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This week's episode of SmackDown was a very average show, in my personal opinion. There was a lot of good on the show for sure but I don't know if it was enough to warrant a thumbs-up rating, quite honestly.
But that said, there was definitely more than one positive to emerge from the show. I will tell you what I liked and what I did not during the course of this article.
As always, not only do I welcome your comments in the section below, but I encourage you to ask me questions and even question my assessment if you disagree with my point of view, dear reader. No two people view pro wrestling with the same lens, and if we get a conversation going, you may be able to spot something that may have escaped my attention.
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And with that said, I begin my review of WWE SmackDown.
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#1 Best: Elias shines
I know that the internet is pretty mad that Elias beat Cesaro but I'll be honest for a minute. I thought it was the right call to have Elias pin Cesaro. And I'll tell you why in this very section. So put away the Kleenex, and lend me your ear, dear reader.
Elias is one of those Superstars who's simply not found his footing as a babyface and even as a heel, even though he was incredibly over, he was hardly ever booked in an actual feud at all. He needed a program and he needed a big win to be taken seriously.
Braun Strowman will obviously need backup to take on Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro and The Revival, all by himself right now. He's bound to call upon Elias and this will elevate him quite significantly indeed.
#1 Worst: Wait, Goldberg is not in the arena?
I have no issue at all with the Bray Wyatt vs. Goldberg feud and I honestly think that it will be very interesting to see how this match actually does play out. It is certainly not going to be a mat classic.
But I think that more than one person expected Goldberg to show up at SmackDown and not merely appear via satellite to name his opponent. The audience in attendance who must have gone out of their way to purchase a ticket in order to see their hero perform must have felt very cheated.
I can see from the uproar on Twitter that a lot of people were disappointed to see Goldberg make an appearance from home, something that wasn't specified in the advertisement. Even though I loved his intensity and the fact that he traded harsh words with The Fiend, this just diminished everything.
Let's just hope that he does show up in the arena on the road to WWE Super ShowDown in person, at least once.
#2 Best: Carmella to face Bayley
It's not every day that WWE swerves fans thanks to all the leaks and insiders in the business. But honestly, while everyone expected Naomi to pick up the win on SmackDown owing to her confrontation with Bayley recently, it was Carmella who picked up a big win to become the Number 1 contender. And this was a great twist, in my opinion.
There are various reasons why Carmella was chosen for this spot but the main reason is because of the deep bond and long-time friendship that she shares with her best friend. In case you are unaware, Bayley and Carmella are the best of friends in real life and I wouldn't be surprised if a fair amount of campaigning went on behind the scenes to make this feud happen. And if Carmella does indeed win the Championship, it could set the stage for Sasha Banks to return and make a very big splash.
Both Sasha Banks and Bayley would then be vying for the very same prestigious Championship.
#2 Worst: Not ending Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin
Honestly, when I saw King Corbin bullying members of the backstage production crew and then fans in the arena, I thought that it was leading to a brand new feud. But it turns out that we'll have to endure the whole Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin ordeal for awhile more until Super ShowDown comes our way at the end of the month. And this is honestly a chore, considering that these two men have pretty much been feuding forever and then some more.
Roman Reigns and King Corbin will always put on great matches but there's only so much of a feud you can take before it gets on your nerves. I thought that the segment with the dog food was a great way to end the whole deal but that was obviously not the case at all. In fact, I'll have to commend RAW and Paul Heyman for keeping things fresh by continually moving the pieces around.
SmackDown hasn't done nearly as good a job.
#3 Best/Worst: Involving The Revival in the Intercontinental Championship picture
We can go back all the way in time and rewatch class tag team matches on the WWE Network, but it's hard to find two better performers than Dash and Dawson, especially if you consider their time in NXT. They have only been a shadow of their selves on the 'main roster', so to speak, both on RAW and SmackDown.
And now that we know that they want out of their contracts, I think that it's all too likely that they will be inserted into the Intercontinental Championship picture simply to eat the pin on their way out. It's a telling sign that they collapsed to Braun Strowman, setting the stage for Shinsuke Nakamura to get the job done.
The Revival is the best team in the world not named The Young Bucks, and it really hurts to see them portrayed in this manner. Unless this is all a swerve and The Revival chooses to sign with WWE again.
Here's a fun song about The Goddess, Alexa Bliss.
