Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.
Pretty crazy opening segment, but I'm really hyped for Ambrose vs. Rollins.
Pretty good showing from Miz and Mizdow. I think there's an outside chance we end up with a new U.S. Champion. Alternately, they could use Miz losing as a way to turn Mizdow face.
Good to save the action between Sheamus and Miz for the PPV.
Enjoyable Goldust/Stardust/Bo segment. I liked the combination of characters there.
Fine match to set up AJ vs. Paige and avenge Alicia's recent win over the champ.
That was a nice, intense Big Show promo. I hope the PPV match delivers.
Really good match between Cesaro and Ziggler. Both men have a tremendous upside.
I'm glad the Divas segment was kept brief. That's not a knock on the wrestlers. I just don't enjoy most of the Total Divas stuff.
The sooner we get to the end of Brie vs. Nikki, the better. It would be an interesting reversal of fortune for Brie to win, but I think the obvious route is to set up Brie getting her revenge at Survivor Series.
I'm still somewhat surprised to see Bo Dallas get the win over Mark Henry. I think in some ways this might be about adding fuel to the presumably upcoming Show/Henry feud than elevating Bo, but it's still something to help the former NXT Champion's career.
Cesaro vs. Ziggler in a two-out-of-three falls match is probably worth $9.99 on its own. Especially when you factor in getting to see NXT each week.
That last segment really sold me on HIAC. Ambrose and Rollins are going to tear it up again.
More wrestling coming up.
HIAC predictions:
ReplyDeleteI can see WWE doing at least one title change just to be unpredictable and make fans feel like their money's well spent. For some reason, there are fans who don't think a show is worth it without a title change. It doesn't feel like they have any big plans for the lower-level titles at the moment anyway, so it's pretty much up in the air as to what will happen in those matches.
I imagine Nikki will beat Brie to keep their angle going at least one more PPV. Hopefully Survivor Series is the end of it, but there's no telling how far WWE will try to stretch it. I'm curious to know how many Total Divas fans they've actually gotten to watch the main WWE shows and vice versa, because there doesn't seem to be much reason to give this much TV time to their feuds otherwise.
I think we're in for Rusev remaining unbeaten by pinfall or submission, but it definitely looks like WWE will shift focus to Henry vs. Show. I think that's really shortsighted and could damage Rusev's momentum, but WWE's less concerned about that than they should be.
HIAC is the perfect environment to end the Rollins/Ambrose feud, but I could see WWE wanting to do something with them at TLC as well. Ambrose really needs to win this one.
I'm actually kind of split on Cena vs. Orton. Orton's almost definitely taking time off after the PPV, and I think he'll be a face when he returns. Will WWE really try to do Cena vs. Lesnar AGAIN at the Royal Rumble? I doubt we see Lesnar defend before then.
I think it will be a long few months before the Rumble, with WWE spinning their tires. I expect a lot of The Bellas, Cena, Show, Henry, Kane, and HHH on TV. I'm not excited for that prospect.
I also will say Nikki will win. The "slave" stipulation is pretty lame to begin with, but usually with this stipulation, it would make more sense for the "heel" to win in this type of manner. I really have not been a fan of this "feud" and just wish it would end already.
ReplyDeleteI also will say Rusev will win. They're doing their hardest to make Big Show a credible force against Rusev, but I think he will ultimately fall victim. The only questions at this point are: 1) Where does Rusev go from here and 2) Who will stop him?
I will say Ambrose will win. Rollins has already done a good job with this feud, so like you said, Ambrose needs to win this one. If Ambrose does indeed lose (which he probably won't), it truly shows how high WWE is on Rollins. Either way, a loss won't hurt Rollins as much as it would for Ambrose, so I'll say Ambrose wins.
Regarding the Orton face turn, my quandary with that is that on Raw, Orton really had one of the most graphic heel promos he's ever given when he ripped on his hometown crowd, the World Series contender Royals. It's tough for me to gather him turning face just after that ruthless promo he gave.
Given, I think Orton needs a change and it would make some sense, but it seems like it would be a little inconsistent with that promo he gave Monday. Maybe WWE is giving Rollins/Orton something to do in between now and WrestleMania?
I say Cena will win. WWE did a good job with building up this feud when it was just added to the pay-per-view card fairly recently. I say Cena, but I'm not sure about this one. My justification mainly centering on Cena being the only one in months to get a victory over Lesnar, so they may want to continue his momentum after losing to Ambrose.
I really wonder what the female audience thinks of Nikki vs. Brie, and the Total Divas stuff in general. It hasn't exactly been a sterling presentation of women.
ReplyDeleteI think they could build Rusev up to a big Mania clash with Cena. Everyone who goes up the ranks eventually has to face him. Some say Kurt Angle could come back and face Rusev, but that's not in stone.
I suppose Orton would be more of an antihero than a traditional face, but it definitely seems like he'll have a feud with Rollins. As far as I know, he's missing some upcoming shows. So, an injury angle could be going down tonight.
I can definitely see them going with Cena/Lesnar yet again. There will be a ton of backlash for it, though.