Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.
That was a kickass opening segment. I'm glad at least some of the time WWE is moving from long talking segments from HHH, Cena, Orton, etc. to fresher acts like Ambrose and Rollins. I'm really looking forward to the main event.
The opening tag match was pretty good. Miz not wanting to get hit in the face is great and added another dimension to the match. It's definitely a lot like the "Dashing" Cody Rhodes gimmick, but I think it works well for Miz.
That Divas' segment was terrible. Eva Marie should be #AllFiRedEverything. She's lucky "Total Divas" is a draw for WWE and gets an audience they normally wouldn't get, because she's not a strong wrestler.
Yeah, I wish I could forget that whole segment. It was effective at putting Nikki further in the underdog role of always being in handicap matches and the like, though, so I hope it's successful in building to Brie vs. Stephanie or whatever the endgame is.
Stardust and Goldust continue to be weirdly entertaining. I don't know how long Stardust can be a successful gimmick, but I'm liking it.
Great Bray promo. Bray vs. Jericho will be something to watch.
Jericho vs. Harper was really good. I hope it's just the first time we see them face off. I'm glad WWE didn't try to pull the "cosmetically pleasing" card when deciding whether or not to use Harper because he's an awesome talent.
Good post-match. WWE's done a good job pushing these feuds.
Great segment to put over Swagger vs. Rusev. Zeb and Lana play off each other quite well.
I loved the little promos before Del Rio vs. Kofi. WWE's been doing a better job of those lately. The IC Title is looking quite important.
Good match between Kofi and Del Rio. I don't see either man leaving as champion, but it's certainly possible.
Can Fandang-Bo be a team? I got a kick out of that segment. Some "sports entertainment" cracks me up.
Good Divas' tag match. I liked AJ tagging herself in to get the win. The stage is set for Paige turning heel at Battleground.
Great post-match. They told a better story with no words than some people tell with long promos or matches.
Good stuff between Rollins and Kane. Battleground's shaping up to be a pretty good show.
I liked that pre-match as far as establishing Ambrose's never-say-die attitude. This feud could be pretty big for him.
I mostly liked Ambrose vs. Kane as far as setting the stage for Sunday. They wanted to keep Kane strong, so a clean pinfall win by Ambrose was out of the question.
I liked the post-match. Ambrose vs. Rollins could be really great.
More wrestling coming up.
Battleground predictions:
ReplyDelete- Generally the opening match is supposed to get the crowd in a good mood with a babyface moment, so they could just have Naomi win. I think that could cut out Cameron's momentum as a heel, though, so I don't know if that's the right move.
There are a number of candidates to win the IC Title. I picture Sheamus going a long way only to be eliminated by Cesaro or Bo for the win. It all depends on what WWE has cooked up for after Battleground.
I think the obvious way to go is the Wyatts winning the tag team gold. Usos vs. Rybaxel just doesn't seem as compelling as Wyatts vs. Goldust and Stardust. The latter team has gotten a good number of segments lately, so it seems like they'll be next in the title picture.
AJ retains. She just came back after all. Paige heel turn to keep things going.
I don't see why they'd stop Rusev's momentum with a loss to Swagger, but they could surprise me.
I can see Jericho winning to set up a rematch for Summerslam. That would be a bigger win for Wyatt than at Battleground. Jericho's only here for a few months, while Wyatt's someone they're invested in for the future.
There will probably be some kind of "unfinished business" ending for Ambrose vs. Rollins to do a Round 2 at Summerslam.
Cena retaining's pretty much a given.
I'll also go with Naomi to upend Cameron. Naomi seems to be the diva that will be good enough in the eyes of WWE Management to be a No. 1 contender, but yet sold enough on her to win the title. It's tough in that even if a diva is No. 2 in the eyes of the WWE, she will not have the title to show for it, as there can only be one title.
ReplyDeleteThe Intercontinental Title match is a tough one to call with so many involved. I'll go with Cesaro to win. I know the losses to Kingston may have some fans disagree, but I think he's a logical bet to win it. Any dark horses in your mind?
