People about to see how good heel Shotzi is, I'm stoked.
People about to see how good heel Shotzi is, I'm stoked.
Guess it was due to the UK tour but no Sasha or Charlotte on the show was noticeable. Would be something if they alternated shows between Charlotte being the focal point and Reigns being the focal point the other week.
"I take one week off and Smackdown sucks. It's almost as bad as Raw." Alright. I'll certainly acknowledge you for that, Reigns. "Tiny little no-name town" is a funny way to make fun of the fact that they refused to announce the city they're in when they really don't feel like it's a big city.
The first part of Naomi/Shayna was quite clunky but it rounded into form after the commercial break (especially with the headscissors slingshot driver onto the apron). Naomi getting the win initially was notable but of course it got convoluted with Sonya explaining how the rules weren't properly executed so the match had to restart, thus Naomi eventually lost. I'm curious what's going to be larger by the end of this: Naomi's support from the audience or the audiences disapproval of Sonya.
Ridge Holland getting promo time and using that promo time to Stan Sheamus was a double dose of surprise. So there's either going to be a team-up there or a feud where Sheamus plays the face. I guess we could get both. Regardless, Sheamus will hopefully lead Holland into a positive swing of momentum as the new guy asserts himself of Smackdown.
Shotzi spoke truths in her promo. The promo seemed a little too close to rigid but I thought she conveyed her angst quite well and hammered home the heel turn for her.
Los Lotharios is actually a pretty good name for Carrillo and Garza. Their inset promo at the beginning of he match sounded pretty good (particularly from Carrillo, which is a welcomed surprise). Seems shortsighted to split a tag team of Mansoor and Ali to move to a temporary one of Mansoor and Cesaro. That fall from Mania grace is really continuing for Cesaro. A true shame because he's electric when he's in there.
Good to see they finally remembered Ricochet was on Smackdown. The promo prior to the match with McIntyre wasn't much (thought improving) but he looked good as he tried to talk tough and the crowd was into it. Ricochet was in rag doll mode and just bumping like crazy for McIntyre. Ricochet getting caught midair from a moonsault with The Claymore was gnarly. A flashback for Ricochet from when he took that super kick from Adam Cole. Really short match but very entertaining. Based on McIntyre giving a nod of respect after the match and Ali talking about Ricochet during the match and wanting to tag with him, MMMMMMAAAYBE they're finally going to push Ricochet. They're allergic to good things if they don't put him on TV more.
McAfee asked "what the hell is going on" as they went to break after the Happy Talk segment. Indeed, McAfee. What the hell, indeed. Madcap has a nice spine buster, though.
Zayn just working through the new additions on Smackdown and citing being the locker room leader is simple but good time filler. He got more than he bargained for when he tried to teach a thing or two to Hit Row. McAfee had some gumption saying "this is going to be fabulous" as they went to break with Zayn and Hit Row. They really don't need to have the theme music playing as Hit Row cuts their promos. I see that they're trying Shield meets New Day energy with Hit Row. We'll see if it can click.
That King Woods theme slaps. All this time on the main roster and Woods has never had his own theme song, I believe. Better late than never again, it's a great one. I miss main event Jey Uso but Jimmy did his thing in the main event with Woods. There was some serious elevation on that top-rope leg drop by Woods. He'll probably be feeling that one tomorrow. They had a good match and the chemistry between New Day and the Usos just continues to shine. They probably should have had something other than a rollup for the pin, though. Of course Jimmy was going to lose and was poised to bend his knee to King Woods but it wasn't going to happen because that's the heat, brother lol. Reigns Superman punched the crown off Woods' head.
I guess the idea of Brand vs. Brand supremacy at Survivor Series isn't a thing anymore. I mean, we're essentially two weeks away from the event and they're not hyping that up. Kind of surprised they're not going to do that but they're certainly establishing the idea of Reigns/Woods now for Survivor Series and I would be down for that.
Last edited by BGMaverick; January 15th, 2022 at 11:19 PM.
Just reading the results and it sounds like Ricochet might've turned heel?
So the city Smackdown was in is where I typically go to see all the shows. I had no idea they were going to be there until yesterday when a buddy texted if I was going as he was taking his kid. If I had more notice I definitely would have but after skimming the show I would have been hugely disappointed.
Reigns is right when they say no name town. Probably why they book a European tour this week. I would have been pussed nit getting to see Banks.
I don’t think so.Originally Posted by mth
Ok. Just checking as I read it fairly quickly and the promo sounded like he was mocking Drew and Ali was watching backstage so I thought maybe something was going on there.
I'd say he was just giving a word of warning for McIntyre and was indirectly pumping himself up in the process. Certainly helped that he followed it up with a slap. That said, the match didn't really flow in a way or was presented in a way where he was being looked at as a heel. Ali was just being presumptuous in regards to his comments backstage during the match and then attempt to team up with Ricochet afterwards.
Cole came across VERY enthusiastic when Ricochet came out to answer the open challenge. That, the match, McIntyre's reply, and a hint of an actual story seem to be promising.
Reigns vs King Woods for a one-off title match would be magical, SD or PPV. Of course Woods won’t win but he looks damned strong in trying!
I figured this feud would lead up to a big e vs reigns match at survivor series but they don't seem to be building at all towards that or anything for that matter
I'd also be content with a reunited new day +1 vs the bloodline +1 traditional ss match. But who would the +1's be?
