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I did not enjoy this week's episode of SmackDown Live. Let me say that at the very outset before I begin writing this article. SmackDown Live had a chance to get some new developments going, after RAW won Survivor Series clean, last weekend. The fallout episode of Survivor Series was not what I expected it to be, at all.
SmackDown Live certainly does feel like the B show overall. There is no sense of urgency in the programming. Some of the comedy segments in particular, were absolutely cringeworthy.
That said, I did enjoy a few aspects of this week's show. I shall detail them for you in this article.
And as always, I invite you to leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this recent edition.
#1 Best: Ripping off the mask
I loved everything about the main event of SmackDown Live. I loved the build with both men cutting promos on each other in a serious manner and not using 'urine' jokes. I loved the RKO out of nowhere when Rey Mysterio tried the splash off the bottom rope on Orton. I loved the fact that Orton was trying to rip Mysterio's mask off.
Let's face it. Randy Orton is currently having the best run of his career as a devious heel, because as a seasoned veteran he completely understands the role that he's playing on screen. He makes the viewers uncomfortable and yet nobody can really look away.
For his part, Mysterio did a fantastic job too. One must remember that for all the mind blowing stunts that he performs, Mysterio is not a young man.
It helped that the feud had a great backstory as well.
#1 Worst: Almost no follow up
You know what I thought when RAW won all the matches at Survivor Series, this year? I thought it was fine because there would be a drastic follow up on SmackDown Live. Shane McMahon would probably step down or go heel, or do something after the whole embarrassing saga. Nothing of that sort really happened.
While Survivor Series was mentioned in passing, SmackDown Live seemed unaffected by their losses. I totally expected Shane McMahon to explain why the team suffered a defeat. In fact, Xavier Woods' 6-1 hoodie was the only reference to Survivor Series, really.
They call WWE the world's longest running soap opera for a reason. The fact is that every week should ideally be connected and one week should lead into the next.
I was very disappointed with how this show was booked.
#2 Best: Daniel Bryan's explanation
Daniel Bryan went heel before he waged war against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. At SmackDown Live this week, he offered an explanation as to why he decided to tap into his dark side. While his motive wasn't really clear, I did enjoy Bryan referring to himself in the third person, because it was scary.
Somehow, Bryan seems just as comfortable doing his heel shtick as he seemed when he was leading the crowd into 'Yes!' chants. I also loved the fact that Bryan convinced the ring announcer to refer to him as the 'New Daniel Bryan'. It pretty much proved that Bryan had moved on from his babyface persona and was now a new man.
Even Bryan has the potential to make this run his best. He has a match against AJ Styles at WWE , which should certainly be good.
#2 Worst: The Thanksgiving Feast Fight
Listen, I enjoy wrestling even when it's silly. I just thought that after a weak start, the Thanksgiving Feast Fight came across as rather hokey and contrived. The New Day and The Bar are both exceptional teams and had they put on a regular match, it would perhaps have been a best in this column.
The fact of the matter is that the Tag Team Division is not being taken seriously. The teams compete on the Kickoff Show in matches that don't even count. The more comedy gimmick matches these teams perform, the worse the condition will be for the tag team division, over the long haul.
I want to see The Bar and The New Day slug it out in an actual match and make the division relevant again. Anyone who's seen these teams in action knows that they can do this.
#3 Best: Rebuilding Asuka once again?
Asuka and Naomi took on Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose on SmackDown Live, this week. I actually did not mind how this match played out overall. I thought Naomi and Asuka looked dominant. I loved the dissension between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville as well.
This was a great continuation of the storyline that began before Survivor Series. Unlike the whole Survivor Series saga, that was swept under a rug, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are still feuding. I hope that the two women work a great program against one another and can elevate each other in due course of time.
Now that Charlotte Flair has presumably gone heel, a babyface Asuka could be the perfect opponent for The Queen. The two women need each other and can work a fabulous program with one another.
#3 Worst: Miz getting pinned by jobbers
The Miz tried to get Shane McMahon to start a tag team with him. To prove how good they could potentially be, The Miz even got jobbers for an impromptu match. It was funny to see the enhancement talent score a pin. But this ridiculous booking decision could cost WWE in the long run.
Some have said that The Miz deserves to be a future WWE Champion someday. Can anyone take him seriously if he gets pinned by enhancement talent? Even if The Miz took the pin from a group like The Colons, who were a part of Survivor Series, it would have made sense.
Of course, The Miz will bounce back from this loss because he's actually quite 'awesome'. But the point is that it would make sense to protect him a lot more, for him to be considered a serious contender by fans.
#4 Best/worst: Is Charlotte Flair a heel?
It did seem like Charlotte Flair went heel when she faced off against Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series. But this week, the promo she cut did not indicate that she was a heel. She said that she did what she did, for the girls. She even put Becky Lynch over in her promo.
When she lay down a beating on the IIconics, she reverted to her heel persona. I must say that I am intrigued by what has happened with her. Is she a heel or someone with a temper problem, struggling to control her emotions?
At the same time, I did feel that the opening segment this week went on far too long. I lost interest mid way through the match.
As for Becky Lynch, let's hope she comes back very soon indeed.
