At the conclusion of No Mercy, we have mixed feelings. Sure, the Dolph Ziggler-Miz match was off the charts, and so was the title match which started the show, but there were plenty of underwhelming moments as well.
Through their booking, WWE buried some of their more promising superstars, who lost their momentum and have to start from scratch to be taken seriously again. This includes wrestlers right from the top of the card to the absolute undercard.
Considering how few wrestlers are ‘over’ in the current Smackdown roster, it is a tragedy that this is the case. Once someone’s legitimacy is killed for good, it is an uphill climb to be taken seriously again. The Miz did it successfully, as did Dolph Ziggler and Heath Slater.
But others like Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus and Cesaro haven’t been able to recover from terrible booking decisions by the company. Anyway, let’s look at who got buried at No Mercy by WWE.
#5 The Vaudevillains
Imagine making a huge debut the night after Wrestlemania, and thinking that your future is laid out in front of you. Only to realise afterwards, that the company does not really believe in you, except as jobbers.
Not only were Simon Gotch and Aiden English relegated to the ‘Pre-Show’ for No Mercy, they were forced to team up with Konnor and Viktor from The Ascension, who have already been buried on the main roster, long, long ago.
Of course, they would then lose to American Alpha and The Hype Bros, in yet another match that meant absolutely nothing. A team with an interesting gimmick, who could be top heels in a depleted roster, have been buried!
#4 Carmella
Carmella was one of the talented ladies from NXT who was brought up after the draft. Even on Smackdown Live, she has been going after the girl who runs the place- Nikki Bella, consistently attacking her from behind.
This was much-needed character development, especially after her split from Enzo and Big Cass, where she was a part of the talented awesome threesome. However, in her first showing in a singles match on PPV, Carmella would lose to Nikki, who honestly didn’t need a win. What happens to Carmella’s momentum is pure guesswork now!
#3 Jack Swagger
Sometimes they just build up a superstar to feed them to the lions. Because Baron Corbin has to be built as the next big thing, Jack Swagger was drafted to Smackdown Live, to just make him look strong. When he came in with a new look and attitude, we presumed this was to give him a renewed push.
But lo and behold, Jack Swagger, as always, lost on the big stage. Swagger is nothing but glorified enhancement talent now, and it’s a shame that we won’t take him seriously again.
#2 Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss was surprisingly booked as the Number 1 contender, heading into No Mercy. We all expected, and still expect a long title reign for Becky Lynch as it has been way overdue. But surprisingly, Bliss impressed us every single time, whether in the ring or on the microphone, because she’s packed with 5 feet of sheer talent.
So the Becky Lynch-Alexa Bliss match was one we were excited about. Sadly, Becky had to pull out of the event because of an injury. When we saw Naomi come down the ramp, we presumed this would be a great way to have Bliss go into her rematch with some momentum (by picking up a win).
And like WWE always does, it disappointed us again, by having Naomi pick up the pin this time round. Shocking really! Way to kill off legitimacy before a big match.
#1 Dean Ambrose
WWE fans had wanted Dean Ambrose as the champion for the longest time. But when he finally became champion, they turned on him, because he was rather underwhelming. It was great to see him in the title picture at No Mercy, but because of his loss, we have no idea what he will do now.
We can’t fault the company for not letting Ambrose win because we can’t see the fans accepting him once again. However, this begs the question...will Ambrose be relegated to the mid card again where he feuds for meaningless items such as Jericho’s jacket?
From one of the most important members of the Shield, Ambrose’s career has no become a joke. Let’s hope the Lunatic Fringe makes a strong comeback, in coming weeks.
For latest WWE News, spoilers and rumours visit our Sportskeeda WWE section.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
