We have entered a new era on SmackDown Live. The post brand split era! No, hang on, that’s not right.
I’ve got it. The New Era, where the only authority lies with the people! No wait, that’s old news.
Okay, here it is. It’s the dawn of the post Superstar Shakeup generation. Nope, I actually don’t think that’s ended yet.
Oh, that’s right. Today is the time of the “Wild Card Rule”, an era ushered in by Vince McMahon on Monday night. He’s a genius, you know.
Readers of Raw’s review will know that I am no fan of this Wild Card sham, designed in essence to allow three (or four, or occasionally six) wrestlers to arbitrarily make the jump from one brand to another whenever the impulse strikes. It was a blatant panic move, born from a moment of desperation and designed to lure in as many fans as possible in light of flailing ratings.
I didn’t appreciate the ‘kind of, but not quite’ end to the brand split. It seemed not only slightly premature, but also done in such a halfhearted, non-committal fashion. Beyond that, given the motivation behind it, the Wild Card Rule is simply a vehicle to get the biggest names to appear on both Raw and SmackDown Live each week. An idea that sounds great on paper, but should perhaps trigger some latent concerns. We’ve seen what happens when marginal acts get overexposed each week. Do you really want to see Roman Reigns twice a week for five hours? AJ Styles? Braun Strowman? There’s only so much milage to be drawn from those characters before they become tiresome and stale.
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In fairness though, early signs are that it appears to have worked. So perhaps WWE can still salvage this idea from the growing stockpile of trash that’s come out of the writers’ room in recent months. If anyone can do it, it’s Vince McMahon. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but he is a genius.
Thankfully, SmackDown Live did a much better job of handling this brand hopping than its red relative did. So, on that note, let’s get to the best the blue brand had to offer.
The Best of SmackDown Live
A Wild Card Done Better
The night kicked off with AJ Styles, who made it clear that he would be the first to take advantage of the newly minted Wild Card Rule. Because, although he was drafted to Raw just three short weeks ago, SmackDown Live remains the municipality that AJ Styles redistricted! Wait, that doesn’t sound right at all.
OF COURSE, @AJStylesOrg would be the first to take advantage of the WILD CARD rule!
It's his 🏠 after all. #SDLive pic.twitter.com/tOtZSH74Rj
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 8, 2019
Either way, the former WWE Champion was in the ring looking for a fight. And he wasn’t made to wait long before someone obliged. Two people picked up the gauntlet in fact. Sami Zayn, another Wild Carder (that’s what I’m calling them now), came out to pick at what he termed Styles’ arrogance. But before those two could get into the routine fisticuffs, Kofi Kingston emerged to explain to Styles that times have changed. Kofi now sits atop the SmackDown throne, and if AJ was looking for a fight, Kingston would be happy to take him on.
And just like that, SmackDown’s main event was set. It would be Kofi vs Styles vs Zayn later in the night, with the WWE Championship on the line. Another high profile match to attract those casual viewers.
Ali’s Light Being Extinguished
I’ve grown to really appreciate Ali. His high-flying in-ring style is electric and – in more ways than one – so are his promos as it turns out. Because last night, he spoke about a light… while standing in front of a light… and occasionally pointing at said light. It was much better than it sounds.
"As long as you see the light, you must fight." Words to live by by @AliWWE. #SDLive 💡💡💡 pic.twitter.com/rXSITF2PcX
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 8, 2019
Ali spoke of the light at the end of the tunnel. The ultimate prize. His redemption hanging above the ring at Money in the Bank, following the cruel twist of fate that robbed him of his opportunity to claim the WWE Title earlier in the year.
This was an excellent promo which led into a fun match against Andrade. We weren’t given much however, as Randy Orton soon showed up to deliver brutal looking RKOs to both competitors.
This was terrific all around. You know what they say: the only thing better than one RKO is two. Especially when they come out of nowhere.
We Got Us Some Bipolar Usos!
The third and fourth beneficiaries of Vince’s Wild Card exemption were none other than the Usos, who interrupted Shane McMahon’s attempt to coronate Daniel Bryan and Rowan as the new Tag Team Champions. These titles had, of course, been vacated following Jeff Hardy’s unfortunate injury.
