I have no idea whether this edition of SmackDown Live will outperform its Raw counterpart this week. After all, the blue side of the company has been on a bit of slide in recent weeks. For the most part, storylines had been stagnating as WrestleMania approached, feuds were starting to wear a little thin in places, and too often we were dipping back into the multi-man well for inspiration when deciding on the night’s card.
The Superstar Shakeup should of course deliver excitement; it has no reason not to. But the same held true for Monday’s Raw, and look where that got us. A heel Stephanie McMahon and a lonely Eric Young.
So would night two of the annual Shakeup window provide better entertainment? Would we see pulsating surprises? Could we witness the beginning of new tantalising rivalries? And what on Earth did Vince McMahon have in mind when he promised “the biggest acquisition in SmackDown history“? Surely Big Show would be a Raw exclusive, if anything.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwUoUIigNCI/
Through all these questions, only one thing was clear. At least we weren’t going to be served anything as monumentally stupid as The Viking Experience.
That automatically raised SmackDown half a point in my estimation.
So with a blank slate and plenty of optimism, we launch head-first into another instalment of SmackDown Live. Here’s the good!
The Best of SmackDown Live
It’s a Kevin Owens World
Here’s a small confession – I’ve never been as big a fan of Kevin Owens as most seem to be. I mean he’s alright, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve just never considered him to be the top-level talent that so many seem to always tell me he is. After last night’s opening segment though… perhaps I’m wrong.
SmackDown started much as it did last week: with the Kevin Owens Show. This time the guests were two-thirds of the New Day. Although, considering an injured Big E was the member absent, I suppose it was more like half of the New Day. Maybe 40%. Big E takes up a lot of room in that group.
After a few fun exchanges with a typically rowdy Montreal crowd, Kevin Owens recalled from memory (he had forgotten his notes in his dressing room) that Kofi and Xavier Woods were scheduled to take on Nakamura and Rusev later in the show. Noting that they were down a member, Owens volunteered to join the group on an honorary basis.
After passing the required hip mobility exam and swearing his love for breakfast cereals, ‘Big O’ was born. This was a terrific segment full of humour, crowd service and a decent payoff. Owens, Kofi and Woods were excellent here, and it set the tone for an amusing through line for the night.
Does BIG O have moves? Does #TheNewDay like pancakes?#SDLive #SuperstarShakeUp @XavierWoodsPhD @TrueKofi @FightOwensFight pic.twitter.com/4ksH3lfTlZ
— WWE (@WWE) April 17, 2019
To top it off, this led directly into –
Finn and his Little Blue Tights
Finally Finn Bálor has been released from the toxic environment on Raw. Like an incredibly muscular butterfly emerging from Baron Corbin’s mid-card vortex cocoon, at last the Intercontinental Champion might be given an opportunity to spread his wings on SmackDown Live.
I imagine if there had been a poll to determine whom most people wanted to see switch rosters during there Superstar Shakeup, Bálor would’ve been high up the list. Long suppressed on the red brand despite his immense talent, the Irishman should find better opportunities on the blue side of the divide.
Case in point, for his first match on Tuesday nights, Finn was lined up against Ali. If ever there was the perfect opponent to introduce Bálor to a new audience, it was this one. Both men displayed tremendous athleticism, blisteringly hard chops and innovative counters.
After a really good ten-minute contest, the Irishman managed to pick up the pin over Ali following the Coup de Grâce. And, for the first time in months, Bálor didn’t have to overcome a single chinlock to do so!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwVhGgChKxM/
Bird Raptor
Still the dumbest thing in wrestling today. Still awesome.
The Training Montages
Throughout various points in the night, Kevin Owens was put through a rigorous training regimen to ensure that he was adequately prepared for his impromptu partnership with the New Day. After all, you’d better be in peak condition if you want to fill Big E’s spot beside Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
To this end, ‘Big O’ was challenged to devour a heart-stopping amount of very dry looking pancakes in under 5 minutes, as well as tasked with performing Big E’s token rousing introduction of the group. An introduction which I now know is channeled through the “plums”. Don’t say wrestling never taught you anything.
