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This has been a great week of wrestling not limited to WWE. Other promotions too step up their game around the time of WrestleMania and they did so this year as well. As for WWE, the world's leading wrestling promotion put on a showcase of wrestling, like they haven't, in a while. SmackDown Live was the fifth night of sports entertainment action from New Orleans.
SmackDown Live was fun from start to finish. No, it wasn't the perfect show and we're going to point out why such is our belief in this recap article. However, there was certainly far more good than bad.
If you thought otherwise, let us know in the comments below. What aspects of the show resonated with you and what bits did not?
We hereby present our 'Best and Worst' article to you...
#1 Best: A new beginning for Paige
Last night, our 'Worst' section contained the update about Paige's retirement from in-ring competition. We're glad to report that our disappointment was short lived. While various rumours emerged about Paige's future, they were all thankfully, quite false. Paige is your SmackDown Live General Manager.
Paige joins Drake Maverick and William Regal as the third General Manager from the United Kingdom. She received a positive response from the audience and we were glad to see her happy, after all that she's endured. And like Daniel Bryan proved to us recently, this does not necessarily mean it is the end for her.
While we would have loved to see Hogan or Jarrett in Bryan's vacated position, we do feel Paige was the best choice. It keeps her in the mix even though she can't compete in the ring, for now!
#1 Worst: Slowest referee ever
All of sports entertainment is based upon a suspension of disbelief. The performers on screen and the producers in the back constantly try to make us forget that the action in the ring is staged.
And sometimes, we're reminded that what we're watching is essentially highly exaggerated sports-themed soap opera. The referee who was present during Carmella's cash-in is to blame, in this case.
Carmella tried her best to cash in her briefcase, but the referee took his own sweet time to understand what was going on. It was hokey and rather corny.
Except for this little side note, the cash in was the highlight of the whole show.
#2 Best: And your new SmackDown Women's Champion...
Love her or hate her, Carmella is your new SmackDown Women's Champion. She cashed in her briefcase on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 34, perhaps the biggest stage other than WrestleMania itself.
Carmella's moment was long overdue. She's been one of those performers who's almost always improved with time. However, she's never been the featured attraction except for the time when she won the Money in the Bank briefcase.
We loved the fact that Billie Kay and Peyton Royce made their debuts as part of this moment. The two of them seemed extremely impressive in their first sojourn on the main roster of WWE.
#2 Worst: Not enough call-ups?
Hey, we were thrilled that Billie Kay and Peyton Royce got called up. But considering the number of surprises on RAW with Lashley, Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy, No Way Jose, Ember Moon, and The Authors of Pain, SmackDown felt like they got the short end of the stick.
Let's hope that some names return during the Superstar Shake-Up. That would be a cool way to introduce new characters into the mix.
#3 Best: Sarcastic Nakamura
Everyone was split when Nakamura turned heel on AJ Styles following their match. Would it be the right career move for a Superstar who's so well liked by one and all? We're glad to report that it was. Nakamura is spectacular as a heel.
Nakamura evaded the difficult questions that came in from Renee Young by stating that he does not speak English. He also ruined a dream match at the conclusion of the show, making him the top heel in the company by far.
#3 Worst: Where did the contractual rematches disappear?
Aren't The Usos owed a contractual rematch against the Bludgeon Brothers? Isn't Randy Orton owed one against Jinder Mahal? We saw two matches on SmackDown Live to determine the number one contenders for the Tag Team and US Championships in any case. It did not make any sense!
Thankfully both matches were won by the rightful number 1 contenders. So, not much harm done we suppose.
#4 Best/worst: Interrupting the dream match
Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles had a great match. The two of them worked beautifully with one another, as they took each other to the absolute limit. The crowd was into this match. And then Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted with two massive Kinshasas.
This was the right move for Shinsuke Nakamura to make. He became a bigger heel in the process. He just ruined what could have been a spectacular contest overall.
Of course, in the larger scheme of things, it probably won't matter. We'll probably get a rematch on a bigger scale.
And on that note, we end WrestleMania weekend with this highly adorable Tweet.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
