Read on for my segment-by-segment thoughts on the 7/3 Smackdown.
Fine backstage segment to set up the party atmosphere of the show. I admit it was pretty funny seeing Kane light the grill, though using a monster in a comedy segment's a little odd.
Del Rio's promo was kind of disappointing, though I liked that they played off of current events. I wish they'd play off of his wealth more. As big as the Occupy Wall Street movement was and how the economy is a hot-button issue, they could really get fans hating him if they did some comparisons between him and the average American.
I liked the beatdown. Sheamus loves to fight and Del Rio and Ricardo are dastardly.
The action in the tag match was fine. Cesaro did the best with what he had to work with (in time and opponent) and it's really good to see Layla back. Here are the problems: Layla is doing nothing important as Divas' Champion. Aksana cheating to win or something would have given us some story. And worse, Khali's approaching 40 and has trouble walking. Why have him go over someone who's still finding his way on the brand? They could have built some heat on Cesaro for taking the easy way out or something. He's 31 with over a decade of experience. That doesn't come around often at all. Faces winning does little for stories (outside of ending them).
I'm hoping Rhodes beats Christian. At a time when WWE needs some new faces in main events, Rhodes getting a win over a credible Champion would be welcome.
Does any other show push social media this much? It takes me out of the story the characters are telling, though it makes sense that with it being "real" they'd talk about what they're doing on those outlets.
Rhodes vs. Christian was good. Rhodes might win MITB after all. It's a shame he's been so cooled off since Mania.
Another goofy backstage segment.
Ziggler vs. Riley was fine, but I wish they would have gotten more time since they're both underutilized and talented.
Cole talking to AJ got kind of weird.
Another good segment with AJ, Punk, and Bryan. I almost hope this continues until Summerslam.
Short "popcorn" match. At least the active wrestler scored the pinfall.
Fine backstage segment to continue Ryder vs. Sandow. I hope they do something interesting with that feud.
I'm very glad that Ryback has moved up to tougher prey. I'm getting impatient. How high can he go? I think he could be midcard contender, but that's down the line. We'll see about anything beyond that.
I pretty much always love a battle royal, and this was no exception. Ryder finally getting a win and some guaranteed TV time is a good sign, but I don't see it becoming more full-time. I hope he's the permanent GM, but I wouldn't count on it.
That's all for Smackdown. I'll be back for Superstars and Impact on Thursday. A news post is up next.
Chuck, I'm assuming your computer is up and running well again? I saw your last post about your computer acting up and haven't checked the posts since, because I figured it was still giving you problems. If so, good to see the blog up and running again.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to hear your thoughts on who you believe will take Laurinaitus' position was the GM of both shows. I personally think they wouldn't be going through all of this "guest GM" raucous and naming one on the 1,000th episode if it was a Teddy Long or Vickie Guerrero decision. Why put the fans through the same old torture and basically trick us by advertising it so heavily. I'm expecting a surprise there.
I also saw your Raw post and agree about that 8-man tag match being a bit ill-fated, and especially for Otunga. It appears the WWE is a bit fickle in terms of where Otunga will go from here. He can appear in backstage bits and main events, but yet can get pummeled a week later? I agree he won't receive any added exposure until he hones his in-ring skills, but it's a little exaspirating as a fan of his to see such indecisiveness.
I'm also a little confused on the Kane situation. He can pin the WWE Champion in CM Punk and can pin the No. 1 contender in Bryan, but yet Bryan gets the title shot seems a bit odd, too. I also noticed he got pummeled by Big Show on Raw this week, too. I'm a little biased being a Kane fan, but he's in that same boat with Otunga in terms of the indecisiveness of where he's going as a character.
With Kane, it's like he's usually at that level between mid card and upper card in that on the rare occasion where he's in the World Title picture, he loses. If not, he's usually booked in a feud that is non-title and typically loses (like he did against Orton 2/3 times and with Cena). What are your thoughts on his role?
Do you know the real, non-storyline reason Laurinaitus was fired as the GM? Was it more of a performance/character issue whereas he wasn't good enough in his role to carry on, or was it a personal issue in that either he didn't want to carry on as GM?
I just gave up and got a new computer. That one was giving me too many problems and I found a refurbished one that was cheaper than fixing the first one.
ReplyDeleteI think it will be someone who hasn't been GM in a while if at all. The 1000th Raw is supposed to be a big deal and they won't want to go with someone kind of lukewarm. I'm hoping for Regal, but don't know how likely anyone is. Maybe a McMahon or Triple H?
I don't know what WWE's deal is with changing their thoughts on someone week in and week out. They sour on people quickly. Sometimes it's something behind-the-scenes that doesn't leak out until down the line like how they went south on Miz. I haven't heard anything about Otunga ticking the company off.
I think some of the "ADD" could be that the Raw writers might see a guy one way and the Smackdown guys might see him a different way, and Vince can just come in and upend any plans and change everything so the product ends up a mess.
Here's the deal with Kane: while he's really refreshed in his current role in the ring and on the mic, he's 45. He can still "go" pretty well, but that's not going to last forever. So for business purposes it makes sense to use him to elevate the stars who are still in their prime or finding their way. He wouldn't be where he is without getting the rub from some top stars, so it's fair for him to return the favor in his theoretical last few years as a full-time guy. If when he has to retire (or at least take a Taker-like schedule), he looks better than Punk, Bryan, Cena, etc. there's not as much of a reason to watch the people who are working every live event and taping.
He actually has a pretty important role in the company. It can take YEARS for someone to become someone fans buy as a main eventer, and working with established guys like Kane, Jericho, and Show can help speed up the process and get those people further ready to stand on their own once those guys retire. I think Kane can still contribute and maybe even be Champion again, but they've got to think of the future.
Ratings were down with Laurinaitis as GM. The popular theory is that he wasn't getting booed in a "you're playing a bad guy character well" way, but in a "we want you off our TV" way. He might pop back up in a different role since someone backstage apparently likes him a lot given how long he's stayed employed off-screen(and been criticized for his job performance there online).