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This week's edition of WWE SmackDown was a fun show, but nothing too unexpected or extraordinary happened during the course of the broadcast, to warrant a special mention. In fact, one of the most fun things on WWE SmackDown certainly was Dolph Ziggler paying tribute to Van Halen, with a lot of subtle references.
However, you can't have a 2-hour long broadcast with no developments, positive or negative, and this week's edition of WWE SmackDown, objectively speaking, had very little that was actually 'bad' per se. It was just uneventful, meaning that, if you caught the show, you likely enjoyed it, and if you missed out on WWE SmackDown, well you did not really miss much at all.
So, with that said, here's a glimpse of what worked on this week's show and what did not.
#1 Best: Murphy looks like an absolute star on WWE SmackDown this week
We always knew that Murphy was one of the better workers, not merely in the WWE roster, but in the world, but like so many others on 205 Live, he didn't have a chance to mix it up with those in the big time. Murphy looked like an absolute star when he went up against Seth Rollins on WWE SmackDown this week, as he reminded us of just how good he is, and the fact that his budding romance with Aalyah Mysterio played out in the manner that it did, thankfully indicates that this storyline could go in a multitude of directions.
Everything is going right for Murphy right now. The hardcore fans that enjoy the wrestling aspect of WWE can enjoy his matches and moves. The more casual fanbase that watches WWE SmackDown for drama, can sink their teeth into the romance storyline that has caused a rift between Aalyah, her brother and her father.
#1 Worst: The ridiculousness of Otis and The Miz on WWE SmackDown this week
Everything regarding the court case with Otis and The Miz on WWE SmackDown was really funny, until and unless you consider the fact that one of these two men is in line to become the next WWE Universal Champion or the WWE Champion, by cashing in the contract that he holds. Could you potentially imagine someone who was in a segment so ridiculous this week as this one, cashing in on Roman Reigns and the element of seriousness he brings to WWE SmackDown or even on Drew McIntyre and the legitimacy he brings to the title? It was good to see JBL return for this small cameo, though considering the poor man could not get inducted into the Hall of Fame, thanks to COVID-19.
Also, what was the point of Miz and Morrison going over to WWE RAW and Otis staying on WWE SmackDown, if the brand split is going to be diluted so very soon after the 2020 draft? Heavy Machinery is supposed to have split up after their emotional farewell on Talking Smack but we saw them on RAW this week and we saw them on WWE SmackDown as well.
#2 Best: Chad Gable reminds us who he really is on WWE SmackDown
When Shorty G said on air that he was quitting, a lot of questions were raised by people watching WWE SmackDown regarding the same. Did that mean that he would be returning to NXT, or did that mean that he will be on the shelf for some time until he returned with a new gimmick? Thankfully, the question was answered very soon on WWE SmackDown when he said that he was quitting the 'Shorty G' gimmick, which made several people very happy.
As Shorty G rattled off his achievements, one had to agree with him regarding the fact that for someone who has accomplished so much, Shorty G was a step-down, as a gimmick.
There is no guarantee that Chad Gable will become a big-time WWE SmackDown star either, but at the same time, it is a step in the right direction. We'll have to wait and hope for the best, for him, from a booking perspective on WWE SmackDown in the weeks that follow.
#2 Worst: Annoying WWE SmackDown terms like 'tribal' and 'freak', repeated over and over again!
Sportskeeda's Greg Bush was keeping count of how many times Michael Cole uttered the term 'freak' during the course of WWE SmackDown and thankfully, he wasn't taking a shot every time the term was uttered or he'd have been unable to focus on his writing duties and responsibilities. There is a story going around that he may be renamed 'The Freak', going forward on WWE SmackDown, and one really has to wonder if that's a good idea. But the number of times that Michael Cole uses the term is extremely distracting and honestly, hurts the product.
And the same could be said for the overuse of the term 'tribal' on WWE SmackDown.
For Roman Reigns to reveal the consequences of the big match with Jey Uso would have made sense, but the term 'tribal consequences' is just weird and to be honest, a little silly. One gets that it had to do with what happens within the tribe, but WWE SmackDown's creative staff could honestly do better.
#3 Best/Worst: Trying way too many things with WWE SmackDown star Daniel Bryan?
Last week, we saw Daniel Bryan almost start a feud with Seth Rollins, which was all but forgotten this week, wasn't it? And then, we thought that he would be entering the WWE SmackDown tag team division with Kevin Owens, which isn't a bad idea either, but then again, it was forgotten soon after when he had an altercation with Sami Zayn over the Intercontinental Championship.
None of these feuds is a bad idea, but Daniel Bryan needs to stick to one program on WWE SmackDown because we know that when someone is doing far too many things, WWE Creative generally tends to make a mess of almost everything. Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens teaming up may be the most exciting idea of the lot, because of just how uncool they are, as compared to say, The Street Profits.
Be sure to catch Denise and Ryan reviewing WWE SmackDown in the link shared above, and let them know if you agree or disagree with what they have to say.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