Who?
Who?
Might still get that and going into fantasy booking mode here but taking a page out of the Eddie/Brock book here. Reigns constantly puts Wood down as a joke and they have a title match while still planning a bigger E feud on the side. Reigns (ie Brock) constantly puts down Woods as a joke king and saying he’ll never make it. Woods (eg Eddie) is the underdog and puts up a helluva fight (like he did Lashley and beat him on that occasion). Reigns eventually has to resort to shit and Uso bullshit but E (ie the Goldberg) makes the save but not totally cost Reigns. Sir Kofi too also helps. He then has Woods for the F5 but Woods (like Eddie) counters and beats him clean. Reigns spins it by saying E helped Woods promoting their feud even non-title and blasts the fans know the truth but the world knows.I figured this feud would lead up to a big e vs reigns match at survivor series but they don't seem to be building at all towards that or anything for that matter
I'd also be content with a reunited new day +1 vs the bloodline +1 traditional ss match. But who would the +1's be?
Who?
Who?
Of course that will 99% not happen but would be amazing if it did.
I thought they already booked Reigns vs E for SS?
Anyway, credit to the Bloodline making me care about a storyline involving TND.
I like Shayna but that match started rough. Good story between the 3 as its been a long time since SD has had a decent storyline that didn't involve the women’s champion.
Not sure how long Los Lotharios is going to last but Carillo is a good looking fella!
Speaking of fella, how long until they cut Ridge Holland down to either just Ridge or Holland?
Nothing official yet as far as I know. Correct me if I’m wrong but if they’re both still champs then yeah likely going down.
This could actually have more meaning and build being held off really but the brand vs brand title thing they’ve booked them into a corner to keep up the theme.
According to WWE.com they have king woods on team SD vs team Raw.
I can live with that.
Maybe have the King survive at least then do a singles with Reigns later when the brand stuff is done.
Either way, push the King to the moon![/Grimes]
I'll be very happy if Ricochet gets something cooking again.
The first few minutes of Naomi and Shayna was brutal. Looked like they had no idea what the other was doing.
Sami Zayn is so the man.
I love watching Naomi but she's no different than the majority of female wrestlers--too much thinking, not enough doing. Someone who doesn't do that who is new'ish=Shotzi. With other women you can almost see it in their face that they're going "And now I jump, and then I duck, and then she kicks me but then I duck" They always seem to be scared to hurt each other.
But I do love the Naomi-Sonya storyline and I'm curious if this will all connect to the Mandy Rose-Naomi feud.
Thanks for posting this - there has been something bugging me about most of the lower and mid-card women for a while but I couldn't quite identify it, other than "they're not ready yet" or "they're not as good as (insert higher quality female wrestler's name)"
This is the clear difference about the women whose matches I won't fast forward through. It isn't just how smooth they can pull off the move itself, its also how they put their moves together and balance their offense with their selling of their opponent's moves. And it is a big reason why I enjoyed watching Carmella before her latest shiny mask gimmick, or Lacey Evans before she got knocked up - these two get that their facial expressions while transitioning between moves are really important and can make the difference between a series of spots vs a decent story being told.
Now someone like Bianca can overcome some of this by the quality of her sheer athleticism and power moves. Not many others - but I 100% agree with you about Shotzi. To large extent, DouDrop is also more about the "Dou - ing" and she doesn't look like she's scared to hurt someone.
I’m stunned the ladies got so much time to start the show. I thought there were quite a few solid parts to it, as well. Seems pretty sudden to see Sasha just really embracing the happy hour lucky face role but here we are. Naomi took a hell of a lot of punishment. They were trying incredibly hard to get Aliyah over. She seemed slow but didn’t seem completely lost out there and the crowd seemed to be into the idea of the fresh face. That fresh face might have gotten too caught up in the moment because she upchucked near the end of the segment. Naomi has company now in the form of Aliyah as randomly facing the wrath of Sonya. Taking Aliyah off the team, Sonya hates feel-good moments.
They’re really not doing Nakamura any favors. He’s taking Ls and probably poised to lose the belt before the PPV or just straight up lose to Priest.
Definitely didn’t anticipate Von Wagner moving up from 2.0 this quickly but I guess that’s happening. What a damn stretch, to say the least.
I can’t believe Charlotte got ‘Uh oh’ over as quickly as she did lol. Toni coming out to call out Charlotte was definitely a welcomed surprise. Between Liv and Toni, at least they’ve got some fresh challengers. We got Starmaker and Clotter of Bloodlines (from Woods) within five minutes. Good heat check.
Silly to randomly announce the Survivor Series teams on social media over the week but kind of an inspired move to have matchups between the participants fighting to keep their spot. That’s some reverse engineering to create urgency for the setup to the PPV. Zayn consistently makes the most of his matches on TV. They are always better than they should be. It is wild that in 2021 that we see Hardy over as hell.
Please stop playing Hit Row’s theme as they dropping bars. It’s not that hard, production team. Shanky and Mahal during the own rap was as cringeworthy as you’d expect.
At least they added a tweak to Holland going full Sheamus Stan by having Cesaro questioning Holland. Good for Holland, but sad times still looming for Cesaro.
