Last night, the ‘Best and Worst’ recap of Raw felt like work. Twenty-four hours later, as we jot down our thoughts following Smackdown Live, we write this in a completely different manner, as wrestling fans who enjoyed two brilliant hours of sports entertainment and can’t wait to share our thoughts with you.
Enough happened on this show to capture our attention over two hours, and even the worst segment here was better than almost everything on Raw barring the Braun Strowman- Sami Zayn Last Man Standing contest. That being said, let’s revisit Smackdown live for the ‘Best and Worst’ recap
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#1 Worst: Botcha Fuentes and Bautcho Ranallo
Before Dean Ambrose stepped out into the arena to face the Intercontinental Champion, The Miz, he was interviewed backstage by the rather botchilicious Dasha Fuentes. Dasha got tongue tied from the word go, and could not get her words out.
By the second question, she seemed so upset about her first botch that she made even bigger slips and stumbles. Does anyone remember her previous botch from when she called James Ellsworth, James Ellis? Every botch of hers seems to happen around Dean Ambrose.
Mauro Ranallo, who called every match like a pro would be a botchmaster as well, when he referred to Dean Ambrose as Dolph Ziggler, during his match. David Otunga, the worst commentator known to man, would have his moment of fame and correct the master announcer soon thereafter.
#1 Best: Epic burns
People really want to see the rematch between John Cena and AJ Styles and how!
The crowd was hot as hell for the segment, as compared to anything on Raw. During the course of this signing, Styles delivered some of the best lines that he has, maybe ever. He called Cena a fortunate man because he got a title opportunity thanks to his brother in law. He capped off the segment by saying that Cena will never be as good as The Rock in Hollywood, and as good as Styles in the ring.
Cena’s replies, as usual, were also based in truth and really hit home. It's amazing how Smackdown Live incorporates reality into their promos so that they don't come off as forced. Introducing Corbin into this segment also elevated him, to an upper echelon star. To put it bluntly, this segment was almost perfectly done.
#2 Best: Slow build to a perfect heel turn
Dolph Ziggler finally snapped! Booked as your perennial underdog, he lost once again to his arch-nemesis Baron Corbin and laid out his own little friend, Kalisto. Backstage, he would run into Apollo Crews and pick a fight with him too. What makes the heel turn a thing of beauty is how it has been masterfully built up.
Ziggler has been losing, and losing and then losing again. Finally, the frustration got to him and the kettle reached its boiling point. As a heel, he can have feuds with several mid-carders in the roster, ranging from Apollo Crews to Santa Rhyno to even Mojo Rawley; coincidentally three friends who were just chilling backstage when Dolph Ziggler did snap.
#2 Worst: Nattie/Nikki promo
No Natalya. Nikki Bella will not die alone. One of us from the Sportskeeda Wrestling News office will be by her side if John Cena leaves her. Sorry, we just got a little carried away there!
Jokes aside, Nattie saying that she believes that she’s better than her uncle comes across as hokey. After all, she does use his finishing move and come out to a variation of his music, as Nikki did point out. Her ring gear until recently was almost entirely Hart colored.
Natalya reminds us of Sting in the 90s. One of the biggest babyfaces of the 90s, WCW turned him heel for a change. However, this did not work, because Sting is a naturally nice guy. Nattie Neidhart too reeks of niceness, and a heel gimmick is wasted on her.
#3 Best: New Intercontinental champion
Except for the Women’s Championship on Raw, every other championship title seems glued to the winner. Smackdown keeps things exciting with title changes on television, and giving us an unpredictable product. Imagine if Roman Reigns was actually a fighting champion, and had lost his title to Jericho this week.
There would be far more interest in his program from wrestling fans. While we loved The Miz as Intercontinental champion, we’re curious to see where Ambrose goes from here too!
#4- Best ever: Compelling storytelling
We still don’t know who La Luchadora is. We hope it’s another Alexa Bliss. We need more Alexa.
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