Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.
I like Ambrose being a fighting champion. And I like the WWE Championship staying on Smackdown.
There are a lot of opportunities for people to be in a big title match after two fatal four ways and a six-pack challenge.
That's an interesting mix of people in the title picture. I'm interested to see what happens; I would expect Cena and AJ to face each other at Summerslam.
- Battle royal:
I love the idea of most people going after the two biggest people.
What happened to Gotch being removed from TV tapings? Obviously I was really wrong reporting that one.
I almost wanted to see The Ascension as Kane's Ministry or something. That would be a good fit for them.
I like Del Rio using a move that would normally get him DQ'd. That's a smart use of the stipulation.
Good to see the tag teams working together and against other teams.
I was kind of hoping Rowan would win. Kind of.
Kane's on a roll. (I ALMOST said "on fire.")
This could be a big night for Kalisto, Ryder, or Crews, even if they don't win the six pack challenge.
This is pretty fun action. I love a battle royal every once in a while. It's just pure chaos.
Close one there, but a nice showing by Crews. Kane's a valuable utility player.
I like Crews not resting on his laurels.
AIN'T NO STOPPIN ME NOOOOOOO. Glad we're seeing Shelton again. He's a valuable veteran with a lot of skills; that's exactly what WWE needs to work with the many new faces they have from the last few years.
Dolph's character is pretty annoying at this point. "Guys I work SSSSOOOOO hard please push me."
- Becky vs. Natalya:
Nice back and forth to start.
Good start.
These two match up pretty well.
Well, it looks like we're back at square one after they traded wins.
I'm glad Alexa's here. She could have used some more work in NXT, but I'm confident she'll make the most of being on the main roster.
So, that's the entirety of Smackdown's women's division. They could really use Bayley, and each brand could use two each of Emma, Tamina, Nikki Bella, and someone else to make it even between the brands.
I liked Baron's promo. I hope he gets back on track tonight.
Miz is so based. One of the best pure heels in wrestling.
Miz just destroying the crowd right now. Maryse is used well here, too.
I really look forward to Orton vs. Lesnar.
Orton not getting a shot at the title just for returning is nice.
Good setup for the next match.
- Orton vs. Miz:
Miz attacking the shoulder iss mart.
Good stuff so far.
I'm liking babyface Orton.
American Alpha is really, really good. They're going to make a big splash on Smacldown.
THE ONE MAN NEW ERA BAYBAY WOOOO.
Really funny stuff from Slater.
I love Slater taking credit for all those groups. He's invented almost as many things in wrestling as Taz has.
I guess Rhyno took over Hornswoggle's old place down there.
That was pretty cool overall.
That was quite the good promo from AJ. I'm liking the format for tonight; I'm always a fan of characters getting screen time beyond actually wrestling.
Enjoyable Bray promo, too. I hope good things are coming for him.
- Cena vs. Styles vs. Wyatt vs. Ziggler vs. Corbin vs. Crews:
This is pretty wild. Having six people face off with each other without tagging in can be really chaotic.
The action here is really good.
Good stuff between Corbin and Crews. Give them each three more years of experience and they'll really be something.
Please don't have Ziggler win.
A.A. PARTY!!!
Wow, that was a really underwhelming ending. Great match, but Ziggler just doesn't excite me anymore.
Ambrose vs. Ziggler... ehhhhhhh..... I'd rather see Ambrose vs. Wyatt.
Ziggler, Ambrose, and Bryan together in the ring is a godsend for smarques.
More wrestling coming up.
I definitely agree that Ziggler shouldn't have won that match for a number of reasons. I was completely shocked. I agree he's been in the same character for years and I think it also takes some shine away from the ones in that match that deserve it a bit more than him (Wyatt, Corbin, Cena, Styles). I would have pit him probably as the guy that was second or least likely to win that match. I also think it's basically a 100 percent chance that Ambrose retains that title with the way Ziggler has been booked lately. If he can't beat Corbin four out of five times, how can he win the WWE Title?
ReplyDeleteDo you think Finn Balor is being pushed too quickly? I know WWE really likes him, but for him to win that big multi-wrestler match and then beat Reigns like that on his first night seems a bit quick. I'm sure he will gain more credibility and notoriety soon, but to put him in the WWE Universal (that still sounds weird) title picture (which is basically the updated version of the World Heavyweight Title) seems a bit of a reach at this point. What are your thoughts?
What do you think/hear will happen with the Intercontinental Title picture now that Young is on Raw and Miz is on SmackDown? If that angle does indeed end, it's a bit undecided. My opinion would be with the brands splitting, if Young didn't win the title at the pay-per-view, he probably wouldn't have won it even if the brands didn't split. It's just unfortunate timing, I guess.
Out of curiosity, why aren't Bryan/Shane heading Raw and Stephanie/Foley heading Smackdown? With Raw still being the flagship show, the fans definitely prefer Shane and Bryan. Maybe due to Stephanie's front-office status?
Shelton Benjamin's return vignette was a surprise (I didn't hear anything of it previously). At 41 and having limited promo skills, where do you see him fitting in and also how long his WWE reign will be? Maybe the middle card?
I expect we're getting Cena vs. Styles at Summerslam. I was hoping for Ambrose vs. Wyatt, so I hope there's something else in mind for Bray going forward. Otherwise, why have the Wyatts beat New Day?
ReplyDeleteWWE could feel that Summerslam is already "sold" by Orton vs. Lesnar (and Cena vs. AJ?) and they're just putting on something to appease the lapsed fans who want new names in the title picture. There are definitely angry fans who've been calling for Ziggler to be pushed for years. It could also be something of a thank you for his years of hard work.
Balor's a big player. WWE wants to make a big statement for the New Era and all that. I have the utmost confidence he can deliver at a top stage based on his work before now. And as was said, they've "got" the casual fans with Orton vs. Lesnar and probably Cena vs. AJ, so they can try out new things at the top. It's worth a shot.
I definitely think Young and Miz have ended their angle. The ending was designed for Young to save face in defeat. WWE's kind of hit the reset button with the title pictures, so we'll see how things shake out for Young and Miz next. Miz isn't working live events this weekend, but PTP reunited for the current loop. Live events are still kind of being shuffled post-draft, so that might not be a permanent direction.
I know Stephanie's memoir is coming out in October and they want to push that, presumably on the flagship show. They could also want to make Raw the show to get lapsed fans from when Foley was GM, and Smackdown as the show for people missing Bryan. Other than that, no idea beyond Stephanie actually being an executive with Shane just being on-screen talent. There's no saying he won't go on another hiatus at some point, while she's one of the most important people in the company.
Shelton, Rhyno, and other returning names (more are coming!) are just there to fill out the card and work with younger/newer names. WWE didn't want to completely decimate NXT with callups, and the names being brought back have valuable experience. Basically it's OK if they get beat because they've already made their money in the business; WWE doesn't want to sacrifice people with clearer futures. Similar to the Dudleys and Golden Truth I guess.