The most notable aspect here though is that these weren’t Raw’s Usos. Oh no, my son. Gone were the two goofs who like to sneak around backstage like cartoon detectives. Forgotten were the silly skits about shaving backs and itchy privates. These Usos were the act we had become accustomed to across years on the blue brand. They were the cool, swaggering, fast-talking former SmackDown tag champs we’d come to know and love.
Also they called Bryan and Rowan “Spongebob and Patrick”, “Ren and Stimpy” and “Beavis and Butthead”. You might think I was too old to find those references funny… but you’d be wrong.
Regardless, they challenged Bryan and Rowan to a match to decide the new SmackDown tag team champions. And that’s precisely what we got.
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The match had everything. Dives, Splashes, about fifteen superkicks. Eventually though, Rowan caught Jey Uso with the Iron Claw to claim the pin. And, just like that, who would’ve guessed it: Bryan and Rowan are the new Tag Team Champions. I’m always excited to see Bryan with some gold, and can’t wait to see where this goes next. They crossed paths with Heavy Machinery backstage later on, but I’m more intrigued by the prospect that the Wild Card provision brings. Imagine seeing the best tag teams in WWE work one another each week. I could get behind seeing these guys take on The Revival next Monday.
Shane McMahon’s Mid-Card of Awesome
Things have been a bit hit or miss with Shane O’Mac in recent weeks. I’ve fluctuated wildly between enjoying his heel shtick and absolutely despising him on a personal level.
But this week I’m glad to say that the boss’ son was back in top form. He was delightfully derisive of the Kentucky crowd, smoothly invoking every heel cliché in the book, from apologising for speaking too fast for the simpletons in attendance to looking to leave the grimy town as quickly as possible.
Eventually The Miz blindsided Shane and beat him up the ramp, only for his former protégés (and current McMahon goobers) The B-Team to come to Shane’s rescue. McMahon left Miz laying – another effective segment leading up to their cage match at Money in the Bank in the books.
Now a steel chair, at #MITB it becomes a steel CAGE.#SDLive @ShaneMcMahon @mikethemiz pic.twitter.com/LbCfs0gRR3
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 8, 2019
The Women’s Division Is Back!
Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville defeated the long-standing team of Ember Moon & Carmella. In an ideal world I might’ve preferred to see Ember get the win, but the women outside of the main event picture are so closely stacked that occasional victories are largely meaningless.
More compelling was the post-match development though. Paige led out her tandem of Asuka and Kairi Sane to announce that their crusade through WWE’s tag division would start with Rose and Deville next week.
My first thought was: “huh, so this Paige managerial role is still a thing then?” My second thought though was that this could be an interesting match. One that Asuka and Sane should surely win, if only for my own sanity.
Triple the Threat, Triple the Reward
The main event of the evening, as had been foreshadowed to kick off the show, was Kofi Kingston vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn in a triple threat for the WWE Championship.
I’ve been lamenting that Sami hasn’t appeared in a match since his return from double shoulder surgery several weeks ago. And last night demonstrated exactly why many of us were so eager to see him back.
These three men put on an incredible match with breathtaking combos, including Kofi delivering an SOS to Styles, who in turn hit Sami with a reverse DDT. Between the big moves, we saw strikes, Pele kicks and bodies strewn across the ring. Even Xavier Woods’ trombone sounded better than usual.
Just as things seemed to be swinging in Kofi’s favour however, that treacherous Kevin Owens – who earlier in the night claimed to be out celebrating his birthday – emerged to attack Woods. This momentary distraction allowed Owens’ former BFF Zayn to capitalise, hitting the WWE Champion with three Blue Thunder Bombs. Kofi however kicked out of all of them, delivered the Trouble in Paradise to retain his title and then vowed to exact revenge on Owens.
This was another excellent match for Kofi, further solidifying him as the top dog on SmackDown. What a way to end the night.