THE POWER OF POSITIVITY COMPELS YOU, BIG O!!! 🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞#SDLive @FightOwensFight @TrueKofi @XavierWoodsPhD pic.twitter.com/7aSR5QLVFQ
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) April 17, 2019
All of this entertaining silliness culminated in a fun tag match pitting the rejigged New Day against Rusev, Nakamura and Cesara, which the New Day won curtesy of a devastating Kevin Owens Snap Mare. All of this was great.
Buddy Murphy is Lurking
One of the most exciting announcements to come out of the Superstar Shakeup was that Buddy Murphy was coming to SmackDown Live. The former long-time Cruiserweight Champion is one of the most impressive performers on the WWE roster, and his move to the blue brand can’t come soon enough.
Because as much as 205 Live has a history of producing quality bouts, there is unquestionably a cap on how far a cruiserweight can rise up the WWE ladder on that show. So Murphy’s move to the blue brand should hopefully allow him to get off the pay-per-view pre-show circuit and onto the main card.
My only concern is that Murphy didn’t actually appear on last night’s SmackDown, with the announcement of his imminent arrival instead delivered through a pre-taped promo. WWE has a troubling history of promoting new acts for months before their debut, only to then have them flounder once they eventually do. Hopefully Murphy isn’t just the latest to receive the SAnitY treatment, he’s far too talented for that.
SECRET'S OUT! Former #Cruiserweight Champion @WWE_Murphy is coming to #SDLive! #SuperstarShakeUp pic.twitter.com/dJG34U7hO0
— WWE (@WWE) April 17, 2019
“The Future of SmackDown Live. The Future of WWE.”
And no, it’s not Elias.
After some clever misdirection from Vince McMahon (which had me genuinely wondering whether he had become so out of touch with the general fanbase that he thought ‘The Drifter’ would suffice to end the show), Roman Reigns made his shocking move to SmackDown Live!
Albeit that the former Universal Champion was beginning to feel a bit overlooked on Raw, few would have predicted that the centrepiece of Monday nights would be the big name making the jump to the blue brand. And yet, here we are, in a move as brilliant as it was shocking.
New yard. Same rules..
…my rules. #BigDogOnBlue #SDLive
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) April 17, 2019
Roman has struggled to find his feet after returning from a successful battle against leukaemia, often playing second fiddle to Seth Rollins and, at times, even Dean Ambrose. But now he gets to join a show that just lost AJ Styles, gained Finn Bálor and has scope for both Intercontinental and WWE Championship rivalries. This is a great move for the ‘Big Dog’ and a WWE fanbase desperate for new feuds.
Unfortunately though, he punched Vince McMahon, which as we all know from the Becky saga, immediately triggers a 60-day suspension. It’s a shame that WWE is so rigid with its continuity and consistency. But I’m sure that Roman will start making waves once he returns in mid June.
You sure you wanna do that, @WWERomanReigns? #SDLive #SuperstarShakeUp @VinceMcMahon pic.twitter.com/EwzWbiAOqj
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) April 17, 2019
The Worst of SmackDown Live
Franken-teams of Convenience
As much as I enjoyed the opening segment, I didn’t quite understand why the New Day needed a third member to join them for their tag match against Rusev and Nakamura. Recruiting ‘Big O’ only meant that the babyfaces would be at a 3-on-2 advantage later in the night.
But then out of the blue, Cesaro offered his services to the heel team in order to even the odds. I have no idea why Cesaro would be so keen to offer his services to an already tenuous tag team, nor why the heels would ever be in a position where they’re at a numbers disadvantage. But apparently there’s a first time for everything. Also, where’s Sheamus?
Admittedly this is a minor complaint, but the order of events could have been reversed. In any event, I’m kind of sick of seeing random individuals being thrown together into a team. If SmackDown needed a ready-made three-member heel opponent they could’ve just used SAnitY! Oh, right…
A Tradition Like No Other
If you were running an office pool on how long it would take WWE to forget about the WrestleMania Battle Royals, here’s hoping you picked two weeks.
Because we know that Braun left his trophy in the MetLife Stadium. And just eight days after the ‘Show of Shows’, Carmella’s victory in the excessively hyped pre-show event was barely mentioned. I’m giving it another week until the uterus trophy disappears from ringside altogether.
