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Let me begin by saying that the Saudi Arabian audience is very different from the audience in the US. The crowd that was gathered in Jeddah for 'WWE Super ShowDown' was not nearly as critical of what happened during the show as American crowds would be.
And this will factor in significantly into my review. The show was tailor-made for such a crowd and this pretty much shows us how global a brand WWE is and how well they understand their audiences in every part of the world.
But that said, you have to think of what transpired from a macro perspective as well because the fallout of such a show will transpire on TV over the coming weeks and months. All of that considered I bring you my take on WWE Super ShowDown, for your reading pleasure, folks!
Please leave a comment and let us know what you thought about the show overall.
#1 Best: The entrances and pyro
Honestly, this did not feel like just another show and pretty much showcased how deep WWE's pockets are. It's common knowledge that WWE is getting paid millions of dollars to put on this show and they spared no expense to make it seem absolutely spectacular.
The Undertaker, Finn Balor, Triple H, and even Goldberg had massive entrances, and they all felt like bigger stars owing to how well every entrance was conceptualized and carried out. The very fact that pyro was allowed this time just added a whole new dimension to these entrances.
And the number of fireworks that went off during the show was quite spectacular as well, in my opinion. It felt like the World Cup finals for a major sport. You can criticize WWE but their booking is immaculate.
#1 Worst: Just a mega botchfest
I am very biased towards this match and therefore, I did not want to slot it in this particular column. But, considering how it turned out at the end, I feel like I have to mention it here to preserve at least some journalistic integrity.
In the latest WWE NEWS, there was a lot about the match that I thought was bad. Goldberg could not deliver a convincing Jackhammer and I don't know if this is because he's not as strong as before, or if he is just out of practice entirely.
Moreover, The Undertaker pretty much impaled Goldberg on his head when he dropped him on the mat. It was a very nasty fall and had it gone wrong, there was a very good chance that Goldberg could have suffered some nasty long-term effects.
That said, the crowd was completely into the match and they seemed to dig every single moment.
#2 Best: Keeping the title on Seth Rollins
I don't think we give enough credit to Baron Corbin with regard to just how much he has improved as a performer over time. Corbin and Rollins had a solid match, which was just shy of very good. It did the job and told a pretty interesting story also involving the referee of the contest.
And then, all of a sudden, Brock Lesnar would come out to cash in his contract. Everyone in the arena groaned when they realized that we may have a part-time champion again. But this did not happen owing to the fact that Paul Heyman tripped and fell.
Thankfully, Lesnar did not return later during the night as well, meaning that Kofi Kingston is still very much your WWE Champion (shakes hips). I suppose the fact that there's a Champion that the crowd is behind can greatly enhance a show.
#2 Worst: Match goes too long
Ideally, every Demon King match should be short and sweet, in my honest opinion. Because otherwise, if Finn Balor goes 50-50 against his opponent, in this case- Andrade, I do not see the point of this gimmick. Unfortunately, Balor was booked very poorly as he seemed to get more punishment than usual during this match.
My colleague Alan countered my hypothesis by saying that Andrade needed to look strong too when we were talking about the show. My argument, if such is the case, is that The Demon should not have been brought out then. From what I gather, The Demon only comes out on special occasions and a random match against Andrade isn't one such occasion.'
Also, because it was a pretty hot day, a lot of Finn Balor's paint came off by the end of the night. This match went too long.
#3 Best/worst: Triple H vs. Randy Orton
I regret to say this because he's one of the greatest of all time. But I can pretty much predict any Triple H match from the word go because it always follows a certain formula.
The match begins slowly and then picks up pace until it is a kick out extravaganza by the very end of the contest. Randy Orton is a solid hand in the ring and a generation younger than him too, but he's still very much a WWE-style performer which is why the match was just about okay, I thought.
But I loved the fact that Randy Orton actually went over in the contest. Orton has been lacking that one big win that will skyrocket him back into the title picture once again and this could be what the doctor ordered.
I'm calling it best/worst because it doesn't really fall into either category.
#3 Worst: Lars Sullivan's strange booking
How do you book a monster wrong? The simplest way to book a monster would be to have him obliterate all of his opponents with the utmost ease.
The funniest thing is that the match between Lars Sullivan and The Lucha House party did not have a clean finish. I would have assumed that Sullivan would have destroyed all three men during the match and then used them as toothpicks at a later stage.
I seriously do hope that WWE utilizes Lars Sullivan to his full potential because he could be a top heel in due course of time. He has the look, the physical attribute and also the skill-set to contest against someone like Roman Reigns down the line.
Of course, if he is booked in the same manner that he was this week, chances are that he will certainly get a little lost in the mix.
#4 Best/worst: Mansoor wins
I am honestly okay with someone like Mansoor winning the biggest battle royal in WWE history because the crowd seemed to absolutely love it. WWE was playing to the house and it was a wise call because nobody else would have received such a reception. Mansoor is also quite the talent and from what I hear, a nice guy.
But I really do hope that this wins translates into a bigger role for the man. Otherwise, he'd be just another Mojo Rawley who seemed to slip into oblivion after winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania.
As it is, it wasn't the most important battle royal because the winner gets nothing. I quite liked how Titus O'Neil made fun of himself and his tumble during the Greatest Royal Rumble.
To conclude, here is a picture of Alexa Bliss from Saudi Arabia, looking absolutely gorgeous as always.
