinary. He tells stories through the way he carries himself, by the expressions painting his face. He does not have to say a word for the viewer to know what is on his mind.

Here, desperation to defeat Lesnar forced him to lose his cool, as if The Beast acknowledging him is more important to him than leaving Dallas with the two titles. Maybe that dates back to the storied struggles he has endured against Lesnar. Perhaps he sees his WrestleMania opponent as the last hurdle between him and the history he wishes to make.

Whatever the case may be, this was excellent and put over the urgency with which Reigns is approaching his Winner Takes All match against Lesnar on April 3.

The Viking Raiders were originally supposed to challenge for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Elimination Chamber but a sneak attack by The Usos on that show robbed Ivar and Erik of their title opportunity.

That would not be the case Friday night.

Ivar found himself on the defensive late after a top-rope splash was met with knees to the midsection. With Erik back in the match and Ivar on the floor, Jimmy rocked the challenger with a superkick, stunning him. Moments later, the champions delivered their 1-D finisher and Jimmy scored the pinfall victory on Erik for the successful title defense.

Result

The Usos defeated Viking Raiders to retain

Grade

B

Analysis

The Usos are equally on fire right now, turning in some of the best work of their careers against a diverse roster of tag teams, none like the others.

Here, they thwarted the bruising nature of their larger opponents and still retained by downing Erik with the trademark move of a team they will one day join in the WWE Hall of Fame, The Dudley Boyz.

Jimmy and Jey are so incredibly strong as champions that it is difficult to imagine a team that can dethrone them. The attack on Boogs and Nakamura set those babyfaces up to try and do so, presumably at WrestleMania.

The advertised match between Big E and Sheamus never got started as The Celtic Warrior and protege Ridge Holland brutalized the babyface and tag team partner, Kofi Kingston.

The heels left the former WWE champions lying in a heap before absconding on the four-wheeler the babyfaces rode to the ring.

After the commercial break, the heels demolished the vehicle with sledgehammers.

Elsewhere, Kayla Braxton interviewed Johnny Knoxville, who accepted Sami Zayn's challenge. 

Result

No contest

Grade

C-

Analysis

A feud between New Day, Sheamus and Holland over a destroyed four-wheeler is not at all the best use of any of the four men involved.

Big E, Kingston and Sheamus have all earned better while Holland needs to avoid as many creative hurdles as possible. What could have been a much simpler feud has devolved into shlock that will not help anyone but could very well hurt them.

On a more positive note, Knoxville is a pro's pro and will do everything in his power to deliver when he battles Zayn at WrestleMania. Expect the entertaining, if nothing else.

Ronda Rousey made her first in-ring appearance on SmackDown Friday night, squaring off with WWE official Sonya Deville.

Rousey took the fight to her opponent early but a distraction by Charlotte Flair at ringside allowed The Pride Fighter to take out the injured right knee of her opponent.

The Baddest Woman on the Planet shook off the injury, ragdolled Deville with Piper’s Pit and tapped her out with an armbar for the win. 

After the match, Flair entered the ring and quickly found herself trapped in an ankle lock by Rousey. The Queen tapped out as Michael Cole reminded the audience that the SmackDown women’s champion had previously called her WrestleMania opponent a one-trick pony.

Result

Rousey defeated Deville

Grade

A

Analysis

The purpose of this was to remind fans that Rousey is an ass-kicker who can finish an opponent off at any time, absorbing any amount of punishment along the way. It also seemed to feed into Flair’s insistence that Rousey could only win with the armbar before proving the contrary as she tapped the champion out with an ankle lock.

A new finisher and a champion reeling set up a scenario where Flair may enter WrestleMania as the underdog to retain her own title.

A great way to kick off the evening’s show and send the crowd home happy.