Coincidentally, it was indeed Kevin Owens’ birthday yesterday. The fact that I even had to look that up proves just how untrustworthy he is. What a dastardly heel.
The Worst of SmackDown Live
The Roman Empire
WWE have returned to form as far as Roman Reigns is concerned. And by that I mean that they’re pushing him to the moon.
On Monday, he was positioned as the centrepiece of the Wild Card changeover, feuding with both McMahons, Elias and Drew McIntyre simultaneously. Last night, SmackDown produced a lengthy, deeply moving video tribute showcasing the past seven years of his career, his heartbreaking leukaemia diagnosis, and his triumphant return to the ring.
As much as I like Roman (and I do) and as inspiring as his journey has been (and it is), this is treacherous ground for WWE to be treading. There’s a real danger of continuously and relentlessly shoving Reigns into the limelight without a compelling reason for him to be there. That danger is called “everything that happened between 2015 and 2018”.
For what it’s worth, I sincerely hope I’m wrong about this.
No Buddy Murphy
Day 21 since Buddy Murphy was drafted to SmackDown Live. There’s still no sign of him. Supplies are dwindling and hope is low.
This is really nitpicking as Murphy not being on the show didn’t actively damage the product. But the reservations I felt about Murphy’s call-up are growing and so I’ll keep banging this drum until the Australian shows up. And much like Shane’s appearance on Raw on Monday, meaningless promos during commercial breaks don’t count.
Aleister Very Dark
I absolutely despise the direction SmackDown is taking with Aleister Black. On NXT, he was the incredible wrestler who spoke sparingly. It was part of his mystique, his aura. So, naturally, on the main roster he needs to become the guy who never wrestles and only speaks. Endlessly.
Much like in past weeks, Black spent two long minutes last night rambling incomprehensibly about “the sins of the fathers demanding his absolution from the cold embrace of his soul’s chains” or some other utter gibberish. This was another example of the nonsensical, meandering rubbish they’ve given Black. He could be great in the ring… instead he’s just Mojo Rawley with a Dutch accent.
"I must ask for forgiveness… for my own sins, sins that I will seek absolution from in the form of VICTORY… I shall take from YOU!" – @WWEAleister #SDLive pic.twitter.com/JWV6PmjQ8f
— WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2019
Again – What ARE the Rules?
Originally the Wild Card Rule was only designed to allow three members from either roster to jump across to the other. That then became four when Lars Sullivan grunted and flexed all over Vince’s office.
But then six members of the SmackDown Live crew appeared on Raw on Monday. And last night, five Raw stars (AJ, Zayn, The Usos and Miz) returned the favour. So, could someone please explain how this is meant to work? Because I seem to remember Vince explicitly threatening to fine or fire anyone who exceeds the prescribed quota.
Overall Rating of the Show (From best to worst: SmackDamn, SmackTastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, SmackDowner and A Smack in the Face)
This episode of SmackDown Live simply flew by, with very little to criticise. I loved almost all of the varying promos: Ali on the street, Bálor amongst the Irish countryside, The Usos on the ramp and Kofi in the ring.
Supporting the strong out-of-competition product was everything that happened between the ropes too. Randy Orton had an excellent exchange with Ali and Andrade, setting up some potential future clashes. The Usos pairing with Bryan and Rowan produced a truly phenomenal, exciting tag bout as well, filled with high-flying and near falls. And that’s not even mentioning Kofi, AJ and Zayn rounding out the night. The triple threat to close the show was brilliant.
Dance like no one's watching… and you're judging everyone. ❤️ #SDLive @SamiZayn pic.twitter.com/unbqzCnave
— WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2019
I could draw little issues with the poor presentation of Aleister Black and the continued absence of Buddy Murphy. But none of those shortcomings seem particularly pertinent in the larger scheme of things. One only hopes that their misuse won’t drag on much longer.
That aside though, this was an outstanding episode of SmackDown Live that kept me riveted throughout, adding matches for next week’s show as well as building towards Money in the Bank. Given all of that, it’s easy to classify this edition of SmackDown Live as a high SmackTastic!
Vince McMahon is a genius.
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