Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.
REALLY good opening segment. Hopefully this angle stays hot through its end.
I bet there will be some folks angry that the Wyatts lost. I'm ok with it as long as it doesn't become a running thing any time soon. They were protected by the Miz interference. Plus, the Usos need momentum going into HIAC.
Nice showing by AJ. I think the Bellas are a bit underrated as wrestlers as well.
This Wyatt Family stuff is pretty spooky. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary in the Attitude Era. One of the best gimmicks in wrestling today.
I guess if a heel team had to job to Los Matadores, 3MB was the best choice. Nice showing by the "newcomers".
Awesome post-match. Zeb's one of my favorite gimmicks in a long time. He's just so over-the-top xenophobic that I have to laugh. I can totally picture people like him living in NC.
That was a pretty cool handicap match to set up Sunday. Quite heelish to beat up a nobody pretending to be C.M. Punk.
I enjoyed the post-match promo from Heyman. I wonder where he goes once this angle's over.
Nice segment with Big E. Keep your eye on this guy. Do I think he'll be the next Mark Henry and win 178 titles and headline all the PPVs and all that stuff? It's way too early to tell. But he's got something there.
I liked the Alberto segment. He can be a pretty good heel in the right circumstances. It just feels basically inevitable that he'll lose to Cena.
There was our mandatory silly segment. I understand why WWE has them to separate the more serious stuff.
If Khali vs. Fandango means we're getting ready to see what Summer Rae can do as a wrestler vs. Natalya, I guess I can live with it. Khali's definitely not going to win any "match of the year" awards, but I guess he appeals to a significant enough audience to keep him around.
I liked that main event! Good stuff from the faces and the heels.
More wrestling coming up.
HIAC predictions:
ReplyDeleteLangston
Brie
Los Matadores
Rhodes/Goldust
Punk
some kind of screwjob in Orton vs. Bryan
Cena
I also am picking Langston over Axel. I think with the face turn for Langston combined with how long Axel has held that championship really signal a change. We'll see how Langston can live up to the hype of being a champion, assuming it indeed does happen.
ReplyDeleteI also pick Bella over AJ. This is a lot like the Axel scenario in that it seems more climatic that a title change will happen here. AJ has done well in her role as champion, but it would also seem a bit odd to have this "AJ vs Total Divas" feud without any sort of title change.
The Matadores vs Real Americans match will be a tough one to call. I like the fire of the Real Americans and feel they have more potential than Los Matadores by far, but Matadores will probably be booked to pull this one off. Besides, you can tell the crowd would love to see Zeb get "gored" again.
I also am picking Goldust/Rhodes to retain. My justification here is based on the fact that after a controversial storyline in both of them being "fired" and with the hype both of them have gotten, I don't see them losing the titles tonight.
I also see Punk winning. I don't see Heyman getting the better of Punk two pay-per-views in a row, unless Punk is experiencing tough booking, which I don't see happening.
Bryan and Orton is once again a tough one to call. I also see some sort of screwjob happening, but I don't know in what fashion. Big Show or Michaels could interfere in favor of Bryan, and then again, Triple H or The Shield could also. Would Shawn Michaels turn heel here? I'll say Daniel Bryan, but I am definitely not certain.
Cena vs Del Rio is really a foregone conclusion here. With all of the hype of Cena's "return" combined with Del Rio being booked shabbily even since his title reign started combined with the long length of his title reign, I would be shocked to see Cena lose here. I REALLY was not a fan of Del Rio being booked to lose to Ricardo Rodriguez. It brings up the fact that if he loses to Ricardo, how can he beat Cena?
I think I mentioned that Los Matadores vs. Real Americans feels like one of those matches they put in between bigger, more heated matches for some lighthearted fare. I used to think that was really stupid, but now I understand that it kind of resets people's emotions - cleansing the palate and what not. There's room for less serious stuff I think.
ReplyDeleteI wonder when we'll get Brock/Punk II? That's the only think that has me questioning where that match will go.
I hope they don't have interference in a HIAC match - it kind of defeats the purpose of the structure. I'd be a bit surprised if HBK turned heel, since it's unlikely we'd get Bryan vs. HBK.
Del Rio might be in a bit of hot water. He strikes me as pretty outspoken and not a fan of some of the more entertainment aspects of WWE (given his background as more serious competitor in Mexico and MMA). Either way, I'm sure WWE would say that Ricardo just surprised Del Rio that night and it's not a sign of Del Rio being weak.