Every
week on Bleacher Report, I take an in-depth look at WWE SmackDown to recap the
action, offer analysis and grade the matches, segments and anything else
that takes place on the show, as well as make a few predictions for future
events.
Night of
Champions is almost upon us. WWE only has a few shows left to sell any feuds
that will make up the pay-per-view card.
This
week's SmackDown managed to address all the major feuds while producing some
fun matches along the way, and that is not something we see with every show.
The only
thing that felt off about this episode was when 10 minutes from the end of Raw
was played smack dab in the middle of the show. Other than that, it was an
enjoyable week for the blue brand.
Let's
take a look at everything that happened on this week's SmackDown.
The Wyatt
Family kicked off the show with a promo in the ring. Luke Harper got things
started with a few words before Bray Wyatt took over.
They
obviously talked about Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, but the way Wyatt addressed
them was what made this segment unique.
Instead
of just talking about what he would do to his opponents, he actually tried to
get in Ambrose's head by saying he was just a follower and that it would be
wise for him to leave Reigns.
This
segment combined all of the different things that make Wyatt fun to watch.
Unlike some of his past work, this promo was coherent and easy to follow.
Grade: B
Notes and
Highlights
- It's great to see Harper getting more mic time since joining back up with Wyatt.
- It's also great to see another episode of SmackDown open with someone who is not in the main event feud.
- Erick Rowan should definitely return as part of the Wyatt Family. He isn't popular enough to feud with the group on his own, and there is no reason a four-man operation can't work. In fact, having four members makes them a lot more dangerous.
- WWE did not upload this segment, so instead you can watch Charlotte mock Nikki Bella.
The Miz
and Cesaro met in the first match to continue what was started during their
last bout. Both of these men have a beef with Big Show after he interfered in
their last encounter, but having a common enemy hasn't made them friends.
Other
than a few innovative counters from Cesaro, there wasn't much to care about in
this one. There was no real feud behind the bout, and it didn't feel like they
would have any reason to fight again once it was over.
Cesaro
got a clean win by making the Miz tap out to the Sharpshooter, and while it's
great to see him pick up a victory, it was made meaningless because of the lack
of any kind of storyline.
Grade: C+
Notes and
Highlights
It seems
like the Miz doesn't wrestle that often anymore. He does MizTV or sits at the
commentary table a lot.
The crowd
was dead silent during the part of the match when the Miz was in control. WWE
didn't make any attempt to edit in crowd noise to make it seem more exciting.
Cesaro
had two incredible counters in this match, one of which led to the Sharpshooter
he used to win.
Before
Paige and Sasha Banks could have their rematch, a brawl almost broke out among
the six women from Team PCB and Team BAD. The ref ended up booting Charlotte,
Becky Lynch, Naomi and Tamina from ringside.
The great
thing about Banks and Paige is they aren't afraid to be aggressive. The problem
with so many Divas over the last 10 years has been their fear of getting hurt,
but these women don't seem to have that reservation.
The crowd
was quiet at times, but they were also cheering and chanting when the pace
picked up. This wasn't an instant classic, but the way it ended was great.
Banks and
Paige brawled all over and around the ring until their respective groups came
out to separate them with another referee. It took everyone to separate them,
and even then they managed to break through and get at each other a few times.
Having a
clean finish is always nice, but sometimes a little mayhem makes things more
interesting. This was one of those times.
Grade: B+
Notes and
Highlights
The
three-way pinky swear PCB does has to be one of the worst signature gestures in
WWE history.
Even if
you don't like Banks' entrance music, you have to admit she has crafted an
entrance that works very well with her song.
WWE had
to have edited in boos during Banks' entrance. She is too popular to get that
kind of heel reaction.
For some
reason, WWE chose to air the final 10 minutes of Raw in the middle of
SmackDown. It picked up in the middle of the main event and went all the way to
the point at which Sting dumped the statue of Seth Rollins in the back of a
garbage truck.
This has
to be due to something being cut or the show running short. There is no other
explanation as to why we would see a recap video that was longer than most of
the matches on SmackDown.
Rollins
gave an interview with Byron Saxton backstage, which added another few minutes.
It's understandable that WWE would replay the moment Sting destroyed Rollins'
statue, but we didn't need to see most of the match that preceded it.
Sheamus
popped in to remind Rollins that he can cash in his Money in the Bank contract
whenever he wants. It's usually a red herring whenever someone holding the
briefcase threatens to cash it in, but it feels different with Sheamus.
