Well I just happen to be breathing the biggest sigh of relief humanly possible this week, there is still long way to go but while last week’s Smackdown Live! Report was more hope and looking for positives this week the blue brand delivered a much more solid show.
I’ll start with my negative for the week (because obviously that’s how I think); the women’s division didn’t do great this week, we got promised a Becky Lynch match and instead we got Eva idiot injury, I mean it was different but I don’t like Eva and she shouldn’t be positioned opposite the top lass right away, then Natalya clocked Carmella from behind and we had to endure the whales of Carmella (seriously hurts my ear drums)…. forget that where was Alexa Bliss? This week was a misfire so lets hope it picks up next week.
Last week was very hype, we are Smackdown Live!, Look at us, but nothing was different! This week however things seemed a bit smoother the iffy Raw post-match interviews were dropped and instead Renee was decked out in the Superstar panel set interviewing superstars. It was interesting, different, fresh and because of that I was really engaged in those segments. The announce team are a bit sucky, little chemistry and very shouty but hopefully as Smackdown continues to find its identity they gel together.
Smackdown overall just felt fresh and this was most prominent during the main arc of the show, Ziggler and Ambrose felt new and like they themselves were fighting to show that they deserve to take the show forward. Tasty words from Dolph and huge win over Wyatt in the main event to remain 1# contender but still can’t see him beating Ambrose at Summerslam. ARRRGH Bray brought Rowan back into the mix which while it annoys me his family are part of his whole gimmick, but I do think the brand split has proved this week that giving Bray more time to haunt the entire show and assume a top role in the roster is a good thing.
I’m going to say it…. even though it is an idea cooked up in a boardroom, Viperville works, like really works! Prior to the introduction of “it only takes one RKO”, the Orton V Lesnar match while box office had very little going for it however after a RAW RKO and pleasant F5 reply on Smackdown I’m invested and keep finding myself going “Well it might drop Lesnar”. That itself is still unlikely but in better news it is reported Suplex City’s own broadcasting system has been resigned by the WWE and we will still see Paul Heyman (Woop).
Wrapping some of the other stuff up we had a new era triple threat match where Apollo Crews came out victorious over Kalisto and Baron Corbin to become #1 Contender for the IC title; this was a fun, fast match and the end was so refreshing because …. Corbin drops Kalisto after the bell, Crews attacks Corbin, Crews gets a skull crushing finale from the Miz and in predictable WWE we would go to a break but then finally Corbin dropped the Miz! Just because he is Baron Corbin but also leaving storyline options open; which has been brushed under the carpet for way to long, too often we’re left just meandering down to a PPV with little happening at all.
Styles and Cena cut a good promo and I love how genuinely excited AJ sounds when he “beats up John Cena”; these guys will have a good match and while AJ’s challenge of Cena is the same as so many before him AJ is AJ and is most probably going to be the reason Cena is wrote off telly in the run up to Backlash, which ultimately frees up AJ to muscle in on the WWE Championship.
Leaving thought: American Alpha debuted and yes they were great and we all knew this anyway, now make some tag titles for them to work towards.
#SignHeathSlater
indiestry 