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SmackDown Live has had some must see episodes in the past, but honestly we haven't seen a fantastic episode in a while. Much of this episode seemed hit and miss, and did not build to TLC. I thought that some of it was really good. And the other bits just seemed confusing to me.
I will try and make sense of it all in this Best and Worst episode. I do not yet know whether I'd call it a thumbs up or a thumbs down show. There were certainly some elements that I liked, but I did not enjoy much of the show.
Tell me how you would rate this show in the comments below. I would certainly like to know your opinion on what transpired this week.
Catch my take below and in the following pages...
#1 Best: The WrestleMania rematch
I liked how the show started. I also liked how the show ended. I did not care for a lot of segments in the middle, that just seemed very run of the mill and confused to me, quite honestly. The end in particular was a delight to watch.
Charlotte Flair was responsible for ending Asuka's undefeated streak at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans. This is a streak that began in NXT and carried all the way up to the main roster, right up to WrestleMania 34.
Asuka was out for revenge and retribution and the two women seemed intent on proving to the world that they could put on a show ahead of TLC, just like Corbin and Rollins did. It was a pretty fantastic match, and if you haven't seen it, please do so.
A lot of the moves and spots harked back to their first ever encounter.
#1 Worst: The rap battle
Again, this is a matter of personal opinion, so if you found this funny, more power to you. The objective was to make Sheamus and Cesaro seem like they're bad rappers and this was achieved. But in doing so, a show that had been pretty solid until that point suddenly became quite cringeworthy. I did not think that The Usos were much of an improvement either.
When the bell rings, Cesaro and Sheamus, The New Day and The Bar can be extraordinary and absolutely steal the show. While I'm usually critical of such matches, I would have preferred a triple threat match with one competitor from each team over the segment that we were presented with.
This is a clear case of misrepresenting your talent. Do The Bar need to be booked in more embarrassing segments, after Maverick wet his pants on pay-per-view?
I think not.
#2 Best: Charlotte Flair and Asuka both snap
Remember how the Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey match at Survivor Series could have gone either way until the kendo stick came out? Charlotte Flair brought out the dreaded kendo stick during this match as well. She would launch an attack on her opponent and show the unhinged side to her personality, the first glimpse of which we saw at Survivor Series this year.
And then, Becky Lynch, who would sitting at ringside would get involved in the fracas as well. Asuka would grab the stick to conclude the segment as the show went off the air, ahead of TLC. She would launch an assault that would remind us of just how good she is.
I want to see how unhinged Flair can get. I'm sure that fans are in for quite a ride in coming weeks.
#2 Worst: Shane McMahon's punches
Let me begin by saying that I don't understand the whole Shane McMahon-Miz storyline. I know that it revolves around the 'Best in the World' tournament and trophy, but what story is WWE trying to tell here, with these two superstars? Does the Creative team have any kind of clue at all?
But that is a grouse I've ranted on before, so let me bring up another aspect that I found intolerable. Shane McMahon, after so many years in the business, cannot throw a punch. His offense looks fake, and in a sport that gives the appearance of being 'legitimate', this is certainly not a good thing.
Are we heading towards a feud between Shane McMahon and The Miz, maybe for a stage like WrestleMania? If that is the case then I'm not sure that adopting a light hearted approach like this is necessarily the best solution.
#3 Best: Ali vs. Daniel Bryan
I've had a chance to interview Mustafa Ali and I must say that he's a special individual. Anyone who's seen him wrestle knows how gifted he is in the ring, and is truly the personification of the line- 'Heart of 205 Live'. During the interview, he expressed his desire to wrestle Rey Mysterio. According to him, Mysterio paved the path for superstars like him.
Another such individual is certainly Daniel Bryan. Ali was never going to beat the WWE Champion on live television, but even getting such a match was a big deal for him. He proved his mettle this week.
The rest of the WWE locker room expressed their support for Ali. Great things are certainly in store for this talented individual.
I'm just glad to see WWE recognise his talent.
#3 Worst: Dance breaks in a serious feud
I am a big fan of comedy when it is good and appropriate. WWE's comedy doesn't have the best track record and somehow seems to distract from a feud rather than add to it. A case in point is Ambrose getting shots on his rear end after appearing like a shadowy figure against Rollins for many weeks on end. I'm not a fan of that, quite honestly. Humour is an integral part of wrestling, but humour can also bomb as bad.
I think the R-Truth and Carmella dance breaks pretty much fall into the same category. They have their own place in the show, but serious programs such that those that deal with Jeff Hardy's struggle with alcoholism should be kept far away from these breaks. I thought WWE did a great job with Samoa Joe's 'drink responsibly' campaign last week, but ruined everything with the dance break.
#4 Best/worst: Pinning the US champion
Rusev scored a victory for his team over Nakamura this week. This will probably earn him a title shot after TLC. The TLC card is absolutely stacked right now and I don't see any more matches being added to it, for now. That is why I suppose it was a significant development.
At the same time, I can't help but think how pointless Shinsuke Nakamura's title reign has been ever since he became the United States Champion. The title has been made into an afterthought and non title programs have received more limelight than title ones have. This is a shame because he is a wealth of talent, as we saw in NXT.
I really do hope that Rusev becomes US Champion soon. And that WWE does have concrete plans for the man.
The title needs to become prestigious again.
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