SmackDown
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Brandon from Oshawa
This was a pretty solid show. It was moving along well. I enjoyed everything, even the stuff with Becky, despite getting really excited for that match at Survivor Series, I’m hoping this will mean a Wrestlemania match instead. Then I fell asleep…and I woke up to Daniel Bryan turning heel and winning the WWE Title…WTF??? As much as I want to see Lesnar/Bryan, this has to be some of the most baffling booking that I can remember in WWE. I did not care to see that match with no build. I did not care to see a nice title run from AJ, end on a meaningless episode of Smackdown, and Daniel Bryan turning heel? I’m not down, not just randomly like this. Unless AJ is injured or something, I do not get this.
Johnny Mundo Survivor Update
The merge took place this week, meaning we’ve hit the halfway point and John has at least made the jury, which is already a lot better than I thought he’d do. He had very few highlights on this episode. He immediately wanted to get back with his former Goliath tribemates and stick together, but was concerned when one of their choices for eviction was Christian from the David tribe, whom he formed a bond with when the tribes swapped a couple weeks ago. Eventually the vote was switched to someone else, but there is a group within both the former Goliath & David tribes who now want to work together, which could be worrying for John. He stayed safe for this week, but in the preview for next weeks episode, they teased a shocking heel turn for John, now pushing hard to get rid of Christian.
Andrew from Cape Breton
So tonight’s episode of Smackdown left me with one major question. What do they teach at the New Japan LA Dojo? Many of their students seem to have mastered the fine art of kicking people in the balls. Daniel Bryan turning was weird and it reminds me of strong babyfaces in the past that they killed off to the point they had to turn heel. But, I have to admit, I was feeling a bit nostalgic for 2006 heel World Champion Bryan Danielson. He’s really good in the role, I just don’t think the crowd will boo him. As for Becky Lynch, I think they should just strip her of the title regardless of the severity of her injury, just so she doesn’t have to lose it. It think she should be winning the Royal Rumble and main eventing Wrestlemania at this point. 7 swift kicks to the balls out of 10.
So Brian is now a heel and faces Brock Lesnar. I guess AJ and Braun interfere.
No Becky at Survivor series and how she’s friends with Charlotte.
Glad I cancelled my Network after they went ahead with Crown jewel.
I had a feeling I should watch Smackdown in real time tonight and not later in the evening. Still processing the title change but a part of me is loving the heel turn. I was first introduced to Bryan Danielson in the midst of a heel title run in ROH and he can play a fantastic heel. Hopefully he brings back the “I have til 5!!” when his opponent reaches the ropes. A part of me though is thinking maybe they did this hoping he would get over like Becky at some point. Cuz why turn him heel now against a semi heel Lesner? Hopefully the heel turn sticks because his return has been flat the last few months.
On a side note has Big Show always struggled to stand up that bad since his return? I thought I was watching him get injured again just trying to get up.
Alexander from Portland
Two questions leading out of the Becky story.
1: Earlier this year there were rumors that Charlotte and Ronda would be main eventing WrestleMania next year. Seeing as we’re getting that match on Sunday, could you see Ronda and Becky main eventing WrestleMania next year?
2: The Becky injury happened due to a strong elbow/punch from Nia Jax. There were multiple threads on Reddit admonishing Jax not just for last night but for many other times where she was the cause of women like Charlotte, Alexa, and Sasha Banks getting hurt. While sending her back down to NXT seems unrealistic, do you think WWE will do anything else to keep Nia from hurting anyone else in the future?
2 Likes
Jalen from Pickering,
Becky Lynch is the top star in the company and Daniel Bryan is the top heel on Smackdown not even a year after returning from retirement, wrestling in 2018 is crazy.
I feel like the dynamic for the Brock match is gonna be weird now. I think they unnecessarily booked themselves into a tricky situation. Coming up with a decent finish and portraying this new Bryan against Lesnar seems difficult. And now Smackdown’s 3 top babyfaces are all in their 40’s, I love watching WCW.
Kishan from Toronto
I haven’t watched Raw or Smackdown live in months, easier watching on the pvr but Becky Lynch is must watch tv. She is hottest thing in wrestling today. It sucks that she got injured but I believe this is a blessing in disguise for WWE. Her vs Ronda felt like a waste on SS with a 2 week build. Now they can properly build to this down the road and if done properly I really feel that this could headline Wrestlemania and be the hottest program going into the show.
