Smackdown...
(contains spoilers obviously)
For a few weeks now I've been doing the "WWE so you don't have to" recaps on Facebook as one of the few wrestling fans in our circle still watching RAW and Smackdown. Stockholm syndrome, probably. Anyhow, with folk like Brian Zane quitting it, the straight cut on if the shows were any good (spoiler - RAW usually sucks, Smackdown is usually decent) is getting a bit lost, so here's my Smackdown review transported to the blog...
We open with our usual Roman Reigns promo. The Usos are out there and hyped. Reigns tells Jimmy he better win the tag title match as he called his win in advance.
Dominik and Rey beat the Usos when Dominik rolls up Jimmy Uso, Jimmy Uso gets his shoulder up, but the ref counts 3 anyway. Commentary got apeshit, Reigns goes nuts backstage. Good match (nice Samoan drop on the announce desk) but the storyline overshadows it.
Reigns dresses down Jimmy backstage for losing. Then says Jey needs to understand his position.
"I'm not Jimmy" said Jey.
"Does it even matter?" said Reigns. Evil bastard.
Chad Gable tries to sign up the Street Profits but they turn him down.
Seth Rollins has a short interview he cuts off.
Carmella squashes Liv Morgan to continue her awful push. Liv got a pretty good promo in before hand, not that it mattered.
Bianca gives one of her good promos about how people used to mock her for not living up to society's expectations on women, but how she used all that to fire herself up to win titles and trophies. And how bullies used to laugh at her but she's stronger now. Cue Bayley's recorded laugh playing around the arena - unsubtle but solid heel work there.
Street Profits try to convince Otis to turn face, but he punches both of them instead. Not the best week for our boy Montez.
Nakamura and Corbin wrestle for the third straight week and this time Corbin wins, but Rick Boogs (guitar man) keeps the crown for Nakamura yet again. The new Nakamura is a lot of fun but he needs new opponents.
Commander Azeez has been told he can't go near ringside for the Crews/Owens title match, so he attacks Owens backstage instead before the match. Surprisingly smart heel move, there.
Injured Owens and Crews have a fun sprint title match focused on Owens being badly hurt but still a better wrestler, so Crews would have the upper hand but Owens would get bursts of momentum, including hitting his sweet pop up powerbomb for a close finish. Crews reversed something into a Death Valley Driver on the apron on the injury ribs of Kevin Owens and that was enough for a three. Luigi actually did more this week, rather than win by doing nothing, but the assist to the big guy crocking his opponent before the match.
Due to earlier ref screw up, a tag title match. Rey and Dominik defeat the Usos by DQ when Reigns interferes and beats the shit out of the Mysterio family.
Both Usos are conflicted as Reigns kills Dominik over and over again. Jimmy walks out of the ring. Jey goes to follow, but Reigns stops him. "Your brother or your family?" Show ends on poor Jey Uso looking beyond conflicted.
Normally WWE would have blown the trigger by now and had Jey turn on Jimmy or Roman. But they're building the tension, all the while Roman is being a gaslighting bastard.
I love this. I love how Jimmy Uso came back and saw right through the Reigns bullshit, but he's blinded by his 100% faith in his own brother to do the right thing.
I love how Jey Uso so wants to support his own family he fell in line with egregious shit under Reigns but now Jimmy's back appealing to his better nature, he can't decide who he supports because he wants to support both.
I love how Roman Reigns has gone full on Emperor Palpatine on Anakin with Jey. Little talks in his ear about respect, your brother or your family, cranking up the emotional blackmail to 11. That killer backstage bit where Reigns dressed down Jimmy Uso (for being screwed over in a title match, lest we forget) and said "Do you understand your position, Jey?" Jey points out he's not Jimmy, and Reigns just goes "Does it matter anymore?" Evil bastard.
I mean, yes, there is a lot of misery booking in this angle but its seemingly to a point: Jey coming to his breaking point. At first it seemed like he was going to turn on Jimmy, but now it seems increasingly like Jimmy Uso's pure and uncensored faith and love in his twin is going to win out.
Meanwhile Reigns is becoming more and more of a bastard as he doesn't get comeuppance. He got over on Pearce, then Owens, then Bryan, then Cesaro (with help he never acknowledged) and now he's just interfering in random matches and beating up a 23 year old rookie because no one is standing up to him. His cycle of shittery is extending, and sooner or later he's going to make the step Jey can't stand for.
And he's going to take out Roman in front of fans. And they're going to go apeshit.
This is the best story WWE have told in years (OK, not much competition here, I know) and despite my low confidence in most things WWE right now, this one feels like its building to a climax, and that the man who beats Reigns at Summerslam for the title isn't Bryan, or Edge, or my pick all year Big E, but Jey Uso. And as Reigns is a proper unrelenting bastard heel I'm genuinely looking forward to his comeuppance, in an actual "I hate your heel ways" and not a "get off my TV Baron Corbin" type way.
Anyhow I've not felt the need to gab on about a WWE storyline since... probably the Bryan Mania 30 stuff, so yeah, well done WWE, they've got me invested in this Eastenders shitshow of a horrible family acting out their problems on Smackdown.
Also: Pat McAfee.
After a few weeks, he can be a bit grating at times, but overall, this actually seems like a masterstroke move. McAfee sounds legit excited, interested or outraged about everything on the show and that makes them feel exciting, interesting etc. Gorilla/Bobby, JR/King/Heyman etc might not have called every move exact or worked as sports play by play, but they conveyed passion about the show, that what we were seeing mattered. McAfee sounds like hes having a complete blast out there and is invested in every storyline, and its contagious.