This
isn't a segment that needs to be graded. It was just worth noting that WWE
devoted a long time to showing the last 10 minutes of Raw and a backstage
confrontation.
Jimmy Uso
looked elated to be returning to action on SmackDown. He is always hyper, but
he had more energy than usual as he made his way to the ring.
It was
great to see one half of the Usos having so much fun both before and during the
match. He and his brother have the kind of enthusiasm for the business that is
infectious. When one of them goes on a rampage, it's hard not to get fired up.
Roman
Reigns and Dean Ambrose had their moments, but Uso was on another level in
terms of excitement. It's too bad he was used as part of a greater storyline.
Right
when it looked like Uso would hit the Superfly Splash to get the win, the
lights went out. When they came back on, Uso was being choked out on the stage
by Braun Strowman. Reigns and Ambrose couldn't make it up the ramp in time to
save him and the segment abruptly ended.
For storyline
purposes, this was smart. Having one of Reigns' actual family members get
caught in the crossfire gives him a more personal reason to go after the
Wyatts. However, it still ruined what was an extremely entertaining match.
Grade: B+
Notes and
Highlights
Dean
Ambrose is ridiculously over with the crowd. It's a mystery why he isn't being
pushed harder.
Even when
he is part of the match and not sitting outside the ring, Xavier Woods is the
loudest person in the arena. It makes you wonder how he doesn't lose his voice
all the time.
Why
didn't the ref call for the bell when Uso was being choked out? It should have
been a disqualification. That's reffing 101.
The Lucha
Dragons and the Ascension had some great matches in NXT, but this encounter was
too short to match any of their previous efforts.
Stardust
helped provide a distraction so Konnor and Viktor could hit the Fall of Man on
Kalisto to pick up the win. After the match was over, they continued to beat
down Sin Cara and Kalisto.
Neville
made the save and cleared the ring of all three men in the Cosmic Wasteland. It
appears that Neville will align with his former NXT comrades to battle Stardust
and his minions. This feud will probably be turned into a six-man tag match for
Night of Champions.
Grade: C+
Notes and
Highlights
Apparently
it wasn't worth Stardust's time to accompany Konnor and Viktor when they faced
the Dudley Boyz.
It will
be interesting to see if Stardust and the Ascension continue to team together
after this feud is over. They make for an interesting combination.
It was
kind of funny to see Sin Cara, Kalisto, Konnor and Viktor leave ringside only
to return a few minutes later for the Lumberjack match.
Lumberjack
matches are usually a big mess, but as we saw with Seth Rollins and Dean
Ambrose, they can be done in a way that makes them exciting.
While
this bout didn't even come close to the one between Rollins and Ambrose at last
year's SummerSlam, it was still worth watching. Ryback and Rollins worked well
together, and it took longer than usual for things to break down with the
lumberjacks.
Big Show
ended up attacking Ryback, so the babyfaces at ringside ran him to the back.
That is when everyone started fighting everyone else in and around the ring.
Kevin Owens was the only one who kept himself out of everything until the very
end, when he cost Ryback the match.
Grade: B
Notes and
Highlights
Jerry
Lawler went deep into the wrestling history books to pull out a Jos LeDuc reference.
Ryback
pinned Rollins in a previous match. Why isn't he requesting a title shot? He
technically has more claim to one than Sting at this point.
It was a
little surprising to see Dolph Ziggler among the lumberjacks after not being
used on the show. The same goes for Owens.
Every
show has its moments of weakness, but if you look at this one as a whole, it
was pretty good. Most of the matches provided a decent level of entertainment
and a few storylines were given significant attention.
Paige and
Sasha Banks have managed to create their own feud outside of Charlotte and
Nikki Bella's war over the Divas title. This is good for the Divas division as
it shows the potential for multiple storylines within the three main groups.
The best
match of the night was the six-man tag bout. The short contest between the
Ascension and the Lucha Dragons suffered from not having enough time.
The feuds
that will make up the Night of Champions card will lead to some great matches
at the pay-per-view, which is so close there is precious little time left to
make any significant changes.
Predictions
The
Cosmic Wasteland will face Neville and the Lucha Dragons at Night of Champions.
Roman
Reigns and Dean Ambrose will recruit someone from NXT as their mystery partner.
Nikki
Bella will find some way to cheat so she beats AJ Lee's record for longest
Divas title reign.
Kane
will return before Night of Champions.
Kevin
Owens will earn a shot at Ryback's Intercontinental Championship.
