It finally happened. The match we’ve all been impatiently waiting for SmackDown Live to deliver since last November. After three months of solid feud, the blood rivalry has finally come to a head. The new mega powers collide.
Yip, Naomi and Mandy Rose finally faced one another in the ring. One can only imagine the brutality! Literally, you’d have to imagine it, because as soon as the bell rang, the broadcast cut to five straight minutes of commercials for Temptation Island. (Those singles sure are sexy though, man I hope the couples hold strong.)
Once we eventually did return to the match, all we got to see was the end sequence, which saw Mandy Rose pick up the win over Naomi after some Sonya Deville shenanigans. So I guess that means… Mandy gets to take Jimmy Uso home with her now? That’s what this feud was about, right?
That’s right baby! To the top #WomensTagTeamchamps https://t.co/6CRdRslB1X
— Daria/Sonya Deville (@SonyaDevilleWWE) January 23, 2019
Regardless, in the absence of being able to speak about that surefire barnburner, we’ll instead delve briefly into the question of why Vince McMahon has returned to such a prominent role on TV.
In the two decades since the WWE Chairman played the role of chief antagonist to – and one half of the greatest feud in wrestling history with – ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Vince’s presence on WWE’s weekly programming has gradually diminished. Then, suddenly, shortly before the New Year it was announced that the reign of General Managers was over and that the McMahons would be taking over the day-to-day operations of both Raw and SmackDown Live.
Since that change was implemented however, Stephanie and Triple H have been harder to find than Brock Lesnar and Shane is on a pilgrimage of self-delusion, leaving the family patriarch to essentially assume the customary authority role on both main roster shows. (Still no word on where Linda fits into all of this. I’m holding thumbs that she crops up as the Commissioner of NXT South America.)
The question then becomes, why? As in, why after all these years is Vince suddenly so heavily involved in the weekly product? Sure, the occasional advertised appearance by the gravel-voiced Chairman remains a surefire way to drive ratings, which is particularly important with SmackDown’s imminent move to Fox. But in recent weeks he’s become an all too regular fixture on TV, and it’s not entirely clear what his role is.
In one of his first appearances, his jaw was on the receiving end of AJ Styles’ fist, which as we all know acted as the catalyst for AJ to become… exactly the same character he’s always been? Maybe? On Monday night’s Raw, he needlessly belittled Finn Bálor ahead of his championship match against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. And on SmackDown last night, Vince took on the role of glorified in-ring interviewer, mediating a really tense exchange between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan. He then shuffled around like an overly muscular deer in the headlights during the ensuing brawl.
Why? Why is he on TV every week, when his role could easily be filled by a standard GM or backstage interviewer? It lessens the special feeling surrounding Vince’s rare appearances, and only serves highlight how time eventually breaks down even the largest of characters. Of course, Vince remains an attraction, and he can still deliver the antagonistic promos he built his gimmick on. But he’s no longer the preeminent figure he once was, and becomes lesser with each passing week.
This was my only reservation in another excellent week of SmackDown programming, capped of by a phenomenal two-out-of-three falls match between Rey Mysterio and Andrade ‘Cie… nope, he’s just Andrade now. Still getting used to that.
With no shortage of talking points coming out of last night’s broadcast then, let our WrestleTalk writers take you through the best and worst the blue brand had to offer. So without further ado, let’s roll on with the good.
What was your favourite moment from SmackDown Live?
Dylan Kapisky
“Look into my eyes”. Dear WWE, give us more of this please! On a show that featured Andrade vs. Mysterio, Becky Lynch being awesome, and Samoa Joe vs. Mustafa Ali, it was the latter’s promo that stood out most to me.
Set on a snowy sidewalk, Ali recalled his time as a police officer. He said that in that time he learned that “eyes never lie”, and that Joe’s eyes told him that Joe believed Mustafa did not belong in the ring with him. The Chicago native then set out to prove he does not fear Joe, and will prove that he belongs on SmackDown Live.
My words can’t do it justice, but that promo was absolutely excellent. It was unique, refreshing, and felt real.
Nate Craver
Samoa Joe and Mustafi Ali was the best thing about SmackDown for me. Ali’s promo was great. It felt different and fresh from the setting to the way Ali delivered it. However, it was wrestling promo 101. Ali got his opponent over, but also got himself over. Simple and effective.
Their match was great too. Wrestling does not have to be complicated. If a match is not a squash match, then the purpose is to make both guys look good. This one did. Joe looked like the dominant, dangerous man he is intended to be. Ali personified the scrappy underdog. He looked good in defeat. This was straightforward storytelling and good action in the ring.
Steven Lugo
Andrade vs Mysterio. You can take his last name, but you’ll never take Andrade’s wrestling ability. ‘The Greatest Mask of All Time’ Mysterio helped make this match magic, too, even with the screwy finish. Said finish factors into my worst part of SmackDown Live a little later.
As far as this feud goes, I hope Rey and Andrade get to build to a big PPV match. Throwing two great wrestlers into the ring together week after week is fine, but imagine what they could do with a legit program, and something on the line.
Kyle Payne
The two best moments from SmackDown Live came down to the opening and ending segments of the show. We started off with Becky Lynch cutting a promo, Charlotte Flair trying to steal her spotlight, and Asuka brawling with Becky. It’s amazing just how over Lynch is, the audience chanted her name in a resonating, deafening yell that had ‘The Man’ smiling.
