The biggest winners and losers of last night's SmackDown (April 30, 2019)
SmackDown wasn't bad last night, but it wasn't that good, either. There were too many of WWE's formulas in place that made it more difficult than it needed to be to watch. No match in particular really stood out. Nevertheless, there was some good to be found in individual performances.
Who got the most and least out of last night's show?
Loser: Bayley
Yes, Bayley has looked more competitive against top names than she has in a long time, and that's an important development for her, but aside from this match being clunky, it felt like she was merely sacrificed on the altar the long past its prime Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair rivalry.
The match ended in a fairly academic fashion, with Bayley tapping clean, despite an attack from Charlotte afterward.
It shows how little WWE has an interest in protecting Bayley, despite such protection being commonplace in the company's formulaic booking.
Bayley is going to be in the Money in the Bank match, where she might be a shock favorite to win, but she's not off to a blistering start on SmackDown, certainly not to the point that it's easy to get heavily invested in her after two years of horrendous booking.
Winners: Asuka and Kairi Sane
This might be a thrown together team, but Asuka and Kairi Sane are just so good that they've made it work from the beginning, getting fans into the action with ease.
The IIconics were on commentary, making the match hard to watch, and WWE continues to build the rivalry between them, but this really shouldn't be an issue. Asuka and Kairi Sane should just win the tag team titles as soon as possible. There is no benefit in keeping them on the IIconics for long.
Loser: Roman Reigns
Two weeks in and it's already back to normal for Roman Reigns. After a good start last week, WWE has returned to the formulaic underdog babyface booking that never suited him in the first place, and which was a major reason why so many fans disliked him.
Do we need another retread of the Authority? Why were we supposed to suddenly take the B Team seriously as opponents against someone of Reigns' caliber? Does that really count as "stacking the odds" against him? Did those odds need to be "stacked" in the first place?
Roman Reigns is still riding a wave of goodwill from his cancer scare and triumphant return, but if these booking tropes continue, fans are going to turn on him again. His support has already dwindled from the high it got in the winter.
Hopefully, the company realizes soon that he isn't an underdog. Last week's example was far better.
Winners: Andrade and Ali
Andrade and Ali qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match gives them a chance to put their names on the map of the main roster in a way they haven't before. It was disappointing, however, not to see Aleister Black or Buddy Murphy (where is he?) put into the match. Balor should be defending his Intercontinental Championship and Randy Orton isn't needed.
This was a fairly academic tag team match - a repeat of the same formula WWE used on Raw the night before (and the company wonders why so many people are leaving so quickly).
Nevertheless, we look forward to seeing what Andrade and Ali can do in the match.
Winner: Kevin Owens
It didn't seem like it, but Kevin Owens is doing some of his best work since arriving on the main roster. He's made this feud with Kofi intense in a matter of two weeks. Since dropping the silly comedy routine, he suddenly feels like a threat again.
We'll see how long it lasts. Kevin Owens' feuds tend to go well past the point of expiration, where he ends up making a total fool of himself, but so far, so good.
He hasn't looked this good since he began his feud with Shane McMahon in the fall of 2017.
Quick Links
Anthony Akatugba Jr.