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WWE SummerSlam turned out to be a solid show. It was brisk with compelling moments, standing up to its reputation as one of the A-shows. Naturally, SmackDown had the task of following the good work.
WWE had stories to build up. Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns had to come face-to-face after the recent events, and Buddy Murphy wasn't safe. Though he had to have his debut on the blue brand against Roman Reigns, it was Bryan and Erik Rowan who'd have been haunting his thoughts.
Also, Kofi Kingston exploded on Randy Orton at the "biggest party of the summer". The Apex Predator sought vengeance. With Kevin Owens and Charlotte Flair also in the building, SmackDown looked to thrive. They got mixed results.
In this article, we look at 2 things WWE got absolutely correct on the SmackDown after SummerSlam and 2 things that were misses.
#2 Charlotte Flair vs. Ember Moon (correct)
WWE has been struggling to find something of substance for Ember Moon. She has been hanging around aimlessly for much of her main roster tenure.
Things appeared to change when she fought against Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam. But in what could have been a career-defining moment, the match and the result were not ideal for her.
On SmackDown, Moon laid it all behind to wrestle Charlotte Flair, and she delivered excellently in the ring. The women told a great story in a competitive match, as the War Goddess took WWE's Queen to her limit. In the end, it was Moon's injured knee which emerged as the difference between the two competitors.
This match established Moon as the resilient babyface. Now WWE needs to find stories she can excel in, whereas, Flair will go back to fighting for the top prize against Bayley. It's the logical choice, and they will deliver in the ring. The SmackDown's women's division needs the rivalry to be excellent.
#2 Shinsuke Nakamura's absence (miss)
WWE needs to sort out which superstars to feature every week, and to what extent. The wildcard rule has made things messy. While some people make it to TV twice or more every week, some can't find a place on either Raw or SmackDown.
For instance, Samoa Joe appeared on Raw to fight Sami Zayn. He exploded on the crowd, making a statement. Within 24 hours, he appeared on SmackDown. This appearance was rather meaningless. All he did was roll up Owens for a victory, which did nothing for his character.
WWE could have given this slot to someone else. Someone who hasn't been given a slot on the card recently. Somebody like Shinsuke Nakamura would have done well in that slot. It'd have done him good to pin Owens even off a distraction from Elias.
The Intercontinental Champion needs to appear on TV. It's important both for the champion and the championship's prestige.
#1 Buddy Murphy's SmackDown in-ring debut and Roman Reigns' story (correct)
The who-attacked-Roman saga continued on SmackDown, as Roman Reigns fought Buddy Murphy on Tuesday. WWE's Best Kept Secret emphatically wrestled Reigns, showing why he deserves to be there.
While it's not every day someone gets to make their debut against the top guy, it's rarer that he pushes the Big Dog to his limit. Murphy was superb here. Even Reigns nodded his head after the match, approving of the Amazing Secret's disclosure. Murphy needs to hold his ground in the coming months.
However, Murphy's night wasn't always kind to him. Bryan and Rowan mimicked Reigns' interrogation of Murphy from last week, harassing him to confess that he had lied. It was amusingly brilliant. Bryan was at his mocking best throughout the night.
Now, Bryan has told Reigns that he'd be revealing the identity of the culprit next week. It should lead to unmissable things on the blue brand.
Elsewhere, the Kingston-Orton rivalry moved ahead with RKO's. It wasn't absolutely correct but wasn't a miss either. We'd be glad to know what you think about it.
#1 Kevin Owens hasn't moved on, apparently (miss)
Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens' story continued even after the latter's thumping victory at SummerSlam. We expected McMahon to take a break and Owens to move on to a fresh competitor. But WWE was in no mood to do either.
Instead, Shane McMahon continued with his antics, fining Kevin Owens US$100,000 for attacking Elias, the special enforcer, at SummerSlam. Next, he made Owens wrestle Samoa Joe with Elias again present in the referee's jersey ringside. Owens lost as Joe rolled him up for a lightning-quick-count from the enforcer. McMahon made Owens' night miserable.
Earlier in the night, Kevin Owens sensibly sold the fine, as he brought up his family. He touched his house payments and kids' college. We rarely see WWE Superstars do that, but Owens thrives in reality. So, Kevin Owens will still make this rivalry fun.
However, Owens should have moved on. There are lots of superstars in need of opportunities. Again, Shinsuke Nakamura would welcome a feud with Owens. The sooner Owens' rivalry with McMahon ends, the better.
