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Honestly, a lot of us expected SmackDown to be a lot better than it eventually was, considering that this was the SummerSlam fallout show. It was an okay show, with good and bad moments.
I think that the good stuff was quite good and the bad stuff was really bad as well. I just didn't see the point of some stuff happening on the show, and in other cases, I was disappointed that certain things did not happen.
So, here is a rundown of the good, bad and ugly from this week's episode of SmackDown Live. Be sure to let me know if you agree or disagree with my assessment in the comments below.
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I'm curious to know what you thought about the show as well!
#1 Best: Buddy Murphy's biggest match ever
There's a narrative among certain sections of the pro wrestling community that Roman Reigns cannot wrestle and it couldn't be further from the truth. Even though some may say that Buddy Murphy was clearly the better performer in the match, Roman Reigns is the star and the fact that Murphy got to have such a competitive match with the Big Dog made him an overnight sensation.
I would even say that this was bigger than Ali scoring a pinfall over Daniel Bryan when he first arrived at WWE SmackDown Live. There was a storyline, there was a reason why the two men were fighting and Roman Reigns even made Murphy seem like he could upset the Big Dog at more than one point.
After weeks of sitting on the sidelines and not getting his due, Murphy proved to the world that he is a top tier performer. I just hope that his push continues, building from this match.
#1 Worst: Still more Shane McMahon?
I truly appreciate everything that Shane McMahon has done for the wrestling business over the years, but I really thought that he would take a hiatus following his loss at SummerSlam. It's reached the point where the mere sight of Shane McMahon on screen makes you want to change the channel.
Kevin Owens should have moved to a new antagonist after scoring such a decisive victory over Shane McMahon at SummerSlam 2019. But instead, we see him in the same feud even now, and honestly, it puts me off completely.
I did not buy the whole idea of Shane McMahon enforcing a fine upon Kevin Owens and him losing his mind over the same. If you're turning him into Stone Cold Steve Austin, this is not how he should behave.
Try as hard as he might, Shane McMahon is not the same level of performer that his father is.
#2 Best: The cliffhanger at the end of the show
A cliffhanger is a necessary device used in television writing, to intrigue the viewer when it comes to tuning in every week. You may remember Negan from The Walking Dead lining up Rick Grimes' group in the season finale, and the season ending with the knowledge that one of the good guys had been killed but not which one. To find out, you would have to watch the season premiere episode of the following season.
Similarly, we have to wait until next week for Daniel Bryan and Rowan to divulge who Roman Reigns' attacker really was, and as dramatic a storyline as this is, it is perhaps the most exciting thing Reigns has been in, since his return following his health-related hiatus.
Everyone suspects the culprit to be Bryan and Rowan. Which is why finding out who the heels will throw under the bus is intriguing.
#2 Worst: No Fiend?
After this pastSummerSlam, all people were talking about was The Fiend, Bray Wyatt's brand new devious avatar. It was baffling indeed when he did not show up on RAW. It was even more baffling when he did not show up on SmackDown Live either, and this is a terrible move from WWE.
I realize that the idea is to keep Bray Wyatt special but even cameos from the Firefly Fun House would have kept things interesting. Not having him show up at all just kills all of the momentum that was accrued at SummerSlam. I know a lot of people tuned into the show, just to catch 'The Fiend'.
Wyatt needs to terrorize the roster on a weekly basis and not appear once in a blue moon, like say, Brock Lesnar does. At least at this stage, that shouldn't really be the case at all.
#3 Best: Charlotte Flair scored a comprehensive win
Generally, I'm not a big fan of matches that have no storyline attached to them. But I guess if you read between the lines, you know what the match and result implied.
Charlotte Flair took on Ember Moon in what was a fine display of their skills, and Flair eventually came out on top against the woman that Bayley defeated at SummerSlam. This essentially means that Charlotte Flair will be back in the title picture against Bayley next, in all likelihood.
This is necessary because Flair is the top heel in the blue brand at the moment. It also means that, in all probability, two Horsewomen will battle on each brand for the top prize in the division.
Flair is being pushed to the moon following her win over Trish Stratus and I do believe that this is the right course of action.
#3 Worst: Elias outside the 24/7 Championship picture
For as long as R-Truth was the 24/7 Champion, that is all that his life revolved around, and hence the prestige of the title was also elevated. It became one of the most entertaining things on WWE Television because Maverick and Truth stole the show every time they received screen time.
We all know that Elias is one of the funniest individuals in the roster. But inserting him into a Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe match as the special guest referee is a step back for him because even he's lost a lot of momentum since teaming up with Shane McMahon.
I did not mind the quick '3 count' because it was quite funny. What I did is the fact that there seems to be no direction with Elias, and hasn't seemed like there was one either.
Elias needs to stay away from Shane McMahon.
#4 Best/Worst: The main event match
The main event match was fine. That's pretty much all I can say about it, right now. But when you put six men who are as talented as the WWE Superstars, in this case, were, how could you expect anything at all?
I also like the idea of a Revival vs. New Day program, because both teams will bring out the best in the other. The Revival will do far better on SmackDown Live than they did in RAW because the blue brand is the one where the tag team titles get a lot more prominence.
At the same time, this match did not feel worthy of a main event spot. If anything, Buddy Murphy vs. Roman Reigns should have closed the show.
In any case, let us close the show and indeed SummerSlam weekend, with infinite blessings from the Goddess of the WWE!
