Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.
- Women's Championship forum:
I think WWE panicked realizing how much time they have to fill Sunday, so they made the big elimination match. I really wonder where you go after this match, but maybe they set something interesting up at the PPV.
I'm glad Becky's being positioned better than Nikki. Becky's the long-term star there.
I love Alexa Bliss. I'm so glad she's getting a spotlight on Smackdown instead of being lost in the shuffle on Raw.
I like Becky stirring the pot.
That was mostly good overall.
- Ambrose backstage:
At least Wackyman didn't put laxatives in the coffee or something.
- Shane/Bryan/Miz/Maryse backstage:
Mostly good.
- Miz vs. Apollo:
Nice work to start things off. Crews is a talented athlete, and Miz has veteran ring awareness.
This is really impressive.
This is more exciting than their PPV match.
Miz punking out Ziggler was good.
Nice ending. We'll see what's next for Apollo.
- Styles interview:
Mostly good AJ promo. I hope Sunday's a big night for him, regardless of the result.
- A. Alpha promo:
These guys are just as smooth in promos as they are in the ring.
- Usos promo:
Meh. I'd like to see some character progression from these two. They've been the same team for quite a while now.
- Bray promo:
Very good, inspired promo.
I'm glad to see Bray showcased again. Maybe he can get a push now?
- N. Bella/Naomi/Lynch vs. Carmella/Natalya/Alexa:
Naomi making Bliss pay for that.
And that's why you don't taunt your opponent when you've got a game opponent.
Not bad at all so far.
Weird to see Alexa and Natalya working together after the opening segment.
Pretty solid work with all the moving parts. Alexa continues to be solid, and Carmella's used strategically.
Really good match once it heated up.
- Usos vs. A. Alpha:
Meh.
Usos BURIED af. Losing that quickly despite a jump attack? Sad.
That was kind of weird. I'm fine with the Usos as heels if they do something interesting now.
I'm glad they're selling the attack. It should matter.
- Orton promo:
That was a pretty good counter to Bray's promo. I like the Aesop's Fables vibe.
- Fandango/Kane segment:
I definitely got some Val Venis vibes there. At least it wasn't the Khali Kiss Cam, I guess.
I would have popped for Kane dancing, but that was OK to re-establish Kane without burying anyone. So, what's he doing at Backlash? They've got a lot of time to fill.
- Styles ruins a phone:
I guess they'll need one of the new iPhones.
I wish AJ pushed the Phenomenal tagline, too.
- Rhyno/Slater vs. H. Bros:
Oh my God Heath's family. I'm going to lose it.
Rhyno and Slater make a good team because Slater can do most of the bumps and moving while Rhyno does the goring.
I like the Hype Bros as a duo, too.
Pretty good action here.
Fine match overall. The Heath Slater angle is GOLD.
- Usos promo:
Mehhhh. I hope there's some fleshing out of this narrative, since the turn was pretty much a sudden thing.
- Ambrose/AJ faceoff:
Wacky Ambrose is hit-or-miss with me.
Yeah, I think the man who beat Cena clean should be considered more of a threat. Dean's clowning on him a little much.
AJ firing back, though. Good for him.
Yeah, I'm uninspired by Ambrose at this point. He's less Cactus Jack and more Commissioner Foley.
Not a bad ending. AJ made the most of that segment.
More wrestling coming back.
Backlash predictions:
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't seem like too big of a show, as Smackdown's still finding its identity. With a smaller roster, they've got their work cut out for them filling cards in the future. I expect they'll get more NXT callups and maybe some returns as the months go on to fill things out more.
- The obvious route to go with the women's match is to have a babyface rack up three eliminations only to lose to a relatively fresh heel who's stayed out of the ring most of the match. Then, the babyface chases the heel for the title going forward. Or they can have one babyface have a breakout night and actually win, then defend against all comers going forward. It looks like Becky's the top babyface with Natalya the top heel as far as credibility, but one of the other heels could be the "get lucky wins when others do the work" type. It's fairly wide open what they'll do going forward.
- The tag team tournament is all set up for Slater and Rhyno to win after Jordan and possibly Gable get revenge on the Usos. Beating the Hype Bros and being able to pin the loss on having to do two matches in one night/fend off American Alpha protects Jimmy and Jey in defeat. They could also try to build the Usos as top dogs by having them win two matches. I'm guessing they let Slater have his moment, though, after all the build they've given it.
- I'm guessing we'll get some squash matches to fill space, and maybe another tag match. The Vaudevillains vs. Breezango would be heel vs. heel, but it would fill time. I expect Kane to beat up a jobber and Corbin to do something, though. They might want to save Corbin vs. Apollo for next month, but they can start it here.
- Ziggler could beat Miz as a rebound for last month's loss. Otherwise his credibility really takes a hit (again).
- I would think AJ vs. Orton would be a big Survivor Series match. So, both their matches at Backlash can set up rematches at No Mercy. I'm thinking Bray's getting help from Rowan and a returning Harper to keep his feud going, while Dean gets DQ'd for hitting AJ in the groin or something.
Other than Harper, I haven't read of any potential surprises.