McAfee dropping Mount Westmore during Reigns’ entrance was a flex but it was pretty dope. The match between Reigns and Woods was pretty solid. Woods really showed out. You’d think the methodical pace would hinder him but he showed great fire to keep things going. It was obvious that The Usos were going to interfere. I’m curious if they’re going to extend this stuff with Woods after the PPV. They certainly can because the implication is that Woods was poised to win with the coast-to-coast elbow before The Usos got involved.
Oh no.
Next week: She's gonna... She's gonna... She's gonna PUKE.
I'm so out the loop, I'm ashamed. I just learned Mount Westmore was a thing today.
There was an old QB coaching theory from back in the day, as the players transitioned from college to the pros, that stated the more game reps they got the better off they’d be. The inference was that a Senior/Redshirt Senior was more prepared to become a pro because they’ve seen more live game action, number of college starts used to be a huge barometer. Sitting in a film room or going three quarters speed in practice/walk through was well and good but lining up in a full-go situation against 11 dudes coming for your head was infinitely more important. Essentially why you still see (saw) the perennial powerhouses scheduling glorified scrimmages during the exhibition season, it’s another step up for the starting QB; he gets some easier live action prior to the games that matter (in-conference play).
For these female wrestlers who aren’t the Four Horsewomen or already established (ie: Asuka), game reps matter a lot. Running the ropes in training or preplanning in the locker room beforehand are one thing, but going 10+ minutes in front of a paying crowd are infinitely more valuable.
“Uh oh” is gonna be the new “What?” lol.
Also I think this may have been the first time Reigns has technically lost a singles match since becoming “Head of the Table” but someone correct me if I’m forgetting something. Puts Woods over strong either way though.
It was a No Contest with Adam Pearce but he was deemed the loser in that match too, back from January.
That is true.
Okay first time someone has beaten Reigns then as sole winner.
One of the things that really sold me on Shotzi was that tag title match where at the end she took the wicked stepsister move. You see her head bounce off the chair and the eyes roll in the back of her head before getting pinned and defeated. Little things like that can sell just as well as clutching your ribs or playing to the crowd. Although now that she's a heel, it's going to be the stare menacingly while standing completely still. Oh and yell and throw tantrums probably. On the flipside, Sasha giving her glasses to little kid in the crowd face move makes no sense given just two weeks prior she was "I hate you people" mode. I just kinda shrug my shoulders at this point
Sasha is on pace to turn as many times as the Big Show
Damn not one comment.
That Becky and Charlotte package was fire. This match almost feels to good for this Sunday.
I've been busy this week lol.
I would have had Cesaro or Ricochet win the fatal 4-way to earn the spot on the team, but they've kind of laid the groundwork out there on Sheamus through Ridge Holland. Something between Sheamus/Holland and Cesaro after the PPV seems like it could be on the docket. I'm sure it won't do anything for Cesaro but it could be interesting.
Very good video package to chronicle the history between Becky and Charlotte. It's a shame that the verbal jabs really weren't done face to face in the lead up to the match. I know Reigns and E will be good, but Becky and Charlotte should close the show.
The Priest vs. Nakamura match has to be the coldest of the champion vs. champion matches for Sunday. The match should be pretty good, though. Speaking of Priest, that stuff with Crews putting Priest on notice must have been forgotten.
Sasha and Shotzi had a good one. Nice variation for the submission by Sasha. Shotzi has really delivered in her matches against Charlotte and now Sasha. That should speak well to her upside but it's really hard to buy into the fact that they'll stay behind her and keep her relevant.
Not the same type of comic book-like exposition they did for Tian Sha in NXT but they're trying to give some some substance to Xia Li. Speaking of trying to give some substance, they did decent enough job with Toni Storm and her promo. She's not scared of Charlotte and she wants to show that she's up to the challenge. Simple and to the point. It's not that hard. She needs a strong showing in the Survivor Series match.
That was a well-placed tear on Woods' check as the crown was about the get crushed by Reigns. Woods has been given plenty of rope in this run with the Head of the Table and he's really checked every box along the way. If you have any doubts about his ability to stand out on his own without the rest of the New Day, these last few weeks should be a very notable example to show that he can. That pop for E's reveal at the end of the show was pretty good. I guess The Bloodline outsmarted Woods earlier in the show or he was just willing to take the beating to get the last laugh later in the show. Weird plan, but it worked haha.
Shame Mustafa Ali does all this great promo work on his social media rather than on TV...
https://twitter.com/AliWWE/status/1459589009039147011
He’s a delight when he’s been on UpUpDownDown. Speaking of which the channel’s gone quiet lately though I do wonder if it’s because Woods has a busier schedule with his push and other hosting duties on G4.
Negotiations playing out in public. WWE owns the brand and the talent is paid but it’s essentially next to nothing so they’ve stopped making stuff until things change.
Ahhh.
FWIW, there's apparently no heat on Woods for this decision.
That’s cool, hope it works out. Was hoping more cheesy king stuff on there since he became king but the situation is understandable.
At least he’s getting a strong push. Hope the Reigns stuff with him continues once Survivor Series.
Cesaro vs Holland on SD this week in no doubt another Cesaro laying down the mat role.
He actually would’ve made a decent Bar trio along with Holland and Sheamus but laying down as per usual. Everything since challenging Reigns has gone downhill so far.
