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With three title matches, the reappearance of the Chairman of the Board, Vince McMahon, for the first time in four years on SmackDown Live and the Mae Young Classic Finals following this episode on the WWE Network, this felt like a big deal!
In my estimation, this was one of the better SmackDown shows in a while. This may have been even better than some of their pay-per-view events. With only a few reservations, this was a pretty amazing show.
If the previous shows were the 'calm', this week was the 'storm'. We could not think of one dull moment across the episode.
It's time to bring you our post-SmackDown Live 'Best and Worst' recap. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
#1 Best: Leading from the front
One thing that dawned on me after watching this segment was that Kevin Owens may be the last guy Vince McMahon physically puts over.
James Ellsworth posted a message following this segment that captures the sentiment better than anything we could say.
At the age of 72, Vince McMahon not only took bumps, but was busted open after a headbutt from Kevin Owens, to conclude the show. If that was not enough, Owens even delivered a splash off the top rope on McMahon. What a true legend!
Vince's arrival to the show not only made the event feel special but also made the announcement of the Hell in a Cell match between Owens and Shane McMahon seem like a pretty big deal. We're hyped for the event now, and cannot wait for the crazy spot that Shane is definitely going to pull off.
This is an iconic image that's going to live on in infamy, for some time now!
#1 Worst: Dasha Fuentes
Why pick on a backstage announcer in what was an otherwise brilliant show? Just watch the clip below and judge for yourself, reader!
If Jim Ross and Mauro Ranallo have the power to instil energy and enthusiasm into a match, Fuentes has the power to suck out all the energy from it altogether. She is soulless, lifeless and definitely needs a run in NXT because the backstage interviewers there are far better than she is or ever was.
Kudos to Charly Caruso who started out at much the same time, and has really improved during her time on RAW.
#2 Best: Match of the night
Imagine wrestling after AJ Styles and Tye Dillinger and despite the high standards that were set, outshining them. The New Day and The Usos have been playing hot-potato with the SmackDown Live tag team championships, but as long as they can have matches this good, we really do not mind.
We wonder if these two teams will get to mix it up again at Hell in a Cell. Maybe in a tag team Hell in a Cell match, where these two teams can totally rip it up and steal the show?
Congratulations to The New Day, still your SmackDown Live tag team champions!
#2 Worst: No Bobby Roode
For someone who came in with as much momentum as Bobby Roode did, on the episode of SmackDown Live following SummerSlam, he is off TV, only two weeks in.
Yes, we understand that it's impossible to make everyone happy. Therefore, we won't even mention Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, because they were special guests during the Mae Young Classic. We won't even mention The Fashion Files, whom we haven't seen in quite a while. We won't mention Luke Harper either, because honestly, WWE may have forgotten that he exists altogether.
However, they have a certified gold mine in Bobby Roode, and we hope that they do realise his immense potential in the company.
#3 Best: Getting under the audience's skin
Dolph Ziggler went heel a long time ago, but the WWE took this long to pull the trigger with him, and let him run with the ball, as one. Ziggler's new gimmick is annoying and disrespectful, just like a heel's gimmick should be. As great as Kevin Owens is as a heel, sometimes we just want to root for him, don't we?
Ziggler impersonating The Ultimate Warrior, especially with Dana Warrior in attendance, really made people gasp. Ziggler is immensely annoying, and that makes him great at the job he is supposed to be doing. Let's hope WWE does not pull the plug on him, this time!
#4 Best: Styles and Dillinger!
AJ Styles could possibly be the best wrestler in the world, and Tye Dillinger certainly is no slouch in the ring. Together, the two men put on a great showcase, and Dillinger already feels like a bigger star than he ever did.
If Styles can use the 'US Open Challenge' to bolster the underutilised mid-card that exists on SmackDown Live, the results should be off the charts.
That concludes our 'Best and Worst' recap for this week. Stay tuned for more action from the show, because this was definitely a very noteworthy evening. Let us know your thoughts and feelings in the comments below. Thumbs up show or thumbs down overall?
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