I’m not sure how I feel about the Daniel Bryan heel turn. This company continues to baffle me at times, they refuse to turn Roman but a few months into Bryan coming back and they turned him heel. It wasn’t even a slow build where they planted seeds. Styles title reign ending should’ve have been a bigger deal but I didn’t get that vibe and then the show just ended. So it is heel vs heel with Bryan vs Brock I guess
I have no doubt Bryan can be a great heel, just don’t understand their logic behind it and why they rushed it. Match was good though.
SD 6.5/10
1 Like
Really disappointed about Becky missing survivor series but could create a stronger build to Lynch v. Rousey match.
Bryan winning was a surprise! So what happens now with Styles? Didn’t Heyman say there was NO ONE Lesnar wanted to face more than AJ Styles?
Could you see a future match with Lesnar and AJ for the universal title where AJ wins and moves to RAW to replace Reigns as the top baby face?
1 Like
Jake from the Windy City:
Man, AJ’s balls really cannot catch a break whatsoever! I’m more the glass half full guy, so I’m very optimistic about Bryan’s position here. Ever since his return, it definitely wasn’t the Daniel Bryan of 2013-14. He’s been very lukewarm and the character’s been treading water for a few months. Also, there haven’t been overwhelming ‘YES’ chants as well lately which really put signs on me that he is at the expiration date. This heel turn could be a refresh that he needs, so I’ll just sit back and watch before I make anymore further judgement.
Dave from Sydney
Interesting show indeed. Massive blow to Lynch being out, however I hope she can fight Ronda at the Rumble next year or even Mania.
The Bryan heel turn is pretty interesting considering Smackdown is so top heavy with heels. I don’t really understand why they didn’t just do the heel turn a few weeks ago during that title match and I wonder if this was planned along.
Do you think this is going to be like all the other big shows for the company with a 1 hour kickoff and 5 hour show like summerslam?
It was obvious from the moment Bryan came out that they had completely flipped the script following Becky’s injury. All the buzz from the night before was going to be gone faster than the air in a balloon sat upon by Haystacks Calhoun and Heyman’s line about the impossibility of a Lesnar/Bryan match was all the fore-shadowing they needed. It was interesting how Heyman was the only retaliation from the Raw side following the “Invasion” on Raw. That Baron Corbin is a sneaky devil, send one advocate and totally mess up the Smackdown title picture and the men’s team. Hopefully Stephanie will appreciate his brilliance.
1 Like
Mj
Wow!
The minute they announced the title match I had the feeling they’d do the switch like last year. I have to think this was the idea all along to get to Bryan and Brock. It’s a match that was too obvious to never go to, and AJ was a retread If last year. Bringing up AJs win over Jinder last night was great foreshadowing, something I never give WWE credit for. And yet still it was a pure shock. Again, wow!
it was a great match and incredible curveball, and while not ideal, going into a big show with 2 brand new dream matches and no TV build to ruin them is kind of awesome! Plus the proper long term story will now culminate at a much more appropriate time when Becky and Rousey do get the match. I guess not ideal for WWE to have an entire new card but in the Network Era who cares.
+++
Double Shot notes:
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The Elite no longer being part of the Bullet Club and losing that Merch $ has to be a hit to the relationship with New Japan. I’ll be curious to see how many new BC shirts are sold or even if they stay popular here in the states, and if the Bucks and Co can catch on with new designs.
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Cody wrestling the main event at Final Battle while not under contract and a very public free agent 3 weeks later is suspcicious. Thoughts on why he’d be booked in that spot, and how ROH may be trying to sell those guys on staying?
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I plan on going to Final Battle and will try to do better with notes than this last Friday. While I look forward to seeing the Elite perhaps one final time in ROH I am not so excited for anyone else on the card and feel whereas WWE and NXT has too many guys, ROH doesn’t have enough. Outside New Japan talent coming in, and the entire Elite Cast including SCU who has really made you excited in ROH? I know you just saw them and felt this coming through in the review.
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have you seen Rey Fenix schedule? 5 straight shows…he and Omega went all out on Friday and I can’t help but think these guys are asking for trouble, injury wise. Look at Joey Jenella and Joey Ryan. Both may miss Mania weekend. Really a bummer for fans and those guys all the way around.
