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As always, SmackDown Live was a much easier show to watch and enjoy than RAW was (read results here). And yet, that does not really mean that it was a particularly good show. It was fairly okay and it went by fast. But if that's the best one can say about a wrestling show, it's not always a good thing.
In this article, I shall elaborate upon what I liked and disliked from this week's show. Please let me know your thoughts, views, and comments below. If you think that my views are off the mark, please feel free to let me know.
Thankfully SmackDown Live wasn't a botchfest like RAW was this week. But it had its own share of problems too.
Here's my personal assessment of the two-hour long program!
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#1 Best: Bayley shines
There was a time, back when NXT was at its peak, that people used to say that Bayley would eventually become the female John Cena. Something about her character did not connect with the main roster audience, and while she's always been a featured performer, she never got a chance to showcase her skills.
That was until the match she had with Charlotte Flair on SmackDown Live this week, during which she reminded us what originally brought her to the dance. Bayley is great between the ropes and she is perhaps one of the better athletes among the women. Of course, Flair was at her very best in the match, but that's a given from The Queen.
Remember how Bayley was booed as recently as last week? Well, I daresay that the audience has newfound respect for the Huggable One.
Charlotte Flair won the match and did become the Number 1 contender, but Bayley still shone!
#1 Worst: Elias vs. Reigns
I don't know if I'm alone in assuming this, so please feel free to correct me if you think otherwise. I just think that Roman Reigns came to SmackDown Live with a lot of momentum and all of the momentum was deflated this week.
I mean you had Roman Reigns knock Vince McMahon out on his very first night on the blue brand. There was a lot of speculation about what Vince McMahon or any member of the family would do to make Roman Reigns pay for his actions.
But the show just opened with Shane McMahon coming out and with Elias ambushing Roman Reigns in what had to be the biggest anti-climax I can remember in quite some time. Even the program in itself does not feel exciting at all.
Why would they make two RAW stars compete on SmackDown Live when both men made the jump?
#2 Best: Kevin Owens turns heel on The New Day
So, I know that everyone predicted Kevin Owens going heel and turning on The New Day, but it was still cool to see it unfold. Owens has always been a much better heel than a babyface, and I think this was the right move. I personally think that Kevin Owens vs. Kofi Kingston is a great feud for fans.
The two men are incredible workers and yet, their feud does feel fresh. It is quite obvious that Kevin Owens is only in this feud to make up for the void left by Daniel Bryan's unfortunate injury. But where one door closes, another door opens and Kevin Owens deserves this big opportunity.
I know that a lot of people were uncomfortable with the idea of Owens working as a babyface. Did you not enjoy Owens shaking his hips and gyrating to New Day's theme song?
#2 Worst: The IIconics lose again
From what I understand, all of the fuss about Sasha Banks potentially leaving WWE happened because The IIconics won the Women's Tag Team titles. But did they win the titles only to lose every single week?
This week, they were fed incredibly silly lines about drinking a gallon of water, and they delivered the same in the best way that they could. But you cannot polish a block of granite and make it into a gold bar which is why the audience did not connect with them.
Haven't Billie Kay and Peyton Royce pretty much been on a losing streak ever since they won the titles at WrestleMania? Is this indicative of the fact that WWE does not want them to remain champions for much longer? If this is the case, then I can do completely understand why Sasha Banks may have felt that she was not being booked right.
#3 Best: Andrade vs. Finn Balor
We'd already seen Andrade and Finn Balor tussle it out on RAW, but this match actually felt a lot more intense. Both men played their parts to perfection, and so did Zelina Vega, who cost Andrade the big match.
It is clear that these two men will be contesting for the Intercontinental Championship, going forward, and to be honest, this is not really the worst role for either man. Both men have been about putting on good matches more than being part of skits, and they get to showcase their in-ring prowess on the blue brand.
Whatever the reason may have been for Andrade to come to SmackDown Live, I really do think that it's the right brand for him. He would have gotten lost in the shuffle on RAW.
If you don't believe me, the next man on our list is a good example of this.
#3 Worst: No showcase match for Jinder vs. Gable
During his previous run, Jinder Mahal was the main heel on SmackDown Live. And then he got shuffled to RAW and all of the momentum he had got lost at once.
I personally wanted to see Chad Gable score a victory over Jinder Mahal this week, so as to establish him as a singles superstar on SmackDown Live. We all saw Robert Roode score a victory over Ricochet, to let us know that he was going to be a singles star.
Well, before Jinder Mahal and Chad Gable could lock up, Lars Sullivan would interrupt the proceedings and The Singh Brothers would feel Sullivan's wrath. Is anyone else getting as tired of these run-ins from Lars Sullivan like I am?
It just feels like WWE does not know what to do with Lars Sullivan and they're just sending him out in extremely pointless segments.
#4 Best/worst: Aleister Black
So, Aleister Black is no longer aligned with Ricochet, and this can be both a good and a bad thing. The team was really gaining momentum when they were together and I could have imagined them as potential champions down the line. But at the same time, it does allow for Aleister Black to showcase his singles prowess.
I was initially apprehensive about Aleister Black as a tag team competitor when he was first aligned with Ricochet. But over time, he won me over and I became a big fan of the duo's in-ring ability. I cannot come to a conclusion as to whether them splitting up is a good move or not.
What do you think of Black's new character, folks? Let us know in the comments.
Thank you for reading as always and I will conclude, once again, with The Goddess looking great as always!