With that said, ‘The Princess of Staten Island’ had a passable encounter with Charlotte before ultimately falling victim to the Figure-8. See could easily be competing for one of the women’s titles again at some point. And you know what? That wouldn’t be half bad either.
After the match ended, Lars lurked down to the ring and decimated R-Truth. Fine.
The Women’s Half-Hour Variety Act
As massively popular as Becky Lynch has been in recent months, it’s only a matter of time before her tendency to deliver the same promo every night dulls fan reaction to her. It’s almost as if the decision to temporarily unify the women’s belts has created an over-reliance on one star, thereby forming a bottle neck at the top of the card with little room to develop interesting, multi-dimensional feuds. If only someone could have seen this coming.
Becky’s short promo was however interrupted by a brand-hopping Ember Moon, who announced her stake for the women’s championship gold. She in turn was interrupted by new recruit Bayley, who essentially said the same thing (to complete silence from the crowd) but followed it up with this little gem targeted at Lynch:
“I guess it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, huh?”
You were both on Raw on Monday! Even before then, you’ve regularly been flashing four fingers at one another for months! For the love of God, what exactly are you talking about, Bayley?
Thanks Montréal ppppftttt 😏#SDLive
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) April 17, 2019
For some reason, this dynamite exchange prompted The IIconics to emerge in order to show off their two belts. Then Paige walked out to make good on last week’s promise to introduce a new team to challenge for the tag team titles, before SHE WAS ALSO INTERRUPTED. This time by Mandy Rose and the other one who’s name I constantly forget. Honestly, I was so tired of this segment by this point. Sonya Deville, that’s it.
Eventually Paige was able to finish her introduction, bringing out the team of Asuka and… Kairi Sane?
I have nothing against this particular pairing other than the obvious observation that Asuka is a top quality singles star who should still be holding the SmackDown Women’s gold, and Kairi Sane is already in an established team with Io Shirai. So why they couldn’t just debut the latter pair as a team is baffling to me. Also, announcing Sane only after the lengthy introduction of every other woman on the main roster really undermined the impact of the moment. As did conflating the singles and tag divisions into one giant mess of humanity.
You do you, @BeckyLynchWWE. #Becky2Belts #SDLive #SuperstarShakeUp pic.twitter.com/eGhU2sMzaa
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) April 17, 2019
Which is to say, all of this could have been handled infinitely better.
Oh, and in case you were wondering how this segment ended, I’d love to be able to tell you that it concluded with Asuka, Kairi, Bayley and Ember Moon clearing the ring of Mandy, Sonya and The IIconics while Becky looked on in much the same nonplussed way that I did. But that only led to a messy 8-woman tag featuring everyone except the ‘Champ Champ’, which Kari’s team won. Because who really cares, right?
Overall Rating (From best to worst: SmackDamn, SmackTastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, SmackDowner and A Smack in the Face)
That women’s segment was AWFUL! I’ll say it again, but this time with slightly less blinding rage – the women’s segment was disappointing and could’ve been handled a bit more effectively. Throwing ten women into the same angle – some chasing Becky’s titles, others posing a challenge to The IIconics – was an enormous waste of time. Worse still, it seriously diminished the excitement of seeing Kairi Sane being formally called up to the main roster. Likewise, the debuting Ember Moon and Bayley immediately feel less special.
That lengthy segment aside though, SmackDown was a pretty good show. Finn finally escaped the dire situation he was in over on Raw and immediately found himself in a mouth-watering program with Ali. Buddy Murphy is joining the blue brand. And Kevin Owens had perhaps his best ever night on SmackDown Live, complete with honorary membership into the New Day. Plus there were a whole menagerie of wrestlers moving to Tuesday nights who weren’t even mentioned on the show.
I didn’t see, or hear, or Think BIG Brother #TUCKy
I FLET IT! cuz this #OVERsizeLOAD is COMINNNNNNN’ Blue all over #SDlive ✊🏻 https://t.co/Ke1rkmiiMD
— OTIS (DOZER) (@otiswwe) April 17, 2019
Rounding off the night was some easily foreseeable trolling from Vince McMahon, as he introduced Elias as “the future of the WWE”. But even that ended on a positive note, as Roman Reigns is now a SmackDown star! This week’s show – and only because it’s so hard to overlook the women’s nonsense – was SmackTastic.
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