Louis from Long Beach
I’m sure John’s already gone on a rant about the WWE and their inability to create/sustain babyface’s but as I watched Daniel Bryan’s heel turn the only voice I could hear in my head was John Pollock decrying WWE’s inability to write strong babyfaces and now Daniel Bryan is the latest one to fall victim to this curse.
I know Bryan has always talked about how he wanted to have a match against Brock and this was probably his last chance to do it so I’m at least grateful for that.
Also its heartbreaking that arguably the hottest main roster women’s match in the history of the WWE isn’t going to happen due to injury maybe we can get a do over at Wrestlemania but that’s probably just hopeful thinking on my part.
6/10.
Tony from South Dakota
I’m pretty happy with this show. The Bryan turn is a nice change of pace, the men’s team segments kept my attention.
I did not care for Becky bestowing Charlotte with Survivor Series match, but other than that her promo was great.
REAL COUNTRY REVIEW
I’m currently watching Real Country So here’s some quick notes…
Soooooo overproduced!!! Painful.
The gist of the show is: each of the 3 judges selected a musical act to perform in front of a live crowd and the judges.
Each band plays a cover version of a song that falls into the show’s theme (drinking songs). The fans vote using the Meltzer ranking system. The lowest scored team is eliminated.
Then they do it again with the remaining two bands and add a special guest judge or two.
The humor is really forced. It’s ridiculously overproduced, and sorry guys, but I think Shania Twain has lost as step or two. (She’s still a Canadian treasure)
3/10. Will watch again
Mark from Vaughan
WWE produces some of their best TV when they get thrown a curveball. I wasn’t a fan of the hug after Becky chose Charlotte but I like that she still came across as a star.
Question: Under the assumption Charlotte was tabbed for the Ronda match at Mania, do you think her getting the match sooner opens the door for WWE embracing Becky’s organic growth? They could stoke this flame for 4 more months on separate brands and do the dueling Four Horsewomen in January.
Double Shot: Would you peg the chances of any of the Elite crew going to WWE higher than 5% at this point? Between the jokes, direct unflattering WWE references and obvious lifestyle downgrades, I can’t see the move barring a payscale-busting offer.
Paul from New Jersey
Becky is my favorite thing in this company right now. Very strong promo, but am I nitpicking for being annoyed that she not only shook her hand, but a hug? I get picking Charlotte, but those two shouldn’t be that buddy buddy.
Enjoyed the Usos tag segment. Hope they win.
Can I just say I don’t think even the most disenchanted WWE fan couldn’t have imagined WWE Mishandling Daniel Bryan’s return this badly.
From his terrible WrestleMania tag match, to the Miz program that didn’t live up to the hype and finally turning heel on what 2-hours build to his first championship win since returning.
Also after your review last night I wanted to see Becky, what happens next for the championship and does Nia deserve some blame for the punch and given her recent track record with opponents becoming injured?
Finally would you reather see a 10-man cruiserweight survivor series match or a 20-man tag teams survivor series match?
I didn’t watch this show but my friends in my local wrestling Facebook group told me to seek out the ending to the Styles/Bryan match.
After watching it on Youtube, I’m okay with the turn. It’ll be a fresh match for Survivor Series. And from what I know of Bryan’s pre-WWE career, his heel work is pretty good. I’m just surprised but the utterly blatant kicks to the head after. I guess he’s not afraid of using a potential concussion angle.
Joey from Queens,
I sadly wasn’t able to watch the first 30 minutes of Smackdown but I assume it was serviceable, however once i heard that Daniel Bryan was facing AJ and being removed from the Survivor Series match i knew it was a foregone conclusion. The Hardy Almas match was just ok, but i believe they could have done a little more. I loved Miz pimping out the Marine 6 blu ray, as even though the movies are garbage but are highly entertaining and his match with Mysterio was pretty good, however seeing Mysterio on TV in 2018 makes me feel really old, as I remember watching him as a kid in the mid 2000’s. Becky announcing she couldn’t be at Survivor Series really sucked as it was the only match i was really looking forward to as it was the only one really built up in any meaningful way. New Day and The Bar kinda was a drag for me as I’m really not invested in anything the Big Show does past his involvement with the Authority. And finally while AJ Bryan was a great match, it really saddens me that the only way for the fed to shoot Dainel Bryan to the top is by turning him heel. All fans want to do is cheer for the guy and the WWE cant book faces if their stock price depended on it.