Read on for my take on last night's Smackdown.
I like the start of the show focusing on there being a new champion come MITB. It should be a very important thing.
The formulaic Smackdown opening of wrestlers interrupting wrestlers was in effect here. I'm usually OK with it, but this segment really drug on. WWE's babyfaces can have some really groan-inducing lines and that took its toll here, too.
Does anyone think Kofi can win MITB? What was the last big match he won, anyway?
Nice decimation by Rollins. Kofi's a great athlete, but I think it would take some serious rebuilding to take him seriously as a top title contender.
Good post-match! They totally ignored Kofi, but I think Dean vs. Seth is much more important.
I liked the promos from Ziggler and Barrett.
I liked the match, too! Does this mean Ziggler's in line for a shot at the IC Title? It should.
Good post-match to keep Barrett strong. I think there are some in WWE who want to protect Ziggler even though he's clearly behind the 8-ball with some members of management.
Ehhh... Rose is kind of falling flat from an in-ring standpoint. I guess they just want him in brief segments for some levity.
Titus is a pretty effective trash-talker. The ability to get heat is what separates good workers from valuable workers.
I don't know if Rose vs. Titus really did much for either performer, but it kept things going.
Kane vs. Ambrose was pretty good. I don't think the loss really hurt Ambrose, since he can blame it on Rollins.
Rollins and Ambrose have a pretty good dynamic going. It does seem like Ambrose is the more natural antagonist, but I think fans would cheer him as a heel.
Zeb's act is getting kind of tired, but this promo was better than the one about RVD recently.
WWE obviously liked Big E and he's the one getting pushed here. They're definitely getting to a point where beating Swagger won't mean much of anything because he loses all the time and Zeb's the one getting all the heat.
Not really sure what to make about the Summer/Fandango/Layla segment. If they're going to make Summer a face, I think they should give us reasons to support her as a face.
That segment was rather complicated. The match was definitely secondary to what was going on at ringside. And who the heck was the babyface between Bo and Fandango?
Fun post-match with Bo. I hope they keep his gimmick up.
I really hope we're in for Bray as champ. As good as he's been since the character debuted and with the big matches he's had, I think he's a perfect choice.
I think that was a pretty good main event. It seems like once you get past four people in a match, things can get really chaotic in places. It can get kind of formulaic where everyone goes for big moves at the end.
I liked the post-match well enough.
More wrestling coming up.
I think that stretch was the best thing to happen to Slater post-Nexus. Slater has a natural way of getting heat and playing characters that keeps him relevant even in losses (or even because of his losses in that case).
ReplyDeleteI honestly wonder what percentage of fans even keep track of wins and losses in that manner. WWE doesn't post live event results or have "standings" based on wins and losses, so only a subset of fans are even aware of those stats. That's why WWE can do the same show for the whole weekend. I'd be surprised if Creative kept track of wins and losses unless it's relevant for a story like Bo's winning streak.
In the cases of guys like Kofi and Swagger, it is noticeable how they're always brought out to lose. But for acts like 3MB, Santino, etc., it doesn't really matter since they're mainly there for their characters.
There's a theory going around that we could be in for Cena winning to set up Brock beating Cena at Summerslam, which could set up Bryan vs. Brock afterward. I'd say Del Rio and Sheamus have little to no chance and Cesaro would be a big surprise. Somewhere between 25 and 50 I guess?
I used to also put a high priority on the number of World Titles someone had, but the title is more or less a tool for telling a story and making matches more important. That is a really high number, but there's a lot more TV time and PPVs in this day and age, and for a while WWE had two top titles. So things are going to be inflated for that.
A former TNA writer more or less said live event wins and losses are basically meaningless: http://www.sbnation.com/2014/3/4/5468468/wwe-pro-wrestling-stories-creative
ReplyDeleteIn some circumstances, I understand your point. What moves my opinion in the other direction mainly surrounds how Slater not only could have very well lost his job a couple of weeks ago with the roster cuts, but also that he has legitimately lost match/matches to someone who is not even tall enough to go on rides at amusement parks in El Torito. That is where match results matter and are getting noticed when he gets upended in a constant fashion and also to someone three feet tall.
ReplyDeleteIf he was in a situation like Kofi Kingston in that he was losing consistently to upper card wrestlers, I would agree. I definitely think losses matter when they're in a laughable fashion and when he has not one, but numerous 10-match losing streaks to guys who aren't credible performers.
I wish Slater the best and think he deserves better that he's received from the company. That being said, what do you think he can do to be in better standing at this point?
Which wrestler then would you place a higher likelihood on winning the titles at the upcoming pay-per-view: Cena or Wyatt? I know you want Wyatt to win, but it's hard to think WWE would go against Cena winning here.
I originally had this huge, rambling response about wins and losses, but I felt like I was talking in circles. Slater's role is a comedy character whom we're not supposed to take all that seriously as a competitor. WWE sees their show as more like a movie than a real sport. Slater's just a bit player to cool things down and give some space between the main stories with more serious characters.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm Slater, I'm trying to make the most of that niche and be the most valuable performer in that kind of role I can. Ultimately his employment is more or less at the mercy of management, and if they think he adds something valuable to the show, he has a better chance of being kept.
He could dye his hair and get tattoos and change his name or whatever to be more gruff and edgy in order to attempt to get booked to win matches and challenge for gold, but if WWE and the fans don't have faith in him in that role, he might as well throw his contract in the garbage. On the other hand, if he keeps performing well in this role and doesn't cause any headaches, they might be more likely to consider something new with him down the line.
A good analogy is Elijah Burke from the ECW brand. He could have gotten a shot in the Spirit Squad, but he turned it down. Instead of having a good run as an admittedly less-than-ideal role (working a lot of PPVs with big names), he blew his chance and never really got anywhere in WWE.
Cena vs. Lesnar is the safe move for Summerslam. I know a lot of fans want them to shake things up and do something different, but I think WWE might go the obvious route.
I've heard that rumor about Punk and AJ, but major news sources are being tight-lipped about it since they generally don't go out of their ways to cover wrestlers' private lives. I don't even know if either Punk or AJ have publicly addressed the wedding, so this one might linger awhile.