He’s even a decent talker and plenty personality when he’s being himself. I don’t know what it is with management/Cesaro. Does his face not quite fit or something?
I always found Cesaro to be kinda awkward on the mic, myself.
Though English isn't his first language of course, so he's more than adequate.
There’s phrasing’s now and again he doesn’t get quite right due to the slight language barrier (sometimes happens on UUDD) but I think he’s solid enough to get his point across. Certainly has a connection with the crowd though and is worthier of a push than what he’s getting at the moment but since the feud and match with Reigns he’s been put back into the position of getting others over.
I guess they see him as having value in that regard so a compliment in itself. If he’s getting featured and paid regularly though, he’s probably not complaining himself too much even though people want to see him do better.
Yeah, don' t get me wrong, I'd love to see him in a better position. Been a big fan of his since first coming across him in ROH in 2006.
All wwe performers are on salary so even if they aren't being used they are still getting paid. It's just they miss out on performance bonuses, which depending at where you are at on the card, can be rather significant.
True that others higher up probably get used more and in fairness I don’t know much about the company pay structure. I can only guess that the fact they still use him regularly despite having a cup of coffee in the main event means the performance bonus he’s getting is probably still pretty decent.
There's a disconnect in regards to Cesaro's promos. He's able to speak naturally and charismatically when he's off the cuff but he's a little too stiff with scripted promos. I presume WWE doesn't necessarily see the need to give him more rope for promos so they script him and that's ultimately undercutting him.
You could say that about a lot of people.
1000% agree with the point though. Some vets are used to that style but how much better would it be if talent were given more rope but that’s probably never going to happen as long as Vince is in charge.
I watched Smackdown all of one minute, and I'm shaking my head. It's the Charlotte/Toni Storm segment. I could swear the actual crowd was booing Toni because at this point, why would anyone think someone is going to get over on Charlotte. Especially someone that the crowd can tell is being thrown into this because...reasons. People back winners, even if they're jerks. And they've been shown that Charlotte is a winner and Toni is an insignificant loser. And Toni gets two pies to the face and is just standing there looking sad, like she's about to cry, and we know Charlotte isn't going to get her comeuppance for being a jerk.
These are the same people that ate up Charlotte’s dumb “uh-oh” crap.
I don’t even really blame Charlotte as she’s doing what she’s told, but still she’s all over the place and as talented as she is, they are still pushing her like face Roman Reigns before he went Godly “Head of the Table”
The faster they just let her be full-on heel Queen, the better for everyone.
Becky is doing her best as a heel and she’s drawn heat By God best but I just can’t help but think if the ending of that match with the screw job was changed around (backstage heat rumours aside) how much hot that could have been. Charlotte so desperate to overcome how Becky has surpassed her that she resorts to cheap tactics.
Brock’s suspension may be lifted but who cares about that? @Mazer….
Coming up on 100 days that he’s been gone. Withdrawal symptoms.
But yeah suspension storyline is laughably nonsensical. Suspended indefinitely….a month later magically lifted!
This was definitely not a great episode of Smackdown. The show just seemed like it was mailed in and way too emphasized on a guy who wasn't even present in the form of Lesnar. The general stories made sense but it was just misdirect for other things and that made it too convoluted. No real callback to what was happening between Reigns and Woods wasn't ideal, either. Woods was just present in the form of a WWE Shop advertisement. Yikes.
Reigns' promo was somewhat subpar because it's more interesting when he has an actual foil to go up against. He dismissed the Lesnar stuff and then dismissed the Battle Royal winner so it was just kind of there.
McIntyre and Hardy definitely have a shelf life as a team but they certainly work before hitting that expiration date. Certainly helps when they're beloved babyfaces that are facing despised heels in the form of Corbin and Moss.
The funny gag for Holland when he first appeared in NXT UK and NXT was that he had a Lesnar frame and loved Zayn's hats and now they're all on the same brand. It looked pretty silly that Cesaro easily rolled Holland up but I guess this is just a story that's going to linger for a while.
They deserve praise for actually making use of Nakamura, who had been floundering for way too long, but then it's crossed up because he's the Intercontinental Champion and keeps finding himself in feuds that are more of a service to tag teams (now Los Lotharios). Boogs has been good in his role and he deserves kudos for helping in the revitalization, but it's misrepresented because of the current setup. Just find someone else to be the IC champ and let Nakamura and Boogs actually be a tag team.
They did absolutely no favors to Toni in her segment with Charlotte. Sheesh. It's a tale of two champions and how they are booked. Becky has Liv and the challenge stands up to her and will even stand tall a couple of times. We then see what we saw with Charlotte and Toni. The challenger just looked silly and now they have some serious work to do with her.
Certainly a lot of effort is being placed towards Xia's eventual debut.
The tag match between Sasha/Naomi and Shayna/Natalya was a little too clunky. Good for a mini Team BAD reunion to break out. McAfee calling Shayna "Sonya Stooge" was pretty good, haha. They've invested time into the story for Naomi with the sense that Sonya has a gripe with her but they've done near the bare minimum to explain why there's a beef. That just leaves us with an authority figure that's too power hungry and taking it out on a babyface that doesn't get many chances to rise up. WWE seems to be really, really interested in building heat and heels but not really sure how to build faces. Speaking of...
