[6.0] "A tad bit better than the previous SmackDown episode but, in this period RAW is so much better than SmackDown. This was a show, which had almost no good match besides Naomi VS Sonya Deville, but was much carried by the opening promo between all the women and the main event segment between rollins and roman."

[4.0] "The first tag team encounter and the last segment were the best things on this very average episode."

[6.0] "We warmed up Seth and Roman well before the fight. A little tired of every fighter saying something about the Royal Battle. The relationship between Sonya and Naomi is at least developing somewhere. Quite a normal show to promote the upcoming big show."

[6.0] "The opening segment was an usual 'revolving door' promo which is a tiresome trope but it's good to see Sasha Banks in the scene again after a while & it looks like we're down for a WrestleMania clash between her and Charlotte which would clearly rule. The opening match is surprisingly MOTN which silenced this mini-feud in a strong way. The classic By The Numbers package was great as always while Sonya can't say the same on her return tonight as she got her loss handed by Naomi but the story is never-ending which irks me. Zayn had a fine goofy moment with Mahal and the follow-up tag was not even able to view as most of it went during commercials. The same can be said for the wrestling main event but it's great to see Big E back with the crew at the sad expense of his short but stellar singles run. The main segment was an expected solid way to hype the blue brand's prime feud as Rollins finally made Reigns vulnerable. All in all, a decent go-home show of SmackDown. 6.5 out of 10 points!"

[7.0] "Good go home show. The opening segment was good, great to see Charlotte and Sasha interact with each other. That's your Mania match, folks, and it should be great. The closing segment with Seth and Roman was some masterpiece theater for you. Naomi and Sonya were good, too."

[5.0] "According to me it's not the best go home show, for the Royal Rumble then! , ever. The Reigns/Rollins segment is awful, why to put RR in that "face" situation'"

[7.0] "Good episode. Great return of Sasha, though I would have avoided having the entire women's roster come out during this segment. Aliyah came off as very weak. The matches were all sufficient, the main event segment was good, Seth buried Roman which sold Seth's speech well. Lots of hype for this rumble."

[8.0] "It was very good. A very good opener with the return of Sasha Banks. An excellent Tag Team Match with Cesaro & Ricochet against Sheamus & Ridge Holland. Naomi vs Sonya was great. The New Day vs. Moss & Corbin was very cool. The main event was amazing."

[3.0] "The only thing of note that happened here was the final segment with Reigns and Rollins, who are some of the few people that make WWE still worth watching on a weekly basis. The remaining matches were either sloppy, pointless, dull, or all of the above, and the storytelling remained weak, with no explanation of the neverending Deville/Naomi feud, or why Big E was on Smackdown at all. It was supposed to be the build to tomorrow's Royal Rumble, but it did little to make anything but the Reigns/Rollins match look interesting."

[7.0] "This was a very solid go home show, and one of the better SmackDown's in recent memory. The opening women's promo was a good way to get some of the women that will be participating in the Rumble match some actual TV time, and Banks returning was a great surprise (one they should have saved for the Rumble but I digress). The Cesaro/Ricochet VS Sheamus/Holland match was decent enough, but Cesaro being a jobber after going nearly 30 minutes against Reigns last spring still feels wrong. Naomi and Sonya had a damn good match, which was a pleasant surprise as I assumed it would simply be another bait and switch or a 2 minute overbooked mess. Naomi finally gets a big win and Sonya seemingly returns to the ring full time. The Sami Zayn podcast was entertaining enough, and the ensuing tag match was alright. Main event tag was a solid sprint where everyone got to hit their important spots. Moss is finally being positioned where he should be, a jobber to the real stars. The face to face was interesting. I enjoyed Rollins psychologically destroying Reigns by bringing up his past shortcomings, and Reigns actually selling vulnerability was a much needed layer to his character that had become rather stagnant. The Rumble has shaped up to be an intriguing, unpredictable event and I am very excited."