If WWE manufactured diet pills, Smackdown Live would be the model it hired to pose for the glossy “after” photos.
When compared against its bloated counterpart on Monday nights, the blue brand just feels so much sleeker, trimmer, more streamlined. Maybe it’s because the show is more wrestling focused. Or perhaps it’s because, since the last shakeup, SmackDown Live boasts the bigger stars. Or maybe it’s as simple as having a shorter format. (God knows it’s hard to be interesting for three straight hours – just ask any girl I’ve ever dated.)
Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that Tuesday nights seem to race along at a far more enjoyable pace… well, at least until Brie Bella’s entrance music sends us into a time warp.
#BrieMode AND #YESMode are BACK as Brie @BellaTwins goes one-on-one with @MaryseMizanin NEXT! #SDLive @WWEDanielBryan pic.twitter.com/m3uzfrpveB
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018
So, as we barrel head first towards Hell in a Cell this Sunday, SmackDown had one last opportunity to generate some excitement for its portion of the card.
Who would go on to face The New Day for a shot at the Tag Team titles? Would Charlotte get one over Becky Lynch ahead of their clash this weekend? Could a crafty R-Truth find a way to stumble his way back into another main event?
Join us as we run through our favourite moments from last night’s edition of SmackDown Live, highlight some less than ideal segments and pass judgement on the show overall.
See you after Hell in a Cell!
What Was the Best Segment of Last Night’s SmackDown?
Nate Craver
It has to be Samoa Joe reading “Night, Night AJ“. If someone said to me Samoa Joe was going to read a nursery rhyme on a wrestling show for a promo, then I would have probably rolled my eyes and asked what WWE was thinking. However, it worked. Joe’s inflection and his subtle facial expressions were perfect. He came across as a believable creep. In this case, that’s a good thing. Add in the video overlays and AJ / Joe is building as the best feud at Hell in the Cell.
Brian Farrell
Samoan story time. Samoa Joe telling me a bed time story is something I never knew I needed. This could have gone wrong in so many ways but it didn’t, they nailed it. I don’t know why I loved it, but I’d gladly have Joe read to me again.
Nicholas Holicki
There were better matches on the show. There were more important story beats. But only one thing put a smile on my face, and that was watching R-Truth and Carmella come down to the ring together. The fact that this team is still together a week after their impromptu formation, and that Carmella has so organically turned face, is really enjoyable. We all need variety in our weekly TV, and this tandem brings personality, comedy and an irreverence that the rest of the roster lacks.
Sean Patrick Eckmann
I will put The Bar over time and time again. Sheamus and Cesaro have developed so much chemistry together over the years and they always put on great matches, no matter who they’re partnered with. Rusev Day’s wholesome storyline of the returning friendship between the Drama King and the Bulgarian Brute warms my heart. All four men looked expectedly great, and the ending solidified Rusev Day’s storyline. As is written in the Gospel of Aiden 15:13, “No greater love hath man than this: to take a Brogue Kick for a friend.”
What Was the Worst Part of the Show?
Nate Craver
Brie vs. Maryse in the main event. You knew this wasn’t going to be a wrestling heavy segment. Even in the prime of their careers, you wouldn’t call either of these two ladies ‘ring technicians’. It just seems odd to me that WWE would be featuring two ladies who were prominent fixtures of the diva era as the main event on SmackDown Live, in the era of the ‘Women’s Evolution’. The segment wasn’t bad. You knew it was going to break down at some point, but Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz didn’t need their wives getting involved. I’m just not feeling it. This isn’t the ECW era where a man is going to spike piledrive a woman. Just give me Daniel Bryan and the Miz.
Brian Farrell
Naomi and Asuka. I’m doing a first here on the Roundtable and choosing two promos as my worst/best. This just made me die a little on the inside. Asuka misunderstanding Naomi, Naomi not understanding Asuka, it was all bad. Asuka is a great performer, and so is Naomi, but no one wants a comedy act with Asuka. I haven’t seen other people’s thoughts on this, but I hated it. There were no terrible matches on this show, so I’m going with the horrendous new booking of a once dominant woman.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnm6rcOl8Xz/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Nicholas Holicki
I’m with Brian on this one. Remember when Asuka used to kill people? She was a brutal wrecking machine, who ploughed through anyone insane enough to stand in her way. After two years of being the most dominant force on the women’s roster, someone at WWE evidently thought “I can improve on this. Have her smile a lot, call the IIconics ‘mean’ and then order take-out with Naomi. People will love it!” This… was… awful.
Sean Patrick Eckmann
Honestly, there was nothing about this week’s SmackDown that I particularly disliked. I suppose the actual match between Charlotte and Sonya Deville didn’t do too much for me – although Becky’s disguised attack at the finish was wonderfully fun. There wasn’t anything bad about this at all, it probably just stood out the least (until the post-match.)
.@SonyaDevilleWWE didn’t come to #SDLive as a “warm up” act. She came to beat the champ — you have to respect that.
And to the fan whose moment was ruined … we’ll get a selfie another time. I promise. ♥️
— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) September 12, 2018
How Would You Rate The Show Overall? (From best to worst: SmackDamn, SmackTastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, Ellsworthy and A Smack In The Face)
One couple's celebration is another couple's frustration.
This Sunday, may the BEST COUPLE WIN! #SDLive #HIAC pic.twitter.com/1Ic4gAMnp2
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 12, 2018
Nate Craver
High Smack Bang in the Middle. The show was effective in building feuds to Hell in a Cell. Shinsuke and Hardy had a decent TV match. The Bar vs. Rusev Day progressed the ‘English taking the bullet for Rusev’ story, but too many commercials during the match prevented it from being what it could have been. We saw strong promos from AJ and Joe. We also had Becky attacking Charlotte. I thought the Nakamura / Hardy match was solid, but why doesn’t Nakamura have a match at Hell in a Cell? For that matter, why doesn’t Almas have a match at Hell in a Cell? Asuka’s promo was bad. Charlotte and Sonya’s match was sloppy at times. R-Mella vs Almas and Vega was just there. If the Bar / Rusev Day match or Charlotte / Sonya had been better, then I would have given it a Smacktastic.
Brian Farrell
Smack Bang in the Middle. Definitely one of the weaker episodes of the past few weeks. I enjoyed the Charlotte match, and the Hardy vs Nakamura match, but it was nothing special. I think the tag match could have been better given the performers, nevertheless it was still entertaining. I can’t make up my mind on the main event, I don’t know what they were going for, but it left me confused to what was going on. I still enjoyed it more than Raw, and it ran rather smoothly, but for a go home show it could have been better. No matches really jumped out and grabbed me, and there was nothing major on the show. Still better than Raw though.
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Nicholas Holicki
I have a feeling we’ll be unanimous on this one. SmackDown Live ticked along nicely. There were very few wasted segments, everything built towards Hell in a Cell this weekend and I find myself – Bellas aside – really interested to see how these storylines unfold. That said, this show was little more than functional and didn’t really have anything groundbreaking on it, so it scores a Smack Bang in the Middle from me.
Sean Patrick Eckmann
SmackDown had some very good matches, and some segments that didn’t blow me away, but were just fine. I really don’t have anything all that negative to say, and the positives that there were (honestly, every match had some) were fun, even if they didn’t blow me away. SmackDown has been wonderful lately, and this week’s episode was a continuation of a good streak. Rating: Smack Bang In The Middle.
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