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R-Truth was the United States Champion not very long ago. And then, he would lose it to one Samoa Joe, who's looked like the most intimidating man to hold the title in quite some time.
The two men were scheduled to take each other on, on this week's episode of SmackDown Live. But somehow the match was called off.
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Instead, WWE chose to book a tag team match instead. A match between Samoa Joe and Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio and R-Truth, that was fun while it lasted. But then again, it was nowhere close to the excitement that surrounds a big title match.
Why was the contest called off? I will try and answer the question in this article.
Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts, folks.
#5 No clear plans for the SmackDown mid card
You may think that this is a very pessimistic viewpoint to adopt with regard to the SmackDown mid-card, but it's the truth.
I mean you don't need to look beyond WWE Fastlane 2019 for justification of this point, really. It was supposed to be a Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade match at the beginning when suddenly it became a Fatal Four Way match for the United States Championship.
Tom Phillips justified the change of plans with 'plans subject to change'. And that may be the truth with regard to the SmackDown mid card...no plans are set in place until hours before the show takes place. Plans are probably made on the fly based on the whims of the creative team on the go.
The best part about WWE is that it is a never-ending soap opera. And therefore it is almost a certainty that Samoa Joe and R-Truth will clash again, down the line someday.
#4 To give Rey Mysterio a big win
If a title match was supposed to happen, in all likelihood, Samoa Joe would have picked up a win. Considering how poorly he's been booked over the past few months, I would have been okay with this. Joe is probably the worst booked monster in WWE, at this moment.
But WWE believes in the philosophy of 50-50 booking, which essentially means that they want their Superstars to trade wins until wins and losses become meaningless overall.
Which is why they had Rey Mysterio go over Samoa Joe in this big clash and probably set him up as a future title contender against Joe. I wonder if this is, in fact, the match that is planned for WrestleMania.
I would honestly be okay with a contest of this nature, between David and Goliath on the grandest stage. These two men could certainly tear it up.
#3 Predictable outcome for the original contest
When the match was first announced, nobody really expected Samoa Joe to lose the US Championship. As badly as he has been booked, he just won the US Championship and hence, the title match should have ideally been a very easy win for the Samoan Submission Machine.
And therefore, Vince McMahon may have felt that there was no equity in doing yet another match for the US Championship. Because of the same, he may have called the match off and replaced it with a tag team contest that would be faster paced.
Plus, as mentioned on the last page, this match set the stage for what should be the highly anticipated Mysterio vs. Joe contest, that can elevate the US title significantly. Another match with R-Truth would not have done the same, honestly.
And hence the decision was taken on the fly, to shelve the match.
#2 To remove R-Truth from the US title picture
R-Truth is one of the most entertaining superstars to ever compete in WWE, across the company's rich and illustrious history. But somehow, he's a bit too entertaining, if you know what I mean.
His innate sense of humour and incredible comic timing have relegated him to become little more than a comedy character, unfortunately.
And if you consider the United States Championship picture, as mentioned already, it was a bit underwhelming until Samoa Joe came along to the dance.
Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev are no pushovers, but somehow their feud and their championship runs left a lot to be desired for no fault of their own. Samoa Joe has the potential to elevate the Championship and for him to do so, he needs to be kept away from R-Truth.
In a way that's the problem with Kofi Kingston as well, truth be told. The New Day association makes us forget what a great in-ring talent the man is.
#1 Not giving away the title match on free TV
Ever since the brand split, a lot of us have complained, especially for the brand-specific pay-per-views, that they sometimes feel like an episode of RAW and SmackDown Live.
And this is because while title matches have traditionally been seen as a pay-per-view attraction, they happen so often on television these days that they often lose their charm.
In fact, we even saw a title match and a title change on RAW this week. Vince McMahon and the WWE think tank probably did not want to give away yet another title match on free TV, so soon after Samoa Joe defended his US Championship at WWE Fastlane. It would just have devalued the Championship and the prestige it holds.
What did you think of this week's episode and especially this match? Let us know in the comments.
Whom should Samoa Joe face at WrestleMania?
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