Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's ROH and Smackdown.
ROH:
It makes sense for this to be a clip show, since it initially aired right before an important PPV. That's the nature of the beast with how Sinclair's set up. We'll see the fallout from Global Wars next week.
I'm interested to see what Stokely Hathaway's future is given his regular work in EVOLVE.
That was a pretty good promo from the Briscoes. ROH is committed to making wins and losses important, and it definitely meant something for War Machine to retain the titles.
Everyone who wanted to see C.M. Punk on ROH TV in 2016, you technically got your wish with this episode.
Smackdown:
It's a credit to Dean and Jericho they made something compelling from a feud involving destroying a plant and a jacket.
I like this feud playing off the contrast between Jericho, who obviously has more on his plate than wrestling, and Ambrose, who's the full-time wrestler.
This Ambrose promo makes me wonder how 1999 Jericho would view 2016 Jericho.
This is pretty intense. Extreme Rules should be quite the brawl.
Y2J really sending a message to Dean here. I like it.
- Rusev vs. Cara:
I'm glad to see Rusev get a push again.
WWE needs some more bruisers. With Harper and Bray out and Show, Henry, and Kane MIA, they're lacking in hosses/mastadons.
This is going pretty well.
Nice showing by Rusev. Extreme Rules should be a treat.
Seeing Rusev and Lana back together instead of LoN being a group is definitely adding to Rusev's act.
I'm really glad to see Dana Brooke again. She hasn't wrestled on NXT TV in some time.
Strong promo from D&E. Dropping Cameron and gaining Dana is definitely an improvement.
- Dana vs. Becky:
I like Becky's fire. Hopefully she continues to grow into her own person after being kind of the third wheel of the Divas' Revolution.
This is going pretty well. Size vs. speed and technique is usually a pretty fun story to tell.
That was pretty good for a main roster debut, although I'm disappointed we didn't see Dana's awesome finisher.
So, what are the Clubbers and Usos doing at Extreme Rules?
More fun from New Day.
I wish more acts got the kind of leeway we see with New Day and Enzo/Cass. Their verbiage is much fresher and more natural than someone like Roman or Cena.
That was a solid promo from the Vaudevillains, too. They're pretty good characters, even if they feel like something from the days of The Goon and The Mountie.
- Aiden vs. Kofi:
Kofi's offense remains solid, even if we've seen him do pretty much the same stuff since his early days.
That was pretty good for the time it had. Aiden needed to get a win to look like a threat to the champs.
There aren't really high stakes to AJ and Roman being banned. Their team loses by DQ, but then they have a three-on-two advantage until the other man comes out to even things up! It'd be different if they'd be fined for interfering or something.
- Usos vs. Gallows/Anderson:
This is going pretty well so far. I like the story of size and power vs. speed.
The Clubbers definitely have a lot of tag team experience. That's what's good about there being a number of big promotions out there for people to ply their trades: if they show up in WWE, they already have a lot of skills at a high level.
I like Luke and Karl as brawlers.
Nice save by Gallows.
Oh this is breaking down into a fight in the post-match. I like it.
Nice to see some Golden Truth shenanigans to break things up after a more serious segment.
Really weird Backlund/Darren segment, but maybe something comes of it.
- Gorgeous Truth vs. Goldango:
I like the story of Goldust and Truth wanting to be friends but not quite getting it right, leading to them getting other partners and all that kind of stuff. For a cheesy wrestling storyline, it's got some depth to it.
Well that was pretty weird.
I think Breezedango could be an interesting team. I mean, they might as well team up and see what they can make of it.
I really wonder where Epico and Primo will fit into things. Do they have to replace some of the Outcasts or the Ascension as a low-level heel team with the suspensions happening?
I'm starting to really like Charlotte as an entitled heel.
I really think Paige should get into the title picture after beating the champion.
- Cesaro/Zayn vs. Miz/Owens:
I'm surprised this is closing the show instead of the Usos vs. Gallows/Anderson leading to another brawl.
Cesaro's strength is always really impressive.
Nice action early between Cesaro and Miz.
Fun interaction between Owens and Miz.
Maryse saving her man is great.
Good story of the heels taking advantage of circumstances while the babyfaces try to win by their athleticism and skills.
This is overall pretty impressive.
Great ending. I love Owens sneaking in the win.
NICE ending to the show, and a bold move to end with the focus on the IC Title instead of Reigns vs. AJ.
More wrestling coming up.
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