I did say the Wyatts would win the tag titles last pay-per-view and was wrong, but I'll go with them to win it this time. Very rarely does the same team/wrestler challenge for a title/titles two pay-per-views in a row unless the company has no idea what to do with the titles. I'll say they will win, but it's obvious WWE has gained appeal for The Usos.
I also believe A.J. will retain. One thing I'm not a fan of his how they made it seem like Paige would be the champion and next "it" girl in the divas division, but it now seems a little bit like she was a placeholder for A.J. to get the title back after her wedding/time off.
I say Rusev will upend Swagger, but one red flag is that it may divert some momentum from Swagger's face turn and also may upset some fans with the "U.S. versus Russia" feud theme. Then again, how often has WWE ever booked Swagger to win a big match?
I will say Wyatt will come out on top. One thing Jericho consistently has going against him is that he comes back for about six months or so and goes right back on a hiatus, which gives him little chance/time to gain much traction. It kind of leaves him vulnerable to be used as the "veteran who is used to get up-and-coming stars over." I know he has little to prove at this point in his career, but that may be the case here.
I definitely agree that Rollins/Ambrose will not be over after this pay-per-view. I see some sort of disqualification victory for Ambrose and continuation of the feud at Summerslam. With Rollins seemingly getting the upper hand on Ambrose week after week, what is more logical to you: 1) Ambrose taking the briefcase from Rollins eventually or 2) Ambrose winning the match(es) at Battleground and Summerslam without winning the briefcase? Which of the two do you think WWE will be higher on?
Not yet sold enough on her*
ReplyDeleteI'm reasonably certain WWE would put the title on Eva Marie if they thought it was the right move for business. How good a wrestler is is only part of the equation. WWE seems to be more focused on pushing legitimate wrestlers than they were years back, though.
ReplyDeleteI think it would make sense to do Cameron vs. AJ once AJ vs. Paige is done. Naomi's undoubtedly the better wrestler, but Cameron can get heat as a heel. The contrast between "Melina vs. Alicia Fox" from Tough Enough and AJ Lee would make for a great feud.
Cesaro would be a great choice to be pushed. Honestly I think WWE could justify a number of people winning that with the right push afterward. Ziggler? Del Rio? Big E? They haven't really telegraphed a winner.
Some people think we're in for a surprise entrant/winner, which could be pretty fun. Sami Zayn from NXT's the obvious choice to do that. He's gotten a good deal of praise from higher-ups and has worked quite a few live events/dark matches. I can't think of a talent who's been hyped as much since Paige, Rollins or Ambrose (I don't think anyone can compete with Ambrose's pre-main roster hype, though).
I get this weird feeling it won't be much longer before NXT's Tag Team Champions are called up. They're heels and I think them feuding with the Usos is a pretty obvious choice. The Usos dropping the titles frees them up for that feud.
I don't think Paige's callup worked like they wanted. Obviously some part of the audience knew who she was before she debuted (Kharma's the only female wrestler I can think of who got that much hype before appearing on the main roster) and cheered her because of that, but the buzz she had in NXT didn't really transfer. Her character definitely feels different from "the anti-Diva" from NXT.
I saw Swagger's face turn as just giving Rusev someone new to feud with. I think WWE wants to see how far they can take Rusev. I wouldn't be shocked if he challenged for the WWE Title before losing.
I think Jericho just comes back to work with some people he's impressed with and leaves before becoming "just another wrestler". Wrestling's just one part of who Jericho is now. I doubt this is the only time we see Jericho vs. Wyatt. Jericho actually worked with Wyatt down in NXT last year. That's not something he'd do for just anyone.
Ambrose and Rollins should both be fine without the briefcase, but I have a feeling we're in for Rollins keeping it. It's pure speculation, but I see Rollins beating Jericho to retain the briefcase at Night of Champions. I think Rollins is another guy Jericho's really high on, and I think he'd want to give Rollins a big win in that fashion. It also could cut into the momentum of Rollins as a heel if he loses the briefcase.