The stretch of non-stop live WWE wrestling that started during the Royal Rumble/NXT TakeOver San Antonio weekend finally comes to a merciful close. It’s capped off with the blue brand that brings smiles to all, SmackDown Live.
This particular episode was headlined by an above average contest between Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles, we learned several more items about the upcoming Elimination Chamber, and we saw the historically overlooked Naomi continue gaining momentum. There’s was plenty to enjoy about this show.
If you’ve followed this series so far then you already know that with the good of every show, there’s always some bad as well. In this article, we’re going to take a look at James Ellsworth unchivalrous actions toward the fairer sex, a fan jab toward a popular WWE Network show, and the latest attempt at the world record for most announcers at one commentary table.
Whatever the record is, nobody wants to see it challenged. So go ahead and sit back as we dive into 5 botches, slip ups, and outrageous moments from this episode of SmackDown Live.
#5 Man on woman violence
If there’s one thing WWE’s PG era has taught us in regards to morality, it’s that men do not lay a finger on women under any circumstances. It’s a breach of chivalry that’s far too scandalous for the modern wrestling fan. Exceptions to this rule are rare, such as when Roman Reigns speared Stephanie McMahon in the main event of last year’s WrestleMania.
Even in that case, it was totally inadvertent.
James Ellsworth laid hands on Carmella’s Tuesday night opponent and it was surprisingly intentional. Previously unknown Delilah Dawson lost to the Staten Island Princess after James tripped her up while she was rebounding off of an Irish Whip.
While this minor instance of interference wouldn’t have been a major taboo in previous eras, this might prove too much for the modern audience. That all might be an overreaction but it is highly rare for men to lay hands on women in pro-wrestling on TV especially in this politically correct era.
#4 Watching Holy Foley as a diss
This is never good for the WWE Network. Mick Foley’s family reality show, Holy Foley, has been pushed hard as one of the newer original programs that you’ll only get on the 9.99 streaming service. However, this fan brought a sign to the audience to bash someone and it doesn’t bode well for Mrs Foley’s baby boy.
Anytime someone says that enjoying a particular program is a bad thing, as is the claim in this particular sign, it must mean that people generally aren’t overly excited about that show. Unlike the Edge & Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesome, there might not be as much clamour for a second season of Holy Foley.
#3 Glow fire
Becky Lynch and her over-the-top puns are quirky but endearing. Naomi is an athletic wrestler who uses her dance background to create a unique entrance and energy. However, putting those two elements together just might be too much for the world to handle.
Just look at their excitement. There isn’t necessarily a botch or anything going on here, but surely there’s a violation of some kind.
#2 Too many cooks
How many people should be given a headset at the announce table?
Is two the correct number or can you push a commentary team to three or even four members? There’s probably not a magic number for how many voices should be allowed to speak during a wrestling program at once but during the main event of SmackDown, the limit had undoubtedly been reached.
Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles might very well have been putting together a masterpiece of a match but nobody would’ve ever noticed that with the constant banter. Miz, as great as he is at a promo, was probably the worst offender as he went a little too overboard here.
Mauro Ranallo and anybody else that had any desire to call the action in the ring really had no chance to steer the discussion in that direction.
#1 Too eager to get pinned
Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles put on a solid main event for this edition of SmackDown, so if you missed it make sure to check it out. Even with the excessive commentary, these two put away a near 4-star effort in this non-title matchup.
Even with all of this praise, there was one minor slip up to report. Going back and forth with several nearfall reversals in the middle of this bout, Dean Ambrose kicked out of a pinfall attempt, putting AJ Styles into a pin of his own – only it wasn’t as seamless as Styles had hoped for.
AJ flipped himself into a pinning attempt with no help from Dean whatsoever. It’s like he wanted to get pinned.
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