SmackDown Live came to us from the beautiful, progressive city of Tulsa, Oklahoma last night!
Sorry, I’ve just gotten a bit wrapped up in the 42 pay-per-view events that WWE is promoting at the moment. Thankfully, between Evolution, Super Show-Down and now Crown Jewel, the company still managed to find the time to cram a couple of hours of the blue show into its weekly schedule.
This, of course, was the post Hell in a Cell edition of Smackdown Live and the groundwork had been laid for some intriguing new angles. Anticipation was high for the potential new directions we could be headed in, and the main question was what the show had in store for –
https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1041769078627680256
NOT NOW, PA – oh wait, actually that’s exactly what I was looking for.
A tantalising (and different) matchup between Nakamura and Rusev for the United States Championship was just one of the noteworthy bouts on the card. Before the night was over, we would also be promised a rematch of the contest that put Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas on the main roster map, as he took on the WWE Champion, AJ Styles.
In addition, we got the next chapter in the Bryan / Miz feud (which may or may not outlive us all), the gut-wrenching breakup of Rusev Day… and Becky. Just so much of the glorious, sublime, phenomenal Becky. I wrote about her in yesterday’s Roundtable and, to be honest, I’m still not entirely convinced that her walking out of Hell in a Cell as the new Smackdown Women’s Champion wasn’t just a caffeine-induced fever dream. But that title says “udderwise”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn48sH2nFn0/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
With so much on the card, there were sure to be several points of contention. As usual, we’ve canvassed the views of some of WrestleTalk‘s premier writers – and me – to find out what was good, what was bad and how the show fared overall.
These were our thoughts.
What was the best SmackDown moment?
Brian Farrell
AJ Styles vs Andrade Almas. A truly good match that put over Styles as a valiant babyface without damaging Almas’ legitimacy. Love the working of Almas’ knee and the ending sequence. I also loved Samoa Joe yelling at AJ that “he knows the truth” after blindsiding him following the match. Despite two other good SmackDown matches (Kingston vs Cesaro and Rusev vs Nakamura), this one took the cake.
Ashley D’Altilio
The Rusev Day segment was the most entertaining for me. Aiden English’s heel turn was done as expected, and they did a great job with it. I imagine this will ultimately lead to a completely dragged-out feud with 50/50 booking, but for tonight, this made for a great segment.
Nate Craver
I’m going to have to go with AJ vs. Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. Commercial breaks aside, this was an entertaining match. Almas with a great foot stomp to the outside. A fantastic double moonsault into the knees spot. AJ with a clever twist into setting up the Styles Clash. It had just enough to say it was a good TV match, but still left you wanting to see a proper feud down the line.
Nicholas Holicki
The obvious (and perhaps correct) answer is the face-off between Becky and Charlotte that ended last night’s show. But I’m going with the Styles / AJ match for one simple reason. This was a good, hard-hitting wrestling match. Too often WWE relies on gimmicks, poorly-scripted drama and illogical swerves to entertain its fans. AJ and Andrade demonstrated that there’s still a place in the company for two athletic performers who just want to beat the hell out of one another. I can get behind that.
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
Brian Farrell
Daniel Bryan apologized for hurting someone. This started out well enough with a good promo. Miz got some nice heat and it seemed destined to end in a fun brawl. That was until Maryse was backed into a corner and flopped like a referee. This made Daniel look weak, as he was sorry for kicking his enemy into another one of his enemies. Maryse took way too long on the ground and I was just not a fan of this entire segment. It did nothing for either star.
Ashley D’Altilio
Billie Kay vs. Asuka. Poor, poor Asuka. She deserves so much better than this. I assume next week we’ll be seeing Naomi vs. Peyton Royce. It’s constant 50/50 booking in the women’s midcard and it’s getting old. For someone with such an amazing record in the WWE, Asuka should have squashed Billie Kay, one of the worst women’s wrestlers, in this match. But she didn’t. That is a serious booking mistake.
#TheIIconics @PeytonRoyceWWE & @BillieKayWWE return home to Australia to battle @WWEAsuka & @NaomiWWE at #WWESSD on Saturday, October 6! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/cHCUrIvofS
— WWE (@WWE) September 19, 2018
Nate Craver
Billie Kay with Peyton Royce vs. Asuka with Naomi. When the IIconics pre-match dancing was the best part of segment, do I really need to say more? The shrieking during the match was unbearable. I agree with Luke Owen about WWE’s booking of Asuka at this point.
Nicholas Holicki
I can’t believe we’ve reached these depths, but I just don’t care about the Miz / Bryan feud anymore. Surely Miz would be perfectly entitled to claim that he’s already earned the right to be the number one contender, considering he’s defeated Bryan twice on the trot? Then we could take a well-deserved break from this story for a while. Instead, we’re barrelling towards the pair’s third encounter in a month and a half at Super Show-down. (Also Bryan incorrectly used the term “mano a mano” to indicate that it would just be the two men facing off this time. It’s a minor misunderstanding, but the fact that it irritated me should tell you how tired I am of this feud.)
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)
Brian Farrell
High Smack Bang in the Middle. Three good matches were on this show, but nothing jaw-dropping. I enjoyed Becky and Charlotte’s segment, but it was nothing spectacular. I think it is a good idea to have a heel Aiden, and Randy watching himself was interesting, but nothing knocked my socks off. Another good episode of SmackDown Live, but the Miz and Bryan segment and Asuka vs Kay dragged this down to a 3.5/5 for me. Still an enjoyable show nevertheless.
Ashley D’Altilio
A high Smack Bang in the Middle. There were good matches tonight, and even the backstage promos were interesting. I’m surprised Randy Orton didn’t try to make the production guy shake his hand while he was at it. AJ Styles had a fantastic match with Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas, although the concept of a title match with him at that point made no sense in the scheme of things. Becky Lynch is a savage as a heel and I love it. Overall, tonight’s episode kept my attention, and every segment had depth to it (minus Asuka vs. Billie Kay).
Nate Craver
I’m giving this one a SmackTastic. Three good matches with Rusev / Nakumura, AJ / Almas, and Cesaro / Kofi. Becky was great. Orton was creepy. I didn’t want a Rusev Day breakup, but English’s beat down was aggressive and promising. Joe attacking Styles after the match was simple but effective storytelling. However, I’m still looking at Asuka and Daniel Bryan and I’m left thinking “really? Really, WWE?” Those two deserve better.
"I don't want you to shake my hand or put the title around my waist, I just want you to call me QUEEN!" – @BeckyLynchWWE #SDLive @MsCharlotteWWE pic.twitter.com/PLQxly7kt0
— WWE (@WWE) September 19, 2018
Nicholas Holicki
It took a while for last night’s Smackdown to get rolling. Miz and Bryan’s scuffle feels like it’s overstayed its welcome and the disintegration of Rusev Day lacked any punch. But once we rounded the midpoint, things started to pick up. AJ and Almas put on a really solid TV bout and Becky’s confrontation with Charlotte was excellent. For those reasons, the show gets a Smack Bang in the Middle from me.
Comments.
Loading comments…