WWE Superstars and crew left the friendly confines of the Lower 48 and headed out across the pond for this week's edition of Smackdown Live that emanated from the world famous O2 Arena in London.
The fans were extremely vocal and were on their feet from the opening segment, all the way until the very end when Jinder Mahal pinned Randy Orton to help his team win the big 6-man tag main event match. As the weeks progress closer to WWE Backlash, Mahal’s credibility as a threat to Orton’s WWE Championship at Backlash has been increasing.
This week's episode of SmackDown Live was blatantly geared towards the build to Backlash. WWE creative officials are clearly drawing lines in the sand and making a strong attempt to let fans know exactly where things stand, as we head into the pay-per-view in less than two weeks.
Just as we normally do each week, we will now give you the best and the worst from this week's episode of Smackdown Live!
#1 Best: Opening Segment- battle lines were drawn
This week's SmackDown Live kicked off with the entrance of the WWE Champion, “The Viper” Randy Orton. Soon after Orton arrived, his current nemesis made his way out, Jinder Mahal.
One important thing worth noting is just how strong Mahal’s heel work has been lately. His promo skills have proven that he has improved his overall body of work and he is certainly worthy of that main event status that he is currently enjoying.
Not too long after Mahal and Orton had begun their exchange of words, Kevin Owens made his way out, followed by everyone else involved in top Smackdown feuds at the moment. Before the segment was over, we had Orton, Mahal, Owens, Styles, Corbin and Zayn all out, letting the world know where they stood and who they were against.
This was a wise move with Backlash so close, mainly because a lot of casual fans were not aware of exactly where things were, heading into the event. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, it was announced that we would see a 6-man tag main event to close the show, which the fans seemed pleased with.
#1 WORST: Women's Division mess
WWE spent the better part of two years building some sort of “Women's Revolution,” and if you look at the SmackDown roster, there is plenty of quality women's talent available to bankroll into several good, individual storylines. Unfortunately, the company has opted for the “throw them all together” method, which never works with women's wrestling.
I get what they are trying to do, which is make a clear divide between which of the ladies are heels and which are babyfaces. However, this division always does better when there are one or two solid singles storylines, not some makeshift women's stable chaos.
It doesn't feel right and the fans know its just not right. This is because the brand has ave Becky Lynch, Naomi, Carmella and of course Charlotte at their disposal. All of whom are more than capable of handling the main event style women's angle.
#2 BEST: Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan
I know some fans may not agree with me on this one, but I thoroughly enjoyed this match. Harper and Rowan know each other like the back of their respective hands, for obvious reasons. Every time they have a match, I look forward to the brutality that they will unleash on each other.
The best part of this entire match was the fact that Erick Rowan won clean. Ever since Rowan signed with the WWE, he has been forced to play the third wheel to The Wyatt Family and even after the Family split, he has still been overshadowed by Harper.
What people fail to understand is that Rowan was a very accomplished wrestler prior to coming to WWE. He is very capable of handling his own.
With this is in mind, the current tag team picture with SmackDown Live is very weak. They could definitely benefit from having a solid team like Harper and Rowan on the scene. I would love to see the two monsters reunite for the cause.
#2 WORST: Tag Team laughing stock
This one has bothered and confused me for quite some time now. The Ascension came to the main roster as one of the absolute best tag teams in NXT history. However, ever since they first arrived on the main roster, they have been made a complete joke.
I get that they are somewhat like a Legion of Doom knockoff, but that falls back on the creative staff. These guys are talented enough to be one of the most dominating and entertaining duo’s in the company, but for whatever reason, they're not being allowed to show what they can do.
As far as Tyler Breeze and Fandango, both should be at the very least, on the upper-mid level singles card. Fandango finally got the WWE Universe behind him, back when “Doing the Fandango” was popular in all WWE venues.
Tyler Breeze was amazing in NXT and was nearly an NXT Champion. At the time he was elevated to the main roster, Breeze was in the position to have a career blastoff. Unfortunately, he has not been given the proper opportunity as of this writing.
#3 BEST: Nakamura/Ziggler faceoff
I was concerned at first about Dolph Ziggler being the first real feud for Shinsuke Nakamura, on the main roster.
However, it makes complete sense now. Dolph Ziggler is and always has been one of the best in terms of highlighting his opponents strengths and helping get Superstars over. There is very little doubt at all that Nakamura will win the match at Backlash, but with Ziggler, we know we will get the very best out of both Superstars.
Something else worth noting with this segment, was when Nakamura took the microphone. This was once again another moment when I cringed at the thought that he may go speak for too long. However, it was absolutely perfect. Shinsuke kept his talking to a minimum and let his actions do all the talking for him.
#4 BEST: Jinder owns main event spotlight
If anyone had any doubt about Jinder Mahal being worthy of his current push, your doubt should have been erased after this week's episode of Smackdown Live. Jinder started off the night showing his much-improved mic skills and ended it with his hands raised high in the air, as the winner of a big 6-man tag team main event match.
Throughout the match, each of the six men got the opportunity to showcase their skills for the world to see. But Jinder made sure that fans believe in him not only as a title contender but also as a potential WWE Champion.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
