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Okay, if you ask me to compare this week's episodes of WWE RAW and SmackDown Live, I'd have to say that the Red Brand comes out on top. Honestly, the Blue Brand has its moments but overall, there was just something missing from the show.
I will chronicle what I thought was the best and worst of the program in this very article. I invite you to do the same in the comments section and let me know if you liked the episode of SmackDown that followed WWE Clash of Champions.
What do you think of Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston as a program, dear reader? Do you think that it's time for a brand new Champion?
Everyone on social media is buzzing about it, so let me begin with that point.
#1 Best: Kofi Kingston's biggest challenge yet
Kofi Kingston has been heavily protected as a Champion since he made history at WrestleMania, but all of that could be set to change on the very first episode of SmackDown on FOX, in my opinion. WWE needs a major headline coming out of the show and crowning a new champion is a really good way to go about things.
Kofi Kingston has pretty much run through all of the heels on SmackDown Live except for Rowan and Andrade, which means that Brock Lesnar is the perfect opponent for him at this juncture. Making Lesnar WWE Champion may not necessarily be the worst thing either, because it will make the title prestigious as well.
Kingston will be the underdog going up against Lesnar even though he is the Champion, in this case. And this could be a great way to shake things up on the blue brand and elevate babyfaces like Owens to potentially face Lesnar.
#1 Worst: Not enough matches
My colleague and good friend Greg Bush was in the arena for SmackDown and he kept grumbling on chat for the duration of the show, and for good reason. Even though he had driven a fair distance to watch the show, there weren't enough matches in the card to justify the trip.
There was a 6-man tag with The New Day vs. Randy Orton and The Revival at the start. While that was good, the following Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks match ended in a DQ, and the only other contest was a Heavy Machinery match.
It just spiraled downhill from the opening segment and that's a shame, I feel. WWE could have put on a match or two more, to have made the show more interesting than it eventually was.
While the show was fine, I feel a match or two more would have made it absolutely perfect.
#2 Best: Chad Gable ruins Corbin's moment
I know that I received a lot of flak when I said that King Corbin is the way to go, but I knew for sure that my convictions were right from how this segment actually played out. Becoming King of the Ring is the beginning of another story with Corbin and Gable, two men who have history from NXT.
King Corbin ridiculed Chad Gable for his height, getting the crowd firmly on the side of the underdog who was getting bullied by a significantly bigger man on TV. This would happen until Gable would snap and attack King Corbin, running him straight into his throne.
The sight of Corbin wailing as his crown was stomped upon will be recalled with much delight by wrestling fans for a long time. So, this tournament did end up elevating two men.
Shorty G and King Corbin are both great characters.
#2 Worst: Kevin Owens threatens legal action
I've complained about this several times, but I think that they're ruining Kevin Owens. I mean he is someone who defied authority and cut a vicious promo on SmackDown Live, burying Shane McMahon's reign of terror. I don't like the idea of him being a figure whose preferred course of action is a lawsuit.
I'm guessing that Eric Bischoff considers lawsuits to be the worst kind of threat from his days running WCW, but I'd much rather see Kevin Owens being the modern-day Stone Cold Steve Austin. A Stunner works a lot better than a lawsuit when it comes to a live crowd and I'm sure even Owens agrees.
This whole $100000 storyline was flawed from the very start because WWE Superstars should be above 'fines'. They should be portrayed as celebrities who have a lot of money, and who cannot be manipulated with fines, in my opinion.
#3 Best: Charlotte and Carmella?
I thought that Carmella was excellent during her heel run. She was the breakout star in the Enzo and Cass stable, and who would have ever thought that at the start?
Even though she and R-Truth make an entertaining pair, I think that she can certainly be used in a far better manner as a wrestler and a character. And therefore, her pairing with Charlotte is fresh and unexpected, and I must say that I quite like this.
This is a great unit to potentially go up against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross and potentially unseat them in time. It's obviously Bayley's time to be Champion and therefore, removing Charlotte from the title picture is also wise because having her lose time and again will not be a good look for her, in my opinion.
And yeah, so I'm actually all for this pairing, to be quite honest.
#3 Worst: The main event segment felt extremely underwhelming
I mentioned earlier how there were very few matches on the show. Honestly, the main event segment should have been a lot more exciting than it turned out to be.
I wonder if Kofi and Brock should have ideally gone on last because everything on the show felt underwhelming after it. I know that this sets the stage for a face turn from Daniel Bryan and potentially the return of the 'Yes' movement as well, but all said and done, it just feels a little tepid overall.
The truth of the matter is that Harper and Rowan are not main event players, like it or not, as much as we root for them. And they should not be either, because the WWE Championship should be the main thing in the show.
I hope that Roman and Bryan are not pushed at the expense of the actual tag teams in the show!
#4 Best/Worst: A lowkey push for Heavy Machinery
One of the things that's hard to dispute is that Otis Dozovic is immensely over. While his character is goofy and very over-the-top, the crowd seems to love him and by association, Tucker Knight. The two men can be a very popular act, in the days that follow, in the stacked roster.
I also love the fact that they're picking up victories and I especially loved the fact that they didn't go up against enhancement talent. B-Team got screen time and it makes a lot more sense to use them than bring in local talent in every single town, I feel. Even if the result is painfully obvious, let the guys in the roster get valuable TV team!
We all know that Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas are very gifted. Unfortunately, they're in the lower mid-card position and can only do so much right now.
Maybe they need blessings from The Goddess, Alexa Bliss.
