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The feeling of a fresh start and a reset that began on RAW continued all the way to SmackDown Live this week. I thought that the show felt fresh, new and very different. At the same time, it was not perfect at all. Let me elaborate upon what I liked and disliked in this article.
Be sure to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts about the show. Do you think The McMahons are doing a good job, having done away with other authority figures? Do you think Paige deserved to lose her spot?
I have a few thoughts that I will jot down in this article. Of course, remember that these are one person's opinion at best, and everyone is entitled to an opinion in sports entertainment.
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Without further ado, here are my thoughts about this week's show...
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#1 Best: Vince McMahon
The show opened with Shane McMahon saying that the show will change for good. Paige would still be a part of the mix but there would be a new role for her. But there would be new faces and new opportunities on SmackDown Live, going forward. It was an exciting development and things would only get better, as the show would roll on.
Vince McMahon arrived on SmackDown Live for the first time since SmackDown 1000 to usher in a new era. He would not grant Becky Lynch a rematch but instead, bring out Naomi to take on Asuka. This continued the trend of doing away with stipulations like rematches.
He also had a hilarious exchange with The Miz in the backstage area. McMahon's comic timing is as good as ever.
Let's hope he continues to show up on TV, going forward.
#1 Worst: No longer the GM
While Corbin made RAW quite unwatchable, Paige was doing a great job as Authority Figure in my opinion. Unlike Corbin, she was not present for the entire length and duration of the show, only showing up when she needed to. Therefore, I do not feel that she needed to be replaced at all. In fact, if anything, she will be missed by the WWE Universe.
This was one of the changes that I personally did not want because I'd rather have Paige on TV than the McMahons who gave us the dreaded Authority angle. Paige was a great talker and always got a great reception from the WWE Universe, kick-starting every show on the right note. The redeemer here is that Shane McMahon indicated that she was going nowhere, so maybe there'll just be a change in role.
#2 Best: The tag team division
SAnitY has been an afterthought ever since they were first called up to the main roster. It was nice to see them finally bring their brand of chaos to the SmackDown Live tag team division again. The same can be said for The Club, who've oddly been absent from any WWE programming in months.
This week's episode showed us just how deep the WWE roster is. It will be great to see these new teams spice up the Tag Team Division that has been dominated only by The New Day, The Bar and The Usos. As amazing as all three teams are, sometimes too much of a good thing is just too much of a good thing.
You need to be a very talented Superstar to compete at the highest level, in WWE. It's a shame if you don't get TV time, even after you are called up.
#2 Worst: Samoa Joe's apology
Samoa Joe was one of the Superstars at the top of the show who did not cheer for Paige when she stepped down. Did anyone think he was going to apologize at all? I could have predicted how this segment would play out to the ultimate detail when it was announced.
And what I'd imagined in my head is exactly what happened during this particular segment. For all the air of freshness that the McMahon regime is supposed to bring, this segment harked back to the predictable. Two Superstars as talented as Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy certainly deserve better.
Let's hope that their match next week is better than this segment was. As Hardy mentioned during this segment, Joe hasn't won a title since he got called up and that needs to change soon.
#3 Best: Mustafa Ali's push
I have a few reservations about Mustafa Ali's push. I would have done vignettes to establish him before pushing him to the moon. I was going to slot this into the Best/Worst section. But then, maybe the positives outweigh the negatives.
Yes, it's not a wise decision to pin the WWE Champion on TV. Brock Lesnar would never take a pin like that. But then, maybe these are the steps you have to take to establish a new star.
Daniel Bryan will remain over irrespective of whether he gets pinned or not. But on this day, everyone's going to be talking about Mustafa Ali.
Can anyone dispute the fact that this athletic, charismatic and inspiring WWE superstar is totally worthy of the push that he's received from the creative team in the blue brand?
#3 Worst: Bad landing from Ali
Mustafa Ali pinned Daniel Bryan in the main event. But his finisher did not land smoothly. As a result, Daniel Bryan may have been legitimately hurt during the course of the said match. Nishant reported about it here.
The 054 is a very difficult move to execute by anyone, even if your name is Mustafa Ali. Only a handful of superstars around the world can even perform it. It's quite a feat of nature that Ali is able to land it.
But maybe a little more cautiousness will go a long way for the man. Trainers showed up to check on Bryan, immediately after the landing.
Let's hope that nothing serious happened with the WWE Champion and that he'll be fit enough to resume his duties as the reigning and defending champion, in no time at all.
#4 Best/worst: The US Title picture
I think that the US title has been buried so far down, that unless we see competitive show-stealing matches going forward, nobody's going to take the Championship seriously, really. Sure, we're getting a match between Rusev and Nakamura next week. Sure, the match will probably be good. But somehow it's hard to care for the title.
I mean The US Title was one of the few Championships not defended on TLC. Nakamura's appearances on TV are almost as rare as those of Brock Lesnar's. Okay, maybe that is hyperbole, but you know what I mean.
Someone like Randy Orton or Rey Mysterio could definitely enter the picture and take the title to the next level. Even Nakamura would benefit from someone like Orton entering the United States Championship picture shortly.
We end with a picture of Mandy Rose, or is it Maryse?
