This has certainly been an interesting week for the WWE as we just witnessed three back-to-back to shows starting with Payback, then Monday Night Raw, and finally, SmackDown Live. Despite Payback being a good pay per view, for the most part, the follow-up episodes of Raw and SmackDown failed to impress.
There were a number of solid opportunities to raise the bar and create compelling programming especially considering that WWE creative started off on the right foot with Payback. It was a solid, if unspectacular show, but there were a few mistakes made there.
This, however, doesn’t hold a candle to the episodes of SmackDown and Raw where the WWE really dropped the ball. There was little of note in either show except for a few segments, and when you have Raw running for three hours and Smackdown running for two, it just isn’t good enough.
So, without any further ado, here are 5 mistakes committed by WWE this week.
#5 Not enough relevant content throughout Raw and Smackdown
Both Raw and SmackDown were guilty of this mistake this week. Both shows put all their eggs in one basket: The main event. Sure, the opening segments on both shows were fun.
Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor bickered on Raw, while AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and Chris Jericho did the same on SmackDown Live, but it just wasn’t enough.
The rest of the segments, except perhaps the WWE Raw Women’s Division one and the Cruiserweight Championship one, were worth a watch, but the rest of the show was quite forgettable.
Don’t get me wrong, both main events were excellent, but it doesn’t justify the length of the two shows, especially considering Raw is three hours long. Let’s hope the WWE works on fixing this next week.
Also read: 10 Questions from WWE Payback that most need answering
#4 No Shinsuke Nakamura or Randy Orton
Playing off the previous point that I made, one of the primary reasons that SmackDown Live felt light this week was the conspicuous absence of two of its top stars, Shinsuke Nakamura and the WWE Champion, Randy Orton.
It would have made sense to include Nakamura on the show and help expose him to the more mainstream WWE audience while building the feud with Dolph Ziggler, and instead, we got a fairly useless – and pointless – match between The Showoff and Sin Cara.
And, when it comes to Mr Randall Keith Orton, why wasn’t The Viper out for Jinder Mahal’s blood after the latter – along with The Singh Brothers/Bollywood Boyz – cost him his House of Horrors match at Payback? It makes zero sense that Orton would take the day off.
Speaking of the House of Horrors match...
#3 The House of Horrors fiasco
The House of Horrors match was one of those, “This is so bad, it’s great” kind of things, but that doesn’t mean the WWE didn’t make a mistake with it. Everything about it was over the top and lacked any sort of depth or meaning.
The whole recorded segment involving the limo ride, the shirtless Randy Orton, the pseudo-creepy house, the fridge spot, it all felt like a parody. And, then came the in-ring action. Oh boy...
By including Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers/Bollywood Boyz, the WWE undermined Bray Wyatt’s capacity to back up his big words yet again. It seems like The Eater of Worlds is just a glorified dark priest at this point.
And, how the hell did Randy get out from under that fridge and make it back to the ring before Bray, anyway?
Also read: 5 thoughts that went through the mind during the House of Horrors match
#2 What is happening with the Smackdown Women's Division?
Smackdown Live's Women's division was expected to be given a major shot in the arm with the arrival of Charlotte Flair, but so far things have gone from bad to worse since her arrival. It's not her fault, of course, but rather that of the creative team and the weird angles being played out.
The Welcoming Committee (what is this name?!) seem to be complete nonsense at this point, and we have no clue if The Queen is a heel or a face. And, if she is a face, then who is going to be challenging Naomi for the Smackdown Women's Championship?
The whole thing is one big mess.
#1 No Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, or Roman Reigns
Look, I get it. Brock Lesnar is special, and he only works a few dates every year. But, if that’s the case then don’t make him the Universal bloody Champion. Raw’s premiere title hasn’t been seen on the show for over a month now.
Add to his, both Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns were also kept off TV citing the kayfabe injuries both men suffered at Payback. What point is there in watching the show if that major champion and challengers can’t be bothered to turn up?
The show would be more stacked and feel more important if the Universal Title was back in the picture full time.
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