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I would say that SmackDown this week was a tale of two halves again. I did not much care for the first half of the show, but I thought that the second half was pretty good.
No two people will like the same things, so let me preface by saying that this 'Best and Worst' review is my opinion and my opinion only. You may choose to disagree with me and you have the space to voice your thoughts in the comments section below, and even pose questions to me, if you're so inclined.
I would love to interact with you guys on anything pro-wrestling related, so let's get some conversations going. And let me begin by asking you guys a question- what did you think of this week's show?
How has SmackDown been under the leadership of Mr. Bruce Prichard?
#1 Best: Dolph Ziggler gatecrashes Otis' Valentine's Day date
Everyone wanted to see Otis and Mandy Rose on their Valentine's Day date, and everyone was also rooting for the big man before Dolph Ziggler stepped into the picture. This is, by far, a significantly more compelling love triangle storyline than the Rusev, Lana, and Bobby Lashley segments.
I know that a significant portion of the audience does not care for such skits, but at the end of the day, it builds Otis up as someone that the audience can sympathize with. Moreover, it gives Mandy Rose something to do beyond getting squashed on television and allows her character to be seen as something beyond merely 'God's Greatest Creation'. And this is the most interesting thing that Ziggler has been involved with since his feud with Goldberg, in my honest opinion.
#1 Worst: Disappointing surprise
I do not hate Daniel Bryan, and in fact, I would go as far as to say that he's one of the greatest in-ring performers of our generation. But when you advertise a mystery partner for Roman Reigns and the man who walks out is Daniel Bryan, there's a major issue.
One of the reasons why WWE has such a decline in terms of viewership and why the audience does not appreciate the company as much as it used to, is because of its tendency to make promises and not deliver. When you advertise a mystery opponent, and the man who steps up to the plate is an active member of the SmackDown roster who already has a grouse against The Miz, it is very disappointing indeed.
Honestly, the only way WWE could have actually delivered after making such a promise would have been to bring back Jeff Hardy or even Mustafa Ali who has been missing in action for some time now, instead of the very first person that one would think of.
#2 Best: nWo Bray Wyatt
Much in the same way as the man who defeated him in WCW, to dethrone him from his perch, Hulk Hogan appeared via satellite, just like Goldberg had done the week prior. And then, lo and behold, The Firefly Funhouse would flash on the screen just like nWo vignettes would, back in the day. Bray Wyatt would even play air guitar in much the same manner as Hogan, and well, Kyle O'Reilly.
I don't know if we're headed towards a clash between the two men (which is entirely too possible). What I do know for sure is that I love the amount of creativity that goes into every single Firefly Funhouse segment, because there's nothing similar in the history of wrestling. You could go back in time and draw parallels to characters that resemble The Fiend, but The Firefly Funhouse is truly unique.
When was the last time that a talking pig doll was responsible with regard to building a feud with a WWE Hall of Famer, dearest member of the WWE Universe?
#2 Worst: This week's weak edition of 'A Moment of Bliss'
I thought that the start of SmackDown this week was extremely weak. I mean, Alexa Bliss had an edge to her back when she was a heel, and one would assume that she would carry some of that edge to her babyface character as well. Nikki Cross is simply delightful and WWE could have done so much with the two of them honestly.
And yet, Alexa Bliss is talking about celebrity crushes on live television while Corey Graves makes fun of Nikki Cross' accent on SmackDown. I can't believe that anyone at all thought that this was a good idea unless the ploy is to garner some mainstream attention by name-dropping Brad Pitt. Thankfully, the Carmella vs. Bayley match that would follow wasn't half bad and this segment was forgotten, for the time being at least.
I don't even know if the concept of a talk show really works if the person hosting it is a babyface and not a heel in the sports entertainment space.
#3 Best/Worst: Sheamus flattens two babyfaces at once
Honestly speaking, I am a little torn about this whole thing. With all due respect to Apollo Crews, as talented and as gifted as the man is, he just hasn't seemed to find his footing since Titus Worldwide and so I did not mind him losing this big match at all.
But at the same time, Chad Gable AKA Shorty G became a much bigger performer (no pun intended) than he used to be on the back of the King of the Ring tournament that he almost won not long ago. For him to be lumped into this category, as just another babyface who does the job for Sheamus does not make sense.
But then, I love the way that they are pushing Sheamus as a singles star which is necessary because The Bar does not exist any more. Even though Cesaro is part of a faction that has a prominent role on TV, Sheamus seems like a bigger star.
Here's more of The Goddess for you.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
