With WWE No Mercy just around the corner on October 9th, Smackdown Live focused on further developing feuds that will culminate at the PPV. The Miz and Dolph Ziggler clashed in a war of words, which led to a huge announcement, and one of the best segments of WWE TV all year.
AJ Styles put his WWE World Title on the line against Dean Ambrose in the main event, with John Cena on ringside commentary, as all three men prepare for their triple threat bout at No Mercy.
Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt both played mind games in a number of backstage scenes. These segments and more were the focus as the build towards No Mercy continues, with Smackdown Live exceeding Raw in quality once again.
Why? Let’s find out, as I analyse and grade each segment for the 27th September edition of Smackdown Live.
1- Randy Orton Promo and Bray Wyatt Backstage Segments
Grade: 7/10 for both
This was a relatively short promo that was used only to introduce the idea of Orton searching for Wyatt throughout the show. Wyatt continues to use the same material, stating he is a ‘god’, despite not picking up many victories. A match involving one of the two men could have been more useful to open the show, but this at least set the tone for a number of backstage segments that would occur.
Orton is still incredibly over, receiving a huge pop from the Cleveland crowd despite the lack of matches as of late. Overall, a short, decent segment that distinguished the theme for the Orton-Wyatt backstage scenes that would follow.
The backstage segments throughout the show emphasised the Predator or Prey paradox of the Orton-Wyatt rivalry, with Orton searching for Bray backstage. The ‘mind games’ from both men were strongly emphasised, although the lack of physicality in this feud has left it without a strong story.
If Wyatt had been attacking Orton for weeks, this search by Randy would have seemed bolder. The commentators attempted to put over Wyatt’s dangerous nature, but bad booking has seen his credibility suffer. A win over Orton at No Mercy would help re-establish Wyatt as a viable character.
2- Eight Man Tag Team Match (American Alpha, Heath Slater and Rhyno vs The Usos and The Ascension)
Grade: 7/10
This was a fun eight-man tag bout which saw The Usos thrive with their new attitudes, making Tag Team Champion Slater tap out by targeting the knee. The Ascension remain irrelevant and did little to help Jimmy and Jey pick up the victory. Heath Slater and Rhyno are still extremely over with the fans, despite the focus as of late being on American Alpha.
Chants for Rhyno and Heath were evident throughout the match, and Slater received a huge pop upon entering the fray. Although the Usos may win the titles at No Mercy, it is still fun to see Slater and Rhyno soaking up the spotlight as champions.
The Usos were the main focus here, however, and they picked up some extra momentum heading into No Mercy on October 9th. Overall, a fun match that allowed Jimmy and Jey to gain some substantial momentum, while American Alpha and Slater and Rhyno still remain strong.
3- Nikki Bella and Naomi vs Carmella and Natalya
Grade: 6.5/10
This was a relatively good bout, although anything would’ve beaten last week’s two-minute waste of a segment. Carmella and Nikki Bella’s animosity continued here, with the Princess of Staten Island managing to gain the upper hand over Bella once again. Carmella continuing to pin the longest reigning Divas Champion has skyrocketed her credibility, and she is arguably the top heel of the division alongside Alexa Bliss.
Although this was a quick match that wasn’t anything special from an in-ring standpoint, the continuation of the Nikki-Carmella feud was the main focus, so the match quality wasn’t as important as the storytelling anyway. Overall, a good way to increase the animosity between Bella and Carmella, as this feud continues to heat up due to Nikki being unable to gain the upper hand.
4- The Miz’s Homecoming Celebration, Interrupted by Dolph Ziggler
Grade: 9.5/10
This was an incredible segment. Miz’s heel work continues to shine, as arguably the best stint of his career continues. The video package dedicated to the “homecoming hero’’ was splendid, as the WWE production team never fails to produce wonderful video packages for superstars and matches alike.
Dolph Ziggler’s continued run of failures was finally taken advantage of, as Ziggler is willing to put his career on the line to try and win one last title match against the Miz. The passion and fire displayed by Ziggler in his speech was simply amazing, and the emotion was evident in his eyes as he was on the brink of tears, reflecting on the career he wished he had.
The Miz was excellent in his antics, taunting Ziggler for his failures and berating his parents who were sitting at ringside for producing a “world-class loser”. Overall, one of the best promo segments of the year, as both men cut blistering promos, playing their characters so well that by the end of the segment, I was extremely invested in Ziggler.
Their match at No Mercy with the stipulation of Career vs Title will certainly steal the show, as the stakes couldn’t be higher in what is sure to be a match of the year contender.
5- Alexa Bliss Attacks Becky Lynch from Behind
Grade: 8/10
This was a short, but extremely effective segment for the Women’s title picture. After a promo segment last week, an attack from Bliss was all that was necessary to give her more heat to grow the sympathy for the babyface Lynch.
Rather than spending too much time on animosity that had been brewed last week, a quick brutal attack from the heel was efficient and well done. Right now, Bliss is the top heel in the women’s division, and with more segments like this to highlight her viciousness, she may be Smackdown Women’s Champion sooner rather than later.
6- Dean Ambrose vs AJ Styles (WWE World Championship), with John Cena on Ringside Commentary
Grade: 8.5/10
This was another excellent encounter between these two, and the decision to have Cena on commentary was smart. He put over both competitors willingly, describing Styles’ incredible technical prowess and Ambrose’s never say die mindset. Despite being involved in the finish, Cena was a great asset to the commentary team, putting over both wrestlers much more than the usual commentary team would. The commentary team on both the shows are flawed which is evident every week. While Ranallo is a class apart, JBL doesn’t serve the purpose and ends up being too goofy and pointless at times.
Ambrose was much better here as the hungry, desperate lunatic chasing the title and Styles was as usual, phenomenal. Although not topping their match at Backlash, this was still a pay-per-view worthy main event that was a great asset for the build to the No Mercy triple threat.
Cena getting involved after Styles attacked him allowed Ambrose to look strong in defeat, as he had Styles down for a very long count, meaning if Cena hadn’t interfered, he could have won the title.
The tension between all three men has increased and this bubbling tension will be key to intensifying the triple threat at No Mercy. Some people may complain that Cena standing tall at the end of the show was too Super Cena, but he definitely needed the momentum after clean losses to both Styles and Ambrose.
Overall, another spectacular episode of Smackdown Live, with one of the best segments of the year taking place. I am extremely excited for No Mercy.
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