McIntyre isn't in the battle royal for reasons unknown. You're in North Carolina, Hardy territory, and you have him presumably set as the winner but Zayn snuck out of the match and hid to just steal the win. Hardy and McIntyre seem like the two viable opponents for Reigns but they're going with Zayn (why). It doesn't make sense character wise but Zayn is a guy who's made the most of his opportunities so some shine is nice. That would be nice but of course, Zayn is absolutely being undercut because Lesnar looms and will be back next week lol. Too much bad, senseless booking.
I imagine zayn will lose his title shot somehow. Hopefully brock just shows up and scares it out of Sami. Then Sami can cry conspiracy.
Cesaro doesn't need to talk. Remember when he used to come to ring with a towel over his head and the opponent would shit their pants because they knew they were in for an ass kicking? That's all Cesaro needs to do. Just say a few words and then beat the ever living shit out of people. Thing is, by all accounts Vince doesn't see anything in him and will never push him. It's like being in the friend zone.
I’d love that, the fans would love that but Vince and the general structure in shows these days that are so promo heavy (like opening promos) that talking is a big part of it. Talking in this setting is seen as a bigger thing than the wrestling itself.
I think though Vince obviously does see some value in Cesaro even it’s not the way we quite want him to but it is there.
How about when he debuted on the main roster, had a valet, the US title, and would cut promos every week? They stopped having him talk and a guy with 5-6 different languages going on at the same time in his head--you have to think the more he was able to cut promos the better he'd get? Then again, he's never been good on the mic going back to CZW/ROH. Hero did all the talking and when Cesaro did talk it wasn't anything special.
I think it just depends on how you define a push. He's been booked better in the WWE than anywhere else. ROH really only saw him as the Marty of the KOW team. WWE has given him multiple singles pushes but he's been given the ball plenty of times in the tag division and killed it with The Bar.
Cesaro is perfectly fine. The fact he was even given a feud with Roman at this stage of his career, and where Roman is at in the business, that's amazing.
That Charlotte pic….so many captions and funny for all the wrong reasons!
Other than Banks/Baszler and a couple Lesnar appearances, that was quite the pedestrian effort from the blue brand.
Have they ever really explained why Sonya is being a complete asshole towards Naomi, or has it merely been "Naomi is being booked as a face, we need a heel to keep her busy"?
Sami getting squashed like that really stinks, he could have provided an exciting matchup as he bumps his ass off for Roman for 12-15 minutes.
Last edited by Tyson; December 4th, 2021 at 2:38 AM.
No and that’s the massive hole and big problem with the storyline. Bit of context/explanation would be fine but they’ve essentially had Sonya been an asshole for no reason.
Also The Woods stuff with Reigns was hot, but they’ve cooled off on that. He should’ve either survived Survivor Series or the Bloodine screwed him out of it.
Last edited by Badger; December 4th, 2021 at 5:10 AM.
Lesnar doing a lot more promo work as a face is interesting to watch. He was pretty good interacting with Zayn, and Zayn (as usual) did a good job with his role. The Reigns/Lesnar match for Day 1 seems like its set to have another wonky finish but I guess that's a means to get to the Rumble, where presumably Lesnar wins the Rumble match and gets Reigns again.
I thought Sasha and Shayna had a pretty good match. Sasha was selling pretty well for Shayna, and the setup for the cradle pin was good.
Again, just make Nakamura and Boogs a tag team and move the IC Championship to someone else. McAfee bouncing on his chair, since Boogs was on the table already, was pretty amusing. He swung and missed though when he called Shayna's stomp a "future endeavors kick" during the recap of Shayna's intensity. Out of all the people to show her doing that stomp, they showed Nia and Eva, thus McAfee made that correlation and pronouncement.
Good to see that Xia is actually going to appear next week. Lots of work on their end to hype her debut, so we'll see what they've actually got in store.
I think they did the bare minimum to get Toni back on track with her rebuttal during her promo. I guess (it's a stretch) to suggest that Toni being stoic last week actually makes her have more resolve, as opposed to Charlotte just flipping out when she got the pie treatment from Toni this week. I'm not really sure, but that's about all I can take from it.
I’m not sure I understand Brock’s motivation to show up for some middling December TV and a non-Big Four PPV. Did Fox kickback enough money to make it worthwhile for him to leave the farm?
An appearance at “Crown Jewel” I totally get, because the payday for Lesnar was allegedly massive. Is he really going to do the job again at “Day One”? Is the company going to blow that massive Reigns heat by putting the title on a part-timer who clearly doesn’t need/want it? Is this “Ending The Streak 2.0”?
Can we also take a moment to point out how stupid this “Day One” PPV idea is? The name is wholly unoriginal, they’re competing directly against New Year’s Day college football and also stealing heat from the buildup to the Royal Rumble.
Christmas weekend is during the last PPV weekend of the month, so it was either rush something with a random PPV name the weekend before Christmas or make a new one.
Well it kinda fits with the Usos…ish
I know they inspect football player brains when they die but they should also inspect football fan brains too to see why they watch.
That is fucking embarrassing for WWE.
Look at the “matches” that were booked for Friday’s SmackDown, each and every one of them if given 12-15 minutes would have been absolute bangers. The talent is there, the head booker has completely lost the plot and needs to step away.
