'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
WWE travels to the United Kingdom twice a year for RAW and SmackDown tapings. And when they visit foreign shores, there is a marked decline in the quality of the program.
I was glad to see them return to the United States again, and while the show wasn't perfect, it was fine. It was certainly a marked improvement over RAW and SmackDown from last week.
That said, I welcome you to weigh in and leave a comment with regard to what you thought of this week's show. Don't be afraid to contribute even if you disagree entirely with what I have to say in the slideshow.
Also, please rate all your favorite matches at this link, and leave a comment justifying your star rating as well, in the said section.
#1 Best: New Universal Championship revealed
My colleague Phillipa Marie referred to the Championship as the Bluniversal Title, and I think that's a pretty suitable moniker for the newly unveiled Championship. Honestly speaking, it is not the most exciting design in the world, and I would have preferred a most customized version of the Championship during The Fiend's reign, at least.
But honestly, a red Championship on the blue brand would have been a misfit, and I'm glad that WWE chose to go with a blue title instead. It also looks great against the background of the Firefly Fun House, which is where it will be most of the time, I suppose.
It is very clear that The Fiend is going to have a long reign at the top of the totem pole as the Universal Champion and I guess that this title is going to be synonymous with the man's reign. After all, he did unleash it upon the world with a flirt and flurry of his magic wand.
#1 Worst: A major missed opportunity with the man in the dog costume
I wasn't a big fan of the man in the dog costume at the top of the show. But as people in the Sportskeeda chat kept reminding me, I am probably not WWE's target audience and little kids are!
Even with that in mind, if I give them the creative license to further the Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin feud in the manner they are, I thought that they missed a trick with the man in the costume. He could have been revealed as Matt Riddle or Keith Lee!
The whole Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin feud just seems very half-baked to me right now. The match with Ali and Shorty G against Ziggler and Roode was great, but the setup itself wasn't very exciting.
I realize that it's a show for children, but even children's shows have better writing more often than not.
#2 Best: The Firefly Fun House meets Miz TV
The closing segment at the end of SmackDown was amazing with The Miz and Daniel Bryan in the same ring, with Bryan cutting a passionate promo. And then Bray Wyatt would appear on the big screen. An episode of The Firefly Fun House would play out and a Universal Championship match would be made.
I loved how all the puppets chimed in with 'Yes' chants, in particular. Has there ever been a gimmick this creative in WWE? It's always been a lot more A+B= C in the past, so this is honestly a welcome change.
We already know that Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt work brilliantly with one another, so that's a given. But then Daniel Bryan could work with a puppet and make it look good. Bray Wyatt is no slouch either and his character work is second to none in the current roster.
#2 Worst: No direction for Braun Strowman
I wonder if Braun Strowman is not an ideal fit for SmackDown. It just seems like he's forced to go up against enhancement talent every week. With all due respect to the B-Team, even their name suggests that they are not really top stars.
On RAW, Braun Strowman was fighting behemoths his size like Lashley and Brock Lesnar. Sure, he could always enter into yet another program with Brock Lesnar, but the fact of the matter is that we've seen that feud too often. Also, Drew Gulak is a lot more talented than the role he's been relegated to, at the moment.
Is WWE waiting for someone like Lars Sullivan to come back before they book him in a proper feud? Or are they waiting for the Survivor Series build to conclude before going all-out? Maybe they just don't have any plans for the big man right now!
#3 Best/Worst: The NXT invasions
Conceptually, the idea of an NXT invasion is always great for the house. But after watching the same thing for so many weeks, I was honestly not very excited about what transpired.
Even the matches that happened were riddled with botches, as can be seen from the clip shared above. But then again, it makes sense in the context of the story and there are first-time matches as a result of the invasion angle, which is why these matches feel special.
I was actually looking forward to a clean finish for the New Day vs. Revival match because it was going great until the Undisputed ERA interfered. I guess we'll just have to wait until Survivor Series to get the matches we've been waiting for!
But then again, it was an entertaining show, all said and done.
When do you think Alexa Bliss will return to WWE SmackDown? Let us know in the comments below. Fire away!
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
