5 things that shouldn't have happened on SmackDown Live - 8th May, 2018

They should have been in the ring instead of cutting ridiculous promos
They should have been in the ring instead of cutting ridiculous promos

This week's SmackDown Live was all in all a great show compared to what we witnessed over the past week.

After a less than satisfying Backlash, the blue brand came back with a show that saw a lot of surprising victories.

The episode saw all the wrestlers who made the jump from RAW picking up the win. A few surprising ones and a few well-deserved ones.

The biggest high of the show was definitely Rusev picking up a clean win over Daniel Bryan.

SmackDown Live really did hit the right spot with this week's show, but here are five bookings that could have been done differently or shouldn't have happened.


#5 Too many backstage segments and very little wrestling

In case any of missed out on the action, there was very little action this week. In a two hour show, there were only five wrestling matches.

That sounds absurd, doesn't it? The show was packed with backstage segments and interviews involving The Bar, Carmella, The Bludgeon Brothers, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura.

These wrestlers would have made a better impact if they were given a chance to showcase their talent in the ring.

WWE could have added a match involving Asuka or Randy Orton or Samoa Joe or The Bludgeon Brothers for the fans to cheer for and be more involved.

#4 Becky Lynch losing clean/Sonya Deville barred from ringside

Was this the right decision?
Was this the right decision?

Moments before Mandy Rose's first match on SmackDown Live, Paige interrupted what was left of Absolution while they were devising a strategy.

Paige barred Sonya Deville from ringside which meant that Mandy Rose had to face Becky Lynch all on her own.

This move by Paige could have been easily avoided if Becky Lynch was anyway going to lose. 'The Irish Lasskicker' cannot catch a break, she has been lost in the shuffle and her losing clean to Mandy Rose sure doesn't help her case.

There is nothing wrong with Mandy Rose winning, but the first SmackDown Live Women's champion losing clean after being lost on her show just didn't seem right.

Keeping the loss aside, while Paige was trying to even the odds for the match, Billie Kay was allowed to accompany Peyton Royce to her match against Charlotte Flair for a spot in the MITB Ladder Match.

Is Paige being fair or just making sure the team of Rose and Deville have a tough time at their new home.

#3 No Almas/Sanity yet

There has to be something good coming up if the wait is this long
There has to be something good coming up if the wait is this long

Next week will mark a month since the Superstar shake-up and there is still no sign of Almas or the team of Sanity.

WWE must be planning something great from the former NXT Champion. Ideally, Almas should have interrupted the slow and not so interesting match between Orton and Hardy at Backlash instantly inserting him in the US Title run.

WWE again missed the boat by Almas not attacking Jeff Hardy after his loss to The Miz.

The wait is too long and the expectations now are high. A Superstar of Almas' calibre must not be wasted in meaningless feuds.

He should be in the title hunt from the get-go. We'll have to wait and watch what WWE have in store for us next week.

The same thing is true for the team named Sanity. They are yet to make their main roster debut.

There have been promos aired every week featuring the team but sadly, no date is set. The former tag team champions should be shutting out the competition on SmackDown Live, making their way to The Bludgeon Brothers.

#2 Tag teams lack direction

Th
The Bar is worthy of so much more

The Bar is in a directionless feud against The New Day, with either team getting a win on back to back weeks.

While these teams are making an appearance in the ring, the other relevant tag teams such as The Usos or The Bludgeon Brothers haven't been seen in either of the episodes. Not to mention that they were missing from the Backlash card as well.

SmackDown Live ended up with the better of the Superstars in the tag team division but hasn't quite done much to show that off.

The Tag Team Champions have been missing in action which is not something that one would want to see.

A dominating team such as The Bludgeon Brothers should be involved in squash matches at the very least to remind everyone of their capabilities.

#1 No storyline continuity

Bryan came up short against Rusev
Bryan came up short against Rusev

Rusev received the much-awaited push and to everyone's delight, he is now going to be a part of the MITB Ladder Match.

He beat Bryan clean which says a lot. While Rusev was the one who was in dire need of a win and a clean win over Bryan speaks volumes, there was no involvement of Big Cass. Cass should have been the one to cost Bryan the match.

Afterall, Cass beat down on Bryan after Bryan beat him at Backlash and this week, the seven-footer didn't even make an appearance.

Hopefully next week we see Cass calling Bryan out and both of them having a go at it because leaving this storyline the way it is leaves a lot in the air.

While Cass and Bryan have a confrontation next week, an angle involving Samoa Joe as well will help a lot.

Not to forget, a confrontation between Styles and Nakamura too would be accepted with loud pops.

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