I’m pretty sure the recaps from previous episodes took up more than 20 minutes…
What is a Black Freddie battle royal? And why is Drew so obsessed with being in it?
From what I saw on twitter, Brock went full Wyatt Family tonight.
And Xia Li went full Raiden with that entrance.
The finish to Toni/Charlotte had its clunky moments and the finish was expectedly dumb, but there’s definitely something there in terms of chemistry between the two of them.
Xia Li's debut was dope. Glad she kept the theme from NXT. The AR effects actually looked pretty rad. The overall presentation made it look like she was busting straight out of a comic or video game. Happy to see her slotted straight into something of significance.
They sequence things however they please, so it’s very stupid to not have an entrance for your apparent No. 1 contender to Charlotte as the show begins. I think Toni tried to hit a variation of Storm One on Charlotte and that just didn’t go well at all. Toni got the clean pin on Charlotte, but I’m not sure if the match actually helped her cause. Toni and Charlotte’s chemistry isn’t there, and Sasha was booked to be more of the spotlight of the team. It’s not that hard, WWE.
Seeing the fact you had full entrances for Viking Raiders and Mahal & Shanky, with stuff in between, just made the Toni invisible entrance that much more baffling.
Very good theatrics for the closing segment. Heyman has been really solid since he came back with Reigns and that’s been heightened since the dissension arose with Lesnar’s return. He delivered here in this segment too. I’m glad they didn’t belabor the point to the PPV with the misalignment between Heyman and Reigns. The setup by Reigns with the protection line and the misdirect with Heyman saying he wasn’t protecting Reigns from Lesnar but protecting Reigns from Lesnar was good. Outside of a weird Superman Punch, the exile of Heyman from the Bloodline was solid. Lesnar wrecked The Usos, ate four chair shots and just decimated Reigns with two F5s. Wow.
I think Reigns and Heyman are playing Brock and planned some con to make it seem Heyman was conflicted when Brock returned at Summerslam right down to the Superman punch. I mean Heyman is an evil genius and wouldn't be motivating Brock Lesnar as he did last week
with the "once and future reigning, defending... " spiel knowing Roman would be pissed without having some ulterior motive. I think there will be a swerve at Day One with Heyman costing Brock the win.
I can buy that.
It feels like they could do this feud without the Universal title, to be honest. Brock has zero interest in being on the road full-time, which you kind of need from the top guy/girl in the company (brand). Whomever ultimately takes the strap from Roman becomes a legitimate made man; Lesnar at this stage in his career doesn’t need that rub, we as fans don’t want/need “Brock ends the streak 2.0”.
To build on your idea: have Paul help Roman win at “Day One” (via DQ?), Brock makes a surprise appearance at the Rumble and costs Reigns his title (Xavier/Kofi/Shinsuke/Cesaro, in that order). The company solves three problems: a new top face gets cemented, Roman has a built-in excuse to chase the title in the future (you didn’t beat me cleanly) and Brock/Roman at WrestleMania (sans title) is permanent markered in.
Nice interview with Heyman. When he’s disheveled, he can really ramp up the drama. He’ll get involved at Day 1, but now it’ll be interesting to see how it actually plays out.
If this is a test to see how Toni can do, I feel like she’s closer to being given a multi-week push and being cast aside than being a top contender. She wasn’t a feature performer last week, and she wasn’t given very much in the championship match with Charlotte. It felt like most of Toni’s offense was a counter in the form of a German suplex. It wasn’t much of anything else after that. Sigh.
Zayn felt like the only guy who made sense to win the gauntlet, so we took the scenic route to get to that result. While it’s not official that pen has been put to paper with his new deal, it seems like his involvement as of late would indicate he has. If that’s the case, I’m not counting out the fact he’s going to take the IC title back. Los Letharios could cost Nakamura and break him off the championship chase and work with Boogs in a (tired) tag program. Ricochet could be an eventual option to dethrone Zayn if he does win. That hint of a push a few weeks back disappeared (as did Mustafa Ali), so the face Ricochet had to run through the tail end of the gauntlet and Zayn picked the scraps is an easy story to work off of.
Street Fight with Usos & Moss vs. Drew Day was good but the best bit was Kingston tossing an empty present box to an unsuspecting Moss, drenched in egg nog, and Moss just sold it so slowly and dejectedly lol.
Drew Gulak. Oouch!
The present box hit was hysterical work. Reminds me a bit of Prince Nana getting laid out with the toilet roll!
I need to see Riddick Moss sell more box shots. Good stuff
Madcap Moss is Donald with the volume turned…..about the same volume.
Last edited by Badger; December 26th, 2021 at 10:01 AM.
There is a report on the main page that the company, amidst an internal COVID outbreak, has announced that the twice-weekly exams for performers are no longer necessary.
Might that be reason enough for the immune-compromised Roman Reigns to step away temporarily?
Mayhaps Brock injures the tribal chief after he loses on Saturday putting him out of action for a bit?
Impact Women's Champion Mickie James in the Rumble would not have been on my bingo card for a smackdown announcement.
Also the Bellas, Michelle McCool, Lita, Kelly Kelly and Summer Rae were announced for it, I read.
Video:
https://streamlala.com/e670O/
Last edited by Bert; January 7th, 2022 at 10:21 PM.
Speaking of Summer Rae, she looks so different now. Lots of work done.
Surprised about Mickie returning and them acknowledging her current promotion, they should of left that as a surprise it would of made more impact (no pun) and good for the garbage that happened in the past line by Macafee.
Also, im probably in the minority here but we’ve done the building new stars in the Rumble enough, this year give it to Lita and give her the babyface run she should of gotten before retiring.
Ooh Seth. Interesante!
Lesnar is just really in a good groove, for him, in terms of doing his part for a promo segment. It was interesting to see how Heyman was just playing both sides in his own unique way.
McAfee’s mini championship has been a bit on his show for a little while, so it was only a matter of time until it made its way to Friday nights lol. Boogs’ strength has been used for transitional moves for most of his matches but they seemed to have a heavier emphasis on that in his match with Zayn. Probably doesn’t help the main story if Zayn loses to Nakamura’s buddy. Doubling down, Johnny Knoxville comes out and tosses him over the top rope to prove he’s worthy of being in the Rumble.
Seems actually surprising that they went ahead and announced 18 of the 30 women for the Royal Rumble. They went ahead and announced notable surprise in the form of the Bellas, Lita, Mickie James, Summer Rae, Kelly Kelly, and Michelle McCool. With obvious names still out there and some choices from NXT, there’s not a room left for surprises. Naomi and Charlotte had a lengthy and good match. Sonya continues to be a thorn in Naomi’s side for some reason. I don’t know, part of me is intrigued at the idea of Charlotte winning the Rumble and picking her own opponent.
Moss is shredded, sheesh. Depending on the timing of this injury, it could be wild that what seemed like a passing time/makeshift tag feud could lead to a Mania match between McIntyre and Corbin.
Jey Uso selling shock after superkicking Woods with his helmet on was funnier than it should have been. With them hyping that this was the last chance (for a while) for the New Day, it was a nice swerve to see The Usos retain. Whoever beats them is going to get a big rub by it, since it apparently won’t be New Day.
So Pearce was forced into a decision to find a contender for Reigns at the Rumble. Of course he had to go with someone not on Smackdown haha. Choices: McIntyre is hurt, Hardy was released, and Lesnar is the champ of the other brand. Instead, The Cackle lol…
Rollins did technically get screwed out of his match he earned because his one-on-one match at Day 1 morphed into a much wilder match. Also…that Shield-theme knock by Rollins was awesome. My main gripe is that Rollins/Reigns is a program that has been preserved for such a long time, so seeing that potentially as a transitional feud to get back to Lesnar doesn’t sit well. Rollins/Reigns is big enough to be a big-time feud for the year. That said, the build will be interesting.
Strange that they're putting the two most protected matches on the Rumble undercard with three weeks of build. Kinda feels like two Wrestlemania matches if done right.
I do like "free" Lesnar. He's fun, but can turn scary in an instant.
Having Michelle McCool without Layla to reform LayCool would be a waste if they don't do it. But considering I haven't heard anything about Layla in ages, she might not even be interested in such things anymore. Also, I would hope a surprise is Alicia Foxx. I've always liked her. Hope she's gotten straight and can at least do a guest spot.
I'm not surprised they did the Mickie announcement on tv since that will generate buzz for the show. What would really be a surprise, for both the men's and women's rumbles, is if other Impact stars are in it. I am also not ruling out that they might bring a person or two they let go for a one-off.
Logically it makes sense that Seth would get a title shot since he kept getting screwed out of his one-on-one, so I actually like that. I dare say it's a waste because you know shenanigans will take place to keep the title on Roman (possibly), so I can't completely get excited for it just yet.
This Reigns, Lesnar, Heyman storyline is just one big abusive love triangle, lol.
Intriguing throwing Rollins into the mix. I was blanking that Lashley and Lesnar is already one match, but I wonder if Rollins involvement means Lesnar screws Rollins, Rollins wins the Rumble and faces Brock at Mania for the Raw title.
Pretty good show overall.
Caught highlights and Jesus Christ I can't get over Moss' body. Dude is chiseled out of marble.
I hope there is an evolution to Moss's character. His facial expressions are great, I just think he should slowly start turning into a clown. I never really cared for the guy's on screen roles as he was as bland as you could find, at least now he's got a character.
Moss has something there, I know it. Even when he was tagging with Tino Sabanamatelli in NXT, he was always the one that exuded natural charisma and talent. Then when WWE did that RAW Underground circus, it was still apparent he was being held back. And this Madcap thing... I don't know what the point is in calling him that... but eh. He's on TV and looks to be doing fine right now so that's good. I like him. I really he gets a chance to shine once his alignment with Corbin is over.
Opening segment was surprising to me in that Brock was left to sell one surprise punch from Roman. Brock is almost never made to look weak, and Heyman's performance was soo good, what will be remembered most from this segment was Brock's introducing himself Heyman-style (which was great), and Heyman still being somehow loyal to both guys.
I had a feeling that Boogs would win, because it was pretty obvious that Knoxville was going to throw Sami over the top rope. Sami is kind of like Miz in a way, because he is so strong at the mic and his character is so hated, and he has enough wins over the years so his losses just don't matter - fans will always love to see the obnoxious heels get what they deserve. But Boogs' suplex spot by holding Sami upright was worth rewinding. I am in no hurry for Boogs to leave Nakamura, as their act is really engaging the crowd. I wonder if showcasing his strength and therefore building his singles credibility was designed to make him seem like a worthy tag partner for the current IC champ.
I liked Charlotte's announcement that she will join the Rumble and pick her own Mania opponent when she wins. I liked McAfee acknowleging that Micki James is the current TNA Knockout Champion, since most fans are aware that there are other promotions and I think it is stupid to pretend otherwise. I enjoyed the Charlotte/Naomi match and while the result was not unexpected, giving them both a lot of time was needed to remind us that Naomi is a heckuva talent and she can hang with the best. The Sonya/Naomi storyline has become more than a little annoying - they should not go this long without at least some attempt at explaining why Sonya continues to be a thorn in Naomi's side, because Sonya is not all-powerful as long as Adam is a co-GM. Why doesn't Adam at least question any of these matches?
Madcap Moss is thriving despite it being a shitty role. I'm not sure I can think of a supporting character going as all-in with his performance since, well maybe Rick Boogs.
I will miss New Day vs. Usos as they always seem to bring out the best in each other. But since they described this as the New Day's "Final Opportunity", it means we probably see them battle each other again next week.
I would have thought we'd see a face turn for either Seth or Roman before they go up against each other.
Smackdown was really good. Everything delivered, even Madcap Moss. I don't mind those 2 in the midcard, maybe as a tag-team for sure, but working with Drew...That was just too much of a jump.
Overall, solid show 3pup I get what you're saying about Roman/Seth but this is all booking on the fly and honestly---Roman got a pretty big fucking pop when he came out so I'll be shocked to see who the crowd sides with and how the WWE plays this up. IDK if a Seth babyface turn was ever in the cards and honestly, he isn't that good of a babyface in comparison to his heel work.
Between Broke and Happy Corbin, I think he's finally found something that he can keep interesting. I kinda hope somewhere he goes back to Broke if it seems the Happy character is losing its entertainment value.
He's appropriately slotted now. The issue is when he's sprinkled throughout the show or possibly runs into instances where he's at the top of the card over and over.
Roman has fairly consistently gotten a huge pop from whatever crowd he's at when he tells them to "Acknowlege Me!" He really only draws boos when the storyline demands it - like when he ducked Brock's offer because "It's a good idea, but it's not my idea, and I run things!"
Viking Raiders are a notable step down from New Day to be the challengers for the Usos but the eventual match should be good.
Boogs got a haircut. Wowsers. I’ve said it before, but they really seem to want to get the interest of the audience with him through feats of strength. That’s certainly one way to go about it. Zayn was a goof with his In Zayn Jackass spoof, but he did the job of getting the heat for the segment.
You knew things were going to be bad for Natalya when she kept harping on the Guinness book of world records. I was just surprised it was Aliyah who ended up being the benefactor. Even more of a surprise they Aliyah even acknowledged the fact she upchucked the last time we saw her in a match lol. Guess it’s good to have Aliyah in a lane here for usage. Where is Xia Li?
Lita sounded and looked good in her segment. Crowd certainly seemed to be up for seeing her around. I’m not sure how much she has left in the tank. The interaction with Charlotte could be an appetizer. Maybe not. Regardless, I think we’re going to find out with a run of some sorts in and after the Rumble.
Guess Ricochet got a new theme. Didn’t really amount to a new result for him in matches. That said, the match was Sheamus was solid. Just have to find something that can allow Ricochet to have some traction or momentum. He could definitely roll with it.
We finally got some kind of reasoning by Sonya as to why she’s been the way she is to Naomi. It was underwhelming, but I’m glad we got an answer. So Sonya she’s Naomi working out of pocket and acting like a star when she isn’t one. Fine. This needs to have an end game where Naomi raises up the pecking order or this was a big waste of time.
Moss looked good again, picking up a win over Kingston.
Reigns was held off until the end of the show, not being sprinkled across it like usual. I think that helped expose what many already knew: that Smackdown, while entertaining, is thin. They didn’t hold back in leaning into the Shield backstory as they sprinkled that throughout the show. It certainly felt notable as it led up to the face to face between Rollins and Reigns. The actual promo segment felt like it was rushed because the jabs were pointed but there’s still plenty of meat left on the bone. Rollins isn’t a dummy, so it was fresh to see that he was able to evade the jump by the Usos (which many haven’t been able to do). He also proved his own point that Reigns has had help. Of course Rollins has too, but the point with Reigns was on display.
FWIW, Rollins played more of the heel here and Reigns worked as a tweener. I anticipate that’s how it’ll stick through the duration of this program.
Odd that Xia Li debuted and helped out Naomi a few weeks ago and then...nothing. Obviously a person might worry that they never really had a plan and now she could be released at any second (that person is me).
They would never do that though. They've never debuted a female and then not followed up on it before. I think you're safe.
You might think I'm Madcap Moss, but I can assure you I'm not.
I gotta be honest. I love Madcap Moss.
I said it immediately after they announced Lita for the RR, I'm all about 1 more run for Lita. She seems more comfortable on the mic than ever, looks better than any female from the attitude era, and is over with the crowd (giant head was lame but the fans responded). Give Lita the win at Rumble and main event night 1 of WM win or lose. She took the heat for the Edge situation and deserves to be more than Trish's best friend (still love Trish) and I hope they don't do something lame like have Charlotte win and pick Lita.
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