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This week on WWE SmackDown, one thing made me very upset ahead of Backlash 2020. And that is that SmackDown cut to Braun Strowman's entrance when we were going to see a brand new music video from Miz & Morrison (hey hey, ho ho).
Since I can't ramble enough to make it an entire slide, I shall instead focus on some other elements of SmackDown that I thought were great, and some others, not so much. Be sure to leave a comment and let me know whether you agree with my assessment of SmackDown or instead if you think that I am completely off the mark.
It is our ability to disagree and have different opinions on wrestling that makes everything so much fun indeed.
#1 Best: King Corbin and Mandy Rose in a segment during the SmackDown main event
How do you keep the audience sympathy on Otis, especially if you consider the fact that he has a beautiful girl, the Money in the Bank contract, and he's looking for a chance on every episode of SmackDown to cash in his briefcase on the current Universal Champion? The easiest way out of this conundrum is to book Otis in a SmackDown feud with King Corbin.
Not only does it give him something to do instead of trying to cash in his contract at every conceivable opportunity, but more importantly, King Corbin has the natural innate ability, more than anyone else in the current SmackDown roster to get heat. And if he is involved in the feud, there is no way at all that anyone will hate Otis, Mandy Rose or not.
Also, I am glad that Tucky is back on SmackDown at long last because he's definitely very entertaining indeed too.
#1 Worst: My issue with the SmackDown main event and the Universal Championship picture at Backlash
What happened last week on SmackDown when Miz and Morrison decided to make Universal Champion Braun Strowman's life a living hell? Braun Strowman would take it no more and the monster that we had come to know, love, and in the innermost chambers of our hearts, fear returned to SmackDown, as he toppled a van with his challengers at Backlash inside.
And this week, in the main event match of WWE SmackDown, he absolutely decimated and manhandled his two opponents in such a manner that I doubt that anyone is really excited about the Universal Championship match at Backlash. I mean the heels should have had some momentum heading into the match at Backlash, in my humble opinion, even if the big plan is to have them both lose to the Monster Among Men at the upcoming pay-per-view.
I do hope that The Fiend returns to SmackDown soon and renews his rivalry with the Monster Among Men (or starts one, based on how you view The Fiend) for a competitive feud.
#2 Best: AJ Styles becomes the Intercontinental Champion after defeating Daniel Bryan on SmackDown
I wasn't as high on the AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan match on SmackDown as my colleague Gary Cassidy seems to be, because I thought that it went on for a little longer than it actually needed to. But there's no denying the fact that it was the match of the night on SmackDown and that AJ Styles will be a great representative for the title, going forward, for sure. SmackDown needed a strong heel in the absence of Sami Zayn and who better than AJ Styles, in a sense, to fill the void?
I can potentially see him working with the likes of Matt Riddle and other SmackDown stars like Shorty G and ensuring that they become the standout Superstars they were always destined to be. Elias, when he returns to SmackDown from the injury that he sustained, will also be a natural contender for the title that AJ Styles now holds.
Maybe we see an endless series of matches with Daniel Bryan on SmackDown, which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
#2 Worst: Sportskeeda's report of the SmackDown spoiler is (unfortunately) true
Gary Cassidy from Sportskeeda reported this SmackDown segment in all its glory recently. And while many of us in the writing staff dreaded to see this segment unfold, it did play out exactly how he reported it, on SmackDown this week. The scariest thing that we have learned out of this segment is that Vince McMahon has an obsession with urine (remember how Drake Maverick wet his pants not long ago?).
Also, I thought that it was established at the start of SmackDown that a urine sample takes a certain amount of time to be processed, but the doctor defied science and told Sheamus the results of Jeff Hardy's sample in no time at all. This man either deserves the Nobel prize or a Slammy award for just how advanced his methods are.
I really don't mind silly segments on SmackDown because that is the essence of pro wrestling, in a nutshell, but I do wish that Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard realized that this segment wasn't entertaining and was, in fact, cringeworthy, almost to a fault.
#3 Best/Worst: The celebration segment on SmackDown
I do love how much the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships are getting the screen time that they deserve, but the segment on SmackDown this week was predictable to a fault. From the moment I saw Sasha Banks and Bayley step out, I knew that Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross would interrupt and that RAW stars The IIconics would even show up on SmackDown. And I am no genius for thinking so because I am sure that you, SmackDown watcher, thought so too.
Do you think it's time for Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross to regain the WWE Women's Championships and maybe feud with other teams, either on RAW or SmackDown or even NXT? I guess it is very obvious, at this point, that Sasha Banks vs. Bayley is the money feud and the two of them are likely to clash by SummerSlam mostly for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
My colleague Matty Paddock had a chance to interact with SmackDown superstar Matt Riddle recently and you may check out the interview by clicking on the link above.
