Those fireworks you saw across the horizon over the past few days were set off by WWE and its monumental explosion from Battleground to Raw and ending with Smackdown live. To say this has been a week Vince McMahon and his brood will never forget is quite the understatement.
There has been so much excitement that has oozed out of the pores of this promotion in a three-day span, that may never be topped again. How and why this took so long to happen is anyone’s guess, but now that the new era is upon us, let’s take a page from one Chris Jericho and “drink it in.”
WWE took a big chance by trying something this creative – making sure Battleground was as dominant a pay-per-view as there has been in some time, and a huge transformation of both signature shows on USA Network; it was exciting, energy-packed and most of all, hopeful.
As I have said before when it comes to this business, we need to temper the excitement a bit. It’s only been one week. After a few of these impactful shows and a superior SummerSlam, then we all can proclaim WWE as a company that has gotten its act together.
Regardless of how “new” things are in WWE, there is plenty to applaud and ask for more. These are five reasons why we are all keenly aware this is a new era of professional wrestling.
#5 INNOVATION
Just the redesigning of both programs shows us that the McMahons understood the staleness WWE had to deal with. Regardless of new superstars coming up from NXT and being signed from other promotions, programming needed an edge.
The Draft and new rosters, new general managers and a new cutting edge makes all of think this is “real.”
With Dean Ambrose facing Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins taking on Finn Balor, we know the company is putting an emphasis on selling the product with four of the biggest “sellers” in the company.
The camera work is better, the packaging is better. Everything is at a fever-pitch right now.
WWE also put a lot of stock in its rising talents like Nia Jaxx, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews and the many tag teams to make the jump. This truly is a new generation of sports entertainment.
#4 THE UNIVERSAL HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
As cheesy as it sounds, Raw had to have its own title to distinguish itself from Smackdown Live. The two “Fatal Four-way” matches to kick off the show, followed by the main event between Finn Balor and Roman Reigns showed us all how much this company has grown in the past couple of days.
The notion that Balor can come to the main roster, generate such a following and then beat a three-time world champion in Reigns shows how committed WWE is to producing a new product. This won’t be the only title created or invented to give each brand their own unique flavor.
You know, in a perfect world, Seth Rollins walks out as the champion. But you never know what happens when The Architect gets in the ring with Finn Balor. It has the makings of one of the better title matches this year.
#3 SASHA BANKS WINNING WOMEN’S GOLD
The dream was realized. It’s “The Boss’s World” and we are all just living in it.
Banks defeating Charlotte was expected – but at SummerSlam. The fact WWE gave the fans a 5-star match like this one on free television is astonishing. This wasn’t a filler-match by any means. It was one of the most rugged battles between women that we have seen in some time.
Now comes the hard part of deciding what happens at SummerSlam and if Banks will retain the belt and continue on a long run with the title.
If Banks does keep the belt, will Nia Jax or Becky Lynch or even someone like Nikki Bella – upon her return – make a serious run at the title?
There should be a separate Women’s Title for Smackdown Live too, in my opinion.
#2 NEW ANNOUNCERS
The combination of Michael Cole, JBL and Byron Saxton was stale. JBL seemed a bit ticked off at times and the banter between him and Saxton was more high school than anything else.
Corey Graves comes in and instantly there is magic. When announcers mesh like that and play off each other during a match, there is something special.
Graves is so underrated and this combination – with Cole still the lead voice, will make Saxton even better. What WWE has also done is give the fans a chance to feel more like they are being told a story rather than seeing three stiff bodies at ringside.
The idea of seeing them more animated is a new feature we all can get behind, and they seem to be charged with interviewing Superstars before and after a match as well.
Given that JBL has moved over to Smackdown, the combination of the former wrestler and Mauro Ranallo should give Smackdown a serious boost as well. Don’t sleep on David Otunga either. The trio meshed well and should be solid over the long haul.
Honestly, I could listen to Ranallo read the telephone book and it would sound exciting.
#5 THEY’RE BAAACK
No enhancement needed on this commentary.
First it was Randy Orton. Next it will be Brock Lesnar. The announcement was made that Shelton Benjamin will be coming to Smackdown and there has been talk that MVP could be returning to the company.
When you have a brand extension like this, mixing new talent with returning veteran talent can be a very good thing.
The Orton-Lesnar showdown will be as epic a battle as there has been in some time. The return of Benjamin – who was one of the most gifted athletes in WWE before his departure – is also huge.
If WWE decides to bring Samoa Joe up some time soon and possibly someone like Austin Aries or Shinsuke Nakamura, can you name a time in this company when the talent was this deep on any roster?
I’ll give you some time to think about that.
