Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.
I hope Rollins does prove himself against the likes of Orton and isn't just champion because he has four guys watching his back. Those kinds of shenanigans are fun for a while, but I really think Rollins is good enough to make it on his own. His first title defense will be critical.
Ehhhhh... I'm usually all for the "matches are secondary to storylines" trope, but I hope this is just a setup for a longer match later in the evening.
Interesting pairing of Orton with Ryback. Are they going to try to make Ryback a serious threat to top names again? I don't know if he's ready for that, but it's worth seeing what they have with him.
They couldn't save Sheamus vs. Bryan for Extreme Rules? Think about it. What if Sheamus won convincingly over some of the other contenders for the title from WM31, building momentum for a clash for the title? They're throwing that away in a lot of ways if the two of them do too much tonight.
I couldn't want to see Naomi as champion less. Why isn't Paige going for the gold again?
Not a bad match at all between Natalya and Naomi.
I wasn't crazy about that backstage segment. Toilet humor got old a long time ago. I would have preferred for Ambrose to want to rip Rollins and Kane's #&$*ing heads off and announce HE'S challenging for the title. It's not like he wasn't in a big feud with Rollins last year. Also, Kane's character is really inconsistent as far as him making decisions (or considering them) that would hurt his fellow heels. I think they need to either have him be the DoO or have him be the heel wrestler. It's tough for him to be both. Maybe The Authority needs another stooge to do the office work like making matches? Otunga would be a pretty good fit, but I would think that would clash with his role on the Raw pre-show. Regal's more or less a face now. How about Billy Gunn or Road Dogg?
Good segment with Reigns. I think he can still be salvaged as a main eventer. I suspect he'll face Kane or Big Show at Extreme Rules just underneath Rollins vs. Orton. That makes sense as far as him being close to the main event.
Pretty convincing win for Miz. They could do a fun gimmick match at Extreme Rules with Miz and Mizdow. Slammy on a pole match or something? I think the show needs something in-between more heavy hitting matches.
Nice post-match. I like Mizdow a lot.
Not sure why this Cena/Rusev segment wasn't pushed to Monday's Raw, but whatever.
That was a pretty good match between Ambrose and Harper. I bet they could tear the house down with a big match at Extreme Rules.
Oh how I missed PTP's act. Since both they and The New Day are stuck in the mud, it makes sense for them to feud. Hopefully both sides get something out of it.
I'm cool with Sheamus' new attitude. I kind of wish he'd drop the "fella" thing if he's going to be a badass heel, though.
I wonder if Ziggler really had to miss this match. I don't remember seeing anything about it.
Awesome change of pace for Sheamus to win that way. I like this new direction. I hope there's more to come from it.
Nice ending to the show to keep things going.
More wrestling coming up.
I am still a bit miffed about how/why WWE booked Big Show to win that big battle royal. I think that would have been a perfect Segway for Mizdow to break through and FINALLY gain some traction. But, of course, WWE has to always make Big Show look strong, even at 43 years old. Honestly, I could name 10 guys in that battle royal that would have benefited more than Big Show in winning that match. The WWE/Big Show attraction will always be a quandary to me.
ReplyDeleteIf you had to choose, which would you prefer to be the No. 1 contender for the title? One of the only caveats with Rollins being champ is that I can definitely see him as a "beatable" champion, kind of like how Del Rio was booked. He would win the title matches, but lose most of the non-title matches. I hope that won't be the case with Rollins, but it may go down that road.
I am a bit relieved that Reigns didn't win the title. He still has a lot to prove, and I don't think he's proven yet that he deserves the highest credential in the company.
WWE loves to past Show on the back for some reason.
ReplyDeleteOrton should be the top contender. Rollins needs a big first opponent to prove himself against. Hopefully he also feuds with Ambrose before we get a WM31 rematch at Summerslam.
I can see Rollins being a Miz-like champion needing The Authority to help him out. I hope they don't go that route. They've got lightning in a bottle with Rollins.
I think I would have been OK with Reigns winning. In my eyes, he doesn't need to be ready to be where John Cena or Randy Orton are in 2015. He just needs to be where they were when they won their first World Titles. It's rare someone's 100% ready to be THE guy when they win their first title. Sometimes talents don't show they can carry that load until they're given it.