Smackdown Live Best and Worse Moments 26/7
The Difference in Shows could not be more Clear
As we have already touched on this week, Monday night RAW truly was an epic show and has been highlighted as one of the best episodes of not only twenty sixteen but of the past decade. With an action packed three hour spectacular Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon kick started the true new era with a bang thanks to surprise title changes, strong booking, and the arrival of top NXT Stars, Finn Balor and Nia Jax. Last night it was Smackdown's turn and with a tough act to follow Shane McMahon and general manager Daniel Bryan continued to promote their idea of Smackdown Live being all about the wrestlers and not the a authority figures in the WWE including themselves. In the opening last night they mentioned this yet again but actions proved to be louder than words and the changes in how things were done separated the overall feel of these shows massively. Both RAW and Smackdown Commissioners and general mangers started the night by introducing their rosters but while Stephanie and Mick started with a little in ring promo and then calling the men and women out Smackdown Live saw the entire roster on the ring apron and there was a completely different vibe. The intro alone was far more fun and left us all as fans feeling far more connected to the superstars and the authority figures on the show. The fact that the roster was so close and already by the ring made sure that the idea of the show being all about the wrestlers was yet again made clear as it was Shane and Daniel who walked to the superstars instead of the other way around. There was a feeling of the roster being more like a family and compared to RAW it felt far more like this was a show about the in ring talent, creating a clear contrast between the two rival shows and I really liked it.
Early Signs of Trouble?
Next up we have the first down side of the night as we have to address the possible early signs of a Smackdown down fall. First up the roster. I know I have said it a million times but when you look at the two separate rosters it doesn't take a mega fan to see that RAW is without a doubt the stronger roster and therefore the stronger show all round. To be expected yes, but Smackdown just looks so small and limited of top stars and in the long run it will become a problem. Hopefully however, up and coming NXT stars will change that so I will remain optimistic there. I also have to have my little moan about the commentary team. I along with many other normal human beings am not a JBL fan and his commentary quite literally makes me want to burn my ears and last night was a painful reminder of that. Why the WWE did not choose good old Tom Phillips I don't know. I understand he has his place on RAW but come on, are you seriously going to tell me that JBL is doing a better job? And finally the one hour difference. This really did prove to be a problem last night. If we just had one more hour than the main event would have been stronger, the women's segment could have been longer and more action could have been booked. Again, I worry that in the long run this is just going to grow as a problem. But to argue that, NXT runs very very smoothly on one hour so lets not judge too quickly.
The Process of a New Number One Contender continues
Again, just like with Monday Night RAW Smackdown Live focused it's main attentions on SummerSlam and creating a new number one contender to face Dean Ambrose at the second biggest stage on the WWE Calender. Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon would soon announce that the nights main event would see a six pack challenge take place where the winner would go on to face Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam next month. Baron Corbin, AJ Styles, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, and Bray Wyatt were all announced as participants for the nights main event but with one slot left open it was also announced that remaining men would compete in a Battleroyal with the winner taking the sixth place in this must see match up. Several names come to mind for the winner of the Battleroyal including Kane and Alberto Del Rio but in the end it was fan favourite and NXT Graduate Apollo Crews who found himself walking into one of the biggest opportunities of his WWE career so far. Personally, I really really liked the idea of the battle royal. It was interesting seeing what names where picked to go straight into the main event but the excitement a battle royal brings and the fact that we had a touch of unpredictability really did make this show and it was one of the best decisions made of the night without a fail.
A Very odd introduction to Women's Division
This past week on Monday night RAW Sasha Bank defeated Charlotte to become the brand new WWE Women's Champion and the era of women's wrestling felt more alive and active than ever before. Now, if there is one thing that Monday night RAW did do better than Smackdown Live this week it was the work of its women's division. On Monday we had a strong introduction to Nia Jax followed up by a phenomenal championship match that stole the show. Over on Smackdown a Battleground rematch between Natalya and Becky Lynch took place witch was in all fairness a decent bout, that then was followed by a small introduction to the women's division where every single female competitor came to introduce themselves and make their name known. However, just as things were looking strong and the segment looked to be heading somewhere the WWE cut to a commercial break and the whole thing was over and done with. It literally made no sense and something that could have been great really was ruined and it's such a shame. There is also the issue of less women on the roster and the girls having nothing to actually fight for at the moment.
Shelton Benjamin set to make WWE Return & New Arrival
The highlight of my entire Tuesday night was without a doubt the shock announcement that former WWE Superstar, Shelton Benjamin would be making his WWE return within a matter of weeks, joining the Smackdown live roster. Anyone that has followed me for long enough knows all too well that I am the biggest Shelton Benjamin fans. Following his career from day dot I was always captivated and entertained by Shelton and since starting my blog I have written many posts talking about him and his career. Now, we all know that Benjamin was extremely underutilised and his second run with the WWE is something I really do hope they get right. I honestly cannot wait to see Benjamin return. We also saw NXT star and former ECW Superstar Rhyno make a shock arrival during last nights show attacking Heath Slater. A little surprise that put a smile on my face as the Smackdown roster continues to grow.
Dolph Ziggler is Heading to SummerSlam
As we learnt from the start of the show, a six pack challenge would be main eventing this weeks episode of Smackdown Live with Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, John Cena, Bray Wyatt and Battle royal winner Apollo Crews would all be fighting for the chance to compete for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam next month. I love a six pack challenge match so was excited regardless and with the biggest names on the roster all featuring this was a must see for me personally and I mentioned throughout the night that I was very excited to witness this and thankful for a reason to actually tune in and watch staying awake again well past two AM. The match itself was strong and lived up to expectations. There is no doubt that it could have been a lot lot better if they actually had more time to compete but that does come down to the issues regarding the one
hour less that Smackdown has witch has proven to actually play a bigger role than people including myself may have first thought. There was as expected to be some brilliant spots in this match and the longer it went on and the growth in close calls left me on the edge of my seat more and more and that is what makes an exciting main event. I literally had no idea which one of these superstars would be picking up the victory and with everyone I was talking to backing a different star it made this a very fun main event and something different witch we all love. Personally I was rooting for Crews, Corbin or of course Wyatt. In my eyes they seemed like the choices that just made sense and with Corbin in particular you really could have build up a strong program between him and Ambrose. However, it was strong fan favourite and underdog of all underdogs Dolph Ziggler who scored the massive victory pinning AJ Styles. I as predicted wasn't the happiest girl in the world but I can one hundred and ten percent see why the decision was made. Smackdown is keep to promote the image that this is the place of opportunity and Ziggler being one of the most underutilised superstars of the past decade made him the perfect fit for the winner of this match up. The little stare down to close the show also was the one thing that did make me a little more excited for this match up.
So they are my top best and worse Smackdown Live moments of the week. As usual any recent blog posts will be linked bellow and finally, you can let me know what you thought of this weeks Smackdown live by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria
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