3 Interesting observations from this week's SmackDown Live (May 7, 2019)

From an amazing Triple Threat WWE Championship Main Event Match to Daniel Bryan and Rowan becoming your new SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown Live (7th May 2019) featured a lot of contrasting moments indeed.

As much as I'd have liked to say otherwise, the Wild Card rule certainly did not make SmackDown Live feel like a buzzworthy show, which is one of the few problems with the Blue Brand as compared to Monday Night RAW. The Wild Card rule has created more confusing scenarios since its inception, and that is a huge drawback for both brands as of now.

Nevertheless, here are a few interesting observations you may have missed during this week's edition of SmackDown Live.

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#3: Why the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championship match made no sense

Let me be clear, I thought that Bryan and Rowan vs. The Usos during last night's show was a pretty good match. No one can take that away from these competitors.

But from a writer's point of view, this particular decision was a bit of a mess. We know that The Usos are on RAW, and the Wild Card Rule allows 4 superstars of both brands to appear on their respective rival brand.

But if superstars from a different show are allowed to partake in championship matches, especially those titles that belong to the home brand in the first place, then the last few remaining barriers that still enforce the brand split exist no more.

In simpler words,

1) We knew The Usos weren't going to win in the first place since they belong on RAW, and winning the SmackDown live Tag Team Championships would only complicate things further. Hence, despite the stellar match itself, there were no real stakes involved.

2) You don't need the entire roster to shuffle across both brands in case the brand split is no longer in effect. But the brand split is very much in effect, canonically. However, the Wild Card Rule essentially breaks other brand split rules as well.

So even with a couple of superstars appearing on the rival brand each week, it already feels as if the brand split doesn't exist anymore.

#2: Shane McMahon is The Authority's biggest villain as of now

After WWE promised its fans that Authority figures would no longer meddle with the show's proceedings, we find ourselves watching Shane McMahon literally orchestrate the outcome against his opponents by enlisting the help of other WWE Superstars.

Last night, he took The Miz down with the help of Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. On top of that, Shane McMahon frequently uses Elias to beat down Roman Reigns, another potential threat to his plans.

This is not a complaint as such since we essentially expect an Authority figure to live by this code. Earlier it was Vince McMahon, and in recent years, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have played this role as well.

But now, it seems that Shane McMahon has laid claim on becoming the most villainous member of The Authority.

So it doesn't really matter what the higher-ups say every now and then, because the fact remains that there will always be an Authority figure meddling with the show whether you like it or not, and Shane McMahon's character is a great example to highlight this point even further.

#1: The skillfully executed Main Event match was hindered by The Wild Card rule

Just like the beginning of this article, we end it by pointing out another example of why the Wild Card rule has already done more harm than good.

It is sad to think that despite AJ Styles, Sami Zayn and Kofi Kingston's efforts that went into executing that Main Event Triple Threat match last night, the Wild Card rule had already diminished the stakes beforehand.

AJ Styles is currently embroiled in the Universal Title feud with Seth Rollins, so it already seemed unlikely that the Phenomenal One would rob the Blue Brand of the WWE Championship.

Sami Zayn was literally trashed into a pile of garbage during this week's Monday Night RAW, and the same argument made for AJ Styles' case applies in Zayn's scenario as well, since both men officially belong to the Red Brand.

Ironically, the Wild Card rule was introduced to bring about some unpredictable changes on both main roster shows, however, it ended up making things more predictable in the first week of its inception!

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