Overall, Smackdown gets a... 8/10 for having the best storyline in WWE right now plus a decent IC title match too. These ratings tend to go as fair as possible, so for a bad one, tune in next week for RAW, no doubt...
Dominik and Rey beat the Usos when Dominik rolls up Jimmy Uso, Jimmy Uso gets his shoulder up, but the ref counts 3 anyway. Commentary got apeshit, Reigns goes nuts backstage. Good match (nice Samoan drop on the announce desk) but the storyline overshadows it.
"I'm not Jimmy" said Jey.
"Does it even matter?" said Reigns. Evil bastard.
Chad Gable tries to sign up the Street Profits but they turn him down.
Seth Rollins has a short interview he cuts off.
Carmella squashes Liv Morgan to continue her awful push. Liv got a pretty good promo in before hand, not that it mattered.
Bianca gives one of her good promos about how people used to mock her for not living up to society's expectations on women, but how she used all that to fire herself up to win titles and trophies. And how bullies used to laugh at her but she's stronger now. Cue Bayley's recorded laugh playing around the arena - unsubtle but solid heel work there.
Street Profits try to convince Otis to turn face, but he punches both of them instead. Not the best week for our boy Montez.
Nakamura and Corbin wrestle for the third straight week and this time Corbin wins, but Rick Boogs (guitar man) keeps the crown for Nakamura yet again. The new Nakamura is a lot of fun but he needs new opponents.
Commander Azeez has been told he can't go near ringside for the Crews/Owens title match, so he attacks Owens backstage instead before the match. Surprisingly smart heel move, there.
Injured Owens and Crews have a fun sprint title match focused on Owens being badly hurt but still a better wrestler, so Crews would have the upper hand but Owens would get bursts of momentum, including hitting his sweet pop up powerbomb for a close finish. Crews reversed something into a Death Valley Driver on the apron on the injury ribs of Kevin Owens and that was enough for a three. Luigi actually did more this week, rather than win by doing nothing, but the assist to the big guy crocking his opponent before the match.
Due to earlier ref screw up, a tag title match. Rey and Dominik defeat the Usos by DQ when Reigns interferes and beats the shit out of the Mysterio family.
Both Usos are conflicted as Reigns kills Dominik over and over again. Jimmy walks out of the ring. Jey goes to follow, but Reigns stops him. "Your brother or your family?" Show ends on poor Jey Uso looking beyond conflicted.
I love this. I love how Jimmy Uso came back and saw right through the Reigns bullshit, but he's blinded by his 100% faith in his own brother to do the right thing.
I love how Jey Uso so wants to support his own family he fell in line with egregious shit under Reigns but now Jimmy's back appealing to his better nature, he can't decide who he supports because he wants to support both.
I love how Roman Reigns has gone full on Emperor Palpatine on Anakin with Jey. Little talks in his ear about respect, your brother or your family, cranking up the emotional blackmail to 11. That killer backstage bit where Reigns dressed down Jimmy Uso (for being screwed over in a title match, lest we forget) and said "Do you understand your position, Jey?" Jey points out he's not Jimmy, and Reigns just goes "Does it matter anymore?" Evil bastard.
I mean, yes, there is a lot of misery booking in this angle but its seemingly to a point: Jey coming to his breaking point. At first it seemed like he was going to turn on Jimmy, but now it seems increasingly like Jimmy Uso's pure and uncensored faith and love in his twin is going to win out.
Meanwhile Reigns is becoming more and more of a bastard as he doesn't get comeuppance. He got over on Pearce, then Owens, then Bryan, then Cesaro (with help he never acknowledged) and now he's just interfering in random matches and beating up a 23 year old rookie because no one is standing up to him. His cycle of shittery is extending, and sooner or later he's going to make the step Jey can't stand for.
And he's going to take out Roman in front of fans. And they're going to go apeshit.
This is the best story WWE have told in years (OK, not much competition here, I know) and despite my low confidence in most things WWE right now, this one feels like its building to a climax, and that the man who beats Reigns at Summerslam for the title isn't Bryan, or Edge, or my pick all year Big E, but Jey Uso. And as Reigns is a proper unrelenting bastard heel I'm genuinely looking forward to his comeuppance, in an actual "I hate your heel ways" and not a "get off my TV Baron Corbin" type way.
Anyhow I've not felt the need to gab on about a WWE storyline since... probably the Bryan Mania 30 stuff, so yeah, well done WWE, they've got me invested in this Eastenders shitshow of a horrible family acting out their problems on Smackdown.
After a few weeks, he can be a bit grating at times, but overall, this actually seems like a masterstroke move. McAfee sounds legit excited, interested or outraged about everything on the show and that makes them feel exciting, interesting etc. Gorilla/Bobby, JR/King/Heyman etc might not have called every move exact or worked as sports play by play, but they conveyed passion about the show, that what we were seeing mattered. McAfee sounds like hes having a complete blast out there and is invested in every storyline, and its contagious.
Overall, Smackdown gets a... 8/10 for having the best storyline in WWE right now plus a decent IC title match too. These ratings tend to go as fair as possible, so for a bad one, tune in next week for RAW, no doubt...
No comments:
Post a Comment