The brawl between Lynch and Asuka was fantastic, each one of them looked strong until, ultimately, Becky stood tall. When we came back from commercial, they were once again engulfed in a brawl backstage and it was awesome. These women are two killers who more than likely will steal the show at the Rumble and all of this helped to build more hype and anticipation for their clash.
The ending segment of the show was a two-out-of-three falls match between Andrade and Rey Mysterio. Every time the two of them wrestle they create magic and tonight they stole the show. It’s amazing and impressive how good Rey still is and how willing he is to put his body on the line for everyone watching. Andrade is equally amazing and impressive with his athleticism and agility, as well as his strength and selling. The two of them put on a classic and the ending leads me to believe that we’ll see them go at again, hopefully on a grander scale.
https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1087896290950893568
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
Dylan Kapisky
I thought this was the payoff? After weeks of build, we finally saw Naomi take on Mandy Rose, and it was… fine. There was nothing wrong with this match, and it was booked correctly – feeling more like a fight than a wrestling match – but something didn’t click for me. Perhaps it was the finish.
Despite the lengthy build and only one satisfying ending, Mandy Rose scored the pinfall via nefarious means, likely extending the feud. That would have been good, but this doesn’t need to be extended. The story already peaked, and the only thing left to do was give the babyface a win. There was nothing overly wrong with the action, but the decision to give Mandy the win hurt this feud.
Nate Craver
Naomi vs. Mandy Rose was bad. I’ve seen worse wrestling matches, but unlike Joe and Ali, this was neither simple nor effective.
You’ve had the weird marriage storyline. Sonya not wanting Rose to be a heel. This was the chance for Naomi to get her hands on Mandy. It felt more like a traditional women’s match with nothing at stake. The in-ring action didn’t line up to the out of ring story. I don’t believe they portrayed the hatred their mouths have been spewing for the last few weeks. Couple that with the interference and lacklustre finish, and for me this was the worst thing on SmackDown.
Steven Lugo
Randy Orton is the last face I see. Damn, Randy. I’m not sure there’s a person on the WWE roster right now who could make me groan more than good ol’ Randy Orton. He has a way of making the ‘New Era’ boring (even when the ‘New Era’ was when SmackDown first went live).
In any event, he has won the Royal Rumble twice already, and is looking for that third win. He inserted himself into the post-match drama following the Andrade / Mysterio match (which I assume was ruled a no-contest) and gave Samoa Joe the RKO. This was a ‘same ole’ WWE’ moment for me, which also managed to diminish a great heel in Joe. Not the image I want to be left with on the go-home show for the Rumble.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs9iB0Ml_tS/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Kyle Payne
The worst part of the show came down to only one thing: “The New” AJ Styles. Not Styles in particular but rather that the commentators referred to him as being “new”. I didn’t care for this at all.
‘The New’ Daniel Bryan made sense because he’s a heel and he knows that would annoy people but, because he’s a bad guy, it hasn’t really bothered us. Maybe that’s to do with his drastic character change, but now that they are doing it to Styles too, it’s tacky. I don’t like it and I hope it’s short lived.
I’m good with both the CURRENT version of AJ Styles & The NEW Daniel Bryan. #SDLive
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) January 23, 2019
How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: SmackDamn, SmackTastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, SmackDowner and A Smack in the Face)
Dylan Kapisky
SmackDAMN! This was an excellent show! It started hot with Asuka and Becky Lynch brawling and hardly let up. The show had a perfect balance of action and promos; wrestling and fighting; TV excitement and pay-per-view build. Nothing on this show was bad.
Nate Craver
This SmackDown comes in at Smack Bang in the Middle for me. It’s the go-home show for the Rumble and I expected more. Asuka and Becky had a decent angle. Joe and Ali was good. Rey and Andrade was good, but wasn’t as good as last week in my view. Too much of a good thing, maybe?
AJ and Daniel Bryan’s encounter didn’t seem to step it up a notch from previous weeks either. The Bar looked mean and nasty, finally. However, after seeing them look like idiots week after week, they have stalled as champs.
Based on the way SmackDown has been presented over the last few weeks, I don’t feel like anyone on the men’s roster has been staking their claim to win the Rumble. I’m excited for it, but this show didn’t amp up my excitement any more than previous weeks. It was just missing that little something to turn up the heat heading into Sunday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs9dz20FVaO/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Steven Lugo
Smack Bang in the Middle. After two great SmackDown shows in a row, this installment just wasn’t it. There was plenty I liked. For example, Becky and Asuka, and the fresh promo they aired involving Mustafa Ali was cool, and we had the main event.
But too much dragged this down. A poor finish to the Mandy Rose / Naomi match didn’t help, nor did Shane McMahon’s general presence. That Orton thing at the end was the perfect way to take the wind out of my sails. See you at the Rumble!
https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1087903492147216386
Kyle Payne
A SmackTastic show for sure. The show had it all: hot angles, great promos, and good wrestling. Daniel Bryan, Becky Lynch and Mustafa Ali cut great promos – especially Ali with his well produced video package. They have succeeded in getting me excited for all the SmackDown matches at the Royal Rumble.
Daniel Bryan is so, so good. It’s great how committed he is to his new character and every week I can’t wait to see what he does or says next. The same goes for Lynch. She just comes across as a badass rockstar and everyone is behind her. Andrade and Mysterio had a great match and Mustafa Ali versus Samoa Joe was excellent as well. Wrestling is great man, at least on SmackDown.
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