Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.
I mostly really liked the opening segment as far as selling something intriguing for Sunday. I kind of want to see Rollins vs. Kane as a title feud, but I don't know if that's where we're going. Rollins vs. Orton vs. Kane would make sense. It looks like we're in for another month of Show vs. Reigns if that scenario happens, though, and what do you really do after a last man standing match?
I was mostly OK with the first "match". Even if Rollins could kick Kane's ass one-on-one (which isn't a guarantee), Kane's still potentially there to screw him over at Extreme Rules.
That was a fine segment to not give away another Rollins/Ambrose match. I hope we see that headline a PPV in either June or July before we get a WM31 rematch at Summerslam.
It's a real shame they gave such a goofy gimmick to Sheamus vs. Ziggler. There had to have been something better. How about a shillelagh on a pole match? That's not perfect, but they could have still made something out of it. Anyway, I'm glad Neville's back after not being used on Raw.
I was impressed with that tag match! Neville was involved with three guys who have headlined PPVs, and got the win despite not being part of Sunday's PPV. Anyone who thinks he's not being used well is willfully ignorant of the facts.
I like Wyatt's promos, but it's time for him to do something of note again. Start recruiting some new followers or SOMETHING.
Not a bad Divas' match. I feel like things are pretty much where they were before #GiveDivasAChance. We definitely see a lot of good Divas' matches on the untelevised shows, but they're kind of filler on the main shows.
So-so post-match. Naomi's just not that interesting of a character.
I'm shocked they just teased PTP saying something non-family friendly. It was a cool promo, though. They've got personality. When the heck are they going to wrestle again?
Really good promo from Lana and Rusev. I hope there's more to come from them going forward.
Ehhhh. I wanted a clean win from Rusev to set him up for Sunday. It's not like Ryback's doing much of anything for him to be protected.
NICE post-match. I like seeing Rusev just wreck people. Rusev vs. Samoa Joe in 2016 could be AMAZING.
Cool segment with The Authority and Harper. I like that combination of characters. Redneck Jamie Noble is one of my all-time favorite characters.
I can see The New Day being annoying with this shtick. They remind me a little bit of DDP's motivational speaker gimmick, and obviously Bo Dallas.
That was a quick match! Obviously the goal was to set up a win by the tag team champions on Sunday, but it felt a bit rushed.
I assume we were supposed to pick up on the irony of Show being given the WCW Title in his first match and a big push right out of the gate in WWF. That was actually clever.
Can we take a moment to appreciate the fact Jon Moxley, Tyler Black, and Brodie Lee are headlining Smackdown right now? Who would have seen that coming five years ago?
That was mostly a good tag match. I really hope we're not for a swerve of Kane staying with The Authority. Rollins really needs a big win if we're supposed to buy him as a credible top guy.
More wrestling coming up.
Extreme Rules predictions:
ReplyDelete- I can see The New Day winning via heel fashion, but that would presumably turn Kidd and Cesaro face. I wonder if we're eventually in for the Lucha Dragons taking the titles from The New Day as heels? That could be cool.
- I could see Naomi winning the title if they want to throw in a curve ball for the sake of having a title change on the show. It's not like much else is going on. That sets up Naomi vs. Paige when Paige comes back. I wonder how much longer they can hold off on bringing Charlotte up to compete, or bringing Tamina back.
- I wouldn't think Ziggler's Twitter comments have endeared him to Management. Sheamus wins if for no other reason than for WWE to try to put Ziggler in line. He's his own worst enemy in some ways.
- Ambrose wins in an absolute war with Harper to the delight of the Chicago crowd.
- If Bryan can't make it, I think we're in for Neville beating Barrett. I'd be surprised to see Bryan lose the title this early unless he's set to be out for longer than they initially thought.
- Cena retains against Rusev.
- Reigns beats Show. The crowd is going to HATE this. I think they might try to have Reigns earn his stripes with the hardcore fans by going more extreme here.
- I see some ridiculous finish to save Rollins from losing the title. Maybe J&J Security take Kane out or something, although I would think Kane could easily take them. Maybe a new member of The Authority comes out and attacks Kane? Bray Wyatt? I don't see it being Big Show after losing LMS, but we'll see.
This should be an interesting pay-per-view. What are your thoughts on Miz getting the better of Sandow in that feud? I still feel like Sandow is being a bit devalued and that he deserves better.
ReplyDeleteThe tag title match should be a close call. I also would probably lean towards New Day winning. I don't think the Lucha Dragons have enough in the personality/charisma department to win the titles.
I honestly haven't put much thought into the Divas match. I will probably say Nikki will retain, due to this match not getting much limelight.
I also say Sheamus will win. WWE has always been high on him and I would doubt they would turn him heel all to lose his first pay-per-view back.
I also say Ambrose wins. I still contend that he deserves more shine, so hopefully this match will help.
I say Bryan will retain if he can compete. If it's a serious injury, I honestly don't know who would take over the title.
I will also pick Cena to win the rubber match with Rusev. It's just kind of odd to see a guy with 15 World Title reigns holding the U.S. Title. My bet is that he holds it for a very long time.
I am not a fan of Reigns or Big Show's work, so I will say Reigns will win. Big Show is one of the few guys towards the upper card that I feel deserves less limelight than Reigns. It just feels like Reigns is missing something.
I definitely see a screwy finish to the Rollins and Orton match leading to Rollins retaining. I would like to see Kane getting more shine to be a factor in a possible feud with Rollins, but I don't think that's something WWE would be open to doing with how poor Kane has been booked. This one could play out in a number of different finishes, but I do see the one certainty being Rollins retaining.
Any dark horse predictions this time around?
I don't know what good it did for Miz to win the feud, considering he'll be gone for a few weeks to make another movie. What does Sandow do now?
ReplyDeleteI like the Dragons, but I can see that criticism. They were NXT Tag Team Champions, so I wouldn't be surprised for them to eventually win the titles on the main roster.
Ambrose needs a PPV win badly. He's kind of fallen off the map.
I'd rather Cena hold the U.S. Title for a long time than be in the WWE Title picture. Having him work with guys like Stardust and Ambrose is good for testing those names out as future stars.
I like Reigns. Not as the top guy necessarily, but I think he's worth investing in.
Kane vs. Rollins could happen, but Kane will probably just be a roadblock for Rollins. Kane vs. Big Show seems more likely. I don't see that one being very exciting, especially for long-term fans who've seen that feud over and over.
I could see Neville replacing Bryan to beat BNB, but other than that, I don't see any crazy surprises.