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This week's episode of Smackdown Live had a lot of things to live up to, as for all the faults Raw displayed last night, there were specific moments that truly made it the best episode of Raw in almost a year. While WWE didn't have a Batista like surprise planned on the show, there were a few moments that made this edition of Smackdown Live a truly memorable show.
From an anticipated return to another controversial decision made by Mr McMahon, the blue brand charged full steam ahead to Wrestlemania this week, while setting up some interesting possibilities for Fastlane at the very same time. So let us go through what Smackdown Live got right this week, and why it possibly helped the blue brand edge out Raw to continue its winning streak in the battle of the brands.
#1 R Truth Is Given A Good Run
R Truth is a really good wrestler, and that an understatement when reflecting on this man's career, as Truth has been the guy WWE has placed in a comedic role over the years. From the Little Jimmy fiasco to the man that brought a ladder to a Royal Rumble, Truth has made every angle WWE has given him into something special. And fans would remember Truth for his ability to entertain, that is why when WWE put the US Title on this man a few weeks ago, most thought it was a fluke and would end soon.
But props to WWE for keeping Truth's reign going, as this week on Smackdown Live, Truth laid out an open challenge emulating his idol John Cena, and that challenge was answered by two of the best wrestlers on the planet in Andrade and Rey Mysterio.
This match was wild, and it was so easy for WWE to put the US Title on either one of Truth's competitors, but they didn't, as Truth scored a lucky victory when he rolled up an unsuspecting Mysterio. While it wasn't the most decisive win as champion, WWE keeping the title on Truth means they could have him take it all the way to Wrestlemania, and for someone that is twenty years in the game, it is a nice reward for his loyalty.
#2 Almas And Mysterio's Rivalry Is Awesome
The rivalry between Andrade and Rey Mysterio is a gem on Smackdown Live. Cast your minds back to the ruthless aggression era of Smackdown, and think about all the great but underrated rivalries that we witnessed every single week - it was fast paced, it was high octane, and it was thrilling.
And by WWE giving us something like this on Smackdown Live each week in the new era is truly brilliant. As the one problem fans have with WWE these days is that there isn't a specific rivalry that you want to witness every week, as its either stale booking from WWE that waters a feud down or the wrestlers who craft mediocre matches, as they save their big performances for huge shows.
But when it comes to Almas and Mysterio, WWE doesn't hold back; these are two wrestlers that do the lucha libre style proud, as every week they give us something that draws you closer to your screens in awe. Rey is a legend of the industry, there will never be anyone quite like him in wrestling again, and by him working with Andrade in this feud truly elevates the young star more than anything else right now.
#3 The Hardy Boys Are Back
The Hardy Boys are one of the most popular tag teams to ever exist in professional wrestling, and when they returned at Wrestlemania 33 in spectacular style to win the Raw Tag Team Titles, fans were elated at the prospect of Jeff and Matt rounding off their careers in sensational fashion.
But things didn't really go as planned, maybe that's down to a mixture of failed booking plans and injuries, as WWE didn't really have the full opportunities to utilize Team Extreme in the way they would have wanted to.
But this week on Smackdown Live, The Bar was scheduled to take on NXT call ups DIY, but we were swerved by the creative team, as it wasn't DIY that came through the curtain, but The Hardys. Matt and Jeff defeated The Bar in a performance that was somewhat a throwback to their younger days as a tag team.
It was a surprise to see Matt in such fantastic shape, after many thought that his career was over due to the number of injuries his body went through over the years. But if Matt can continue then its great for the fans, as it seems The Hardy's will have a big role when Wrestlemania rolls along, and on this night WWE got their return and booking all right.
#4 Kevin Owens Is Blue
Kevin Owens time on Raw in 2018 can only be described as a car crash, as everything WWE put this man through was terrible, from his feud with Braun Strowman that basically saw KO becoming a human rag doll, to his uninteresting squabble with Bobby Lashley, Owens was wrestling on bought time on Raw, and desperately needed a change.
For months critics and fans speculated on how would KO return to the company, suggestions like the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania were high on the rumour lists, but all that speculation was inaccurate. As not many would've predicted that it would be the Smackdown Live on the road to Fastlane in which we would see KO return. KO coming back to Smackdown Live was a genius move by WWE, as Raw has some of the biggest wrestlers on the planet, and with Roman Reigns returning to action, Owens would be lost in the mix.
And since KO returned to Smackdown Live he has been handed a World Title opportunity, and pinned the WWE Champion the main event, which leaves a question for you guys to answer in the comments below, when did KO have a more perfect set of events happen in his career? While KO might not be in the WWE Title picture plans at Wrestlemania in the long run, WWE can rebuild his career on Smackdown Live.
#5 Building Blocks For The Dream Match
AJ Styles and Randy Orton are two of the greatest wrestlers working today. These are men that reached their prime years ago, and even though both of them are at the age when wrestlers at their level are winding their careers down, Styles and Orton are still competing at an elite standard.
For years wrestling fans have wondered what a feud between these two all-time greats will look like, and now it seems like we will witness it, as rumours have been circulating for a quite some time now that WWE planned a programme for Styles and Orton but ti fell through every single time.
But now it seems WWE has made time for this dream feud, as, over the last few weeks, Styles and Orton have been at each other's necks. From ruining each other's chances at becoming the World Champion to outdoing the other to prove who's better in the ring, this is a special dream match WWE have on their hands.
As the creative team don't need to reach far into their bag of tricks to build a narrative for this feud, as these are two men that have seen it all, done it all, and won it all, this dream match can be sold on two men trying to cement their legacy at Wrestlemania at the other one's expense.
#6 A Solid Main Event
The way WWE is booking the WWE Title picture is absolutely perfect, as the decision of Vince McMahon putting Kevin Owens in Kofi Kingston's spot at Fastlane opens up so many possibilities for the New Day member, KO, and the WWE Title. And this week on Smackdown Live, we got an unusual main event, as we saw Kevin Owens team with Kofi to take on the team of Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan in a spectacular tag team match.
This was fast paced high octane match with a whole lot of mixed emotions from the crowd and the competitors, as Kofi had to team with the man that took the one opportunity he had to wait eleven years for, and that made for a good angle in this match. After a back and forth contest, it was Owens who landed a Stunner out of nowhere to pick up the win.
A great way to close the show, as all the drama that had been built up at the beginning of the programme, had come to a breaking point here, but WWE didn't pull the trigger as yet, cause this is a narrative that is here to stay. Kingston's pursuit of the WWE Title is not over yet, and KO's reemergence in WWE has just begun.
#7 Long Term Storytelling
The most shocking thing to occur for many fans this week was the fact that Kofi Kingston got screwed out of another chance at reaching the heights he has worked eleven years to achieve. The WWE Universe is livid with Vince McMahon's decision of replacing Kofi with Kevin Owens at Fastlane in the WWE Title match against Daniel Bryan, and while most will rebel against WWE for this decision, it was the right call.
As if you think for a second Kofi is out of the title picture you are mistaken, as WWE replacing Kofi with KO at Faslane only means one thing, Kofi is going to challenge Daniel Bryan for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania. There is no other way around it, WWE is building up Kofi for his biggest victory yet, and they are doing a splendid job at it.
From coming so close to winning the gold at the Elimination Chamber to almost main eventing a pay-per-view, WWE is riling up the crowd in Kofi's defence and its working according to plan. Moreover, Daniel Bryan's involvement in this programme is just exceptional, as his presence in the entire opening segment truly define his heel persona as a man that is willing to let his enemies destroy themes without saying a word.
WWE has stepped up their game in just two episodes of Raw and Smackdown Live this week, so hopefully, let's expect more great thing from the company next week.
