Smackdown LIVE Continues to Dominate in First Show of 2017
Dolph Ziggler Finally has Had Enough
Over the years I have made it perfectly clear that I am not the biggest Dolph Ziggler. Time and time again I have sat here and said how I've never really jumped on the Ziggler bandwagon and even mentioned how I believe he's a touch overrated. However, since the brand split I have honestly slowly started changing my mind. His feud with Ambrose may not have resulted in the best match at SummerSlam last year but his promos were fantastic and it was his brilliant mic work in his feud with the Miz that really was the source of why I had changed my mind so much. The passion, the fire, the heart, everything Ziggler was saying was just amazing and I really did begin to see him very differently. Talking of that feud with the Miz, I also spent a great deal of time at the end of twenty sixteen discussing how this was one of my favourite feuds/storylines's of the year and was without a doubt one of the best feuds Ziggler has ever been involved with. It saw him pushed to his limits and he really did showcase the best of his in ring and on mic skills. Now, the story the WWE have told with Dolph since the brand split has been fantastic. They have gripped onto the fact that he has been around for a long time and while he has had a great deal of success he's never quite reached where he wants to be. He's taken a lot of beatings, a lot of stick and watched many other superstars suppress him and that really was a brilliant build up for what we saw take place during last night's show. After losing to Baron Corbin clean he still had a beating coming at the hands of the lone wolf however former United States Champion, Kalisto was at hand to come to the aid of Ziggler. However, with Corbin now out of the picture Ziggler left the WWE Universe in complete shock when he super kicked Kalisto completely out of nowhere. Now, I have always said that I prefer Ziggler as a heel but I did not see that moment or that heel turn taking place last night at all but the timing was just perfect. We had a great build up to the turn and it all fitted into the night so so well. An unexpected heel turn will always go down well in my books and this really was a standout/highlight moment of this week's show. I'm definitely interested in seeing what the WWE have coming up for Dolph. I liked the little backstage heat we had between him and Apollo Crews, that's something that really could help both superstars especially Crews if done right and we could see some great matches from the pair.
NXT Star Gets Smackdown LIVE Opportunity
The Smackdown LIVE women's division was extremely well portrayed during last night's show. The blue brand continues to work on and provide better for its female talent with a great deal of the division being showcased week in and week out. Once again, last night we got to see several women get TV time and they were all used extremely well. The standout for me had to be the singles match up between Carmella and NXT star Aliyah. Now, this wasn't the match of the night at all but it was a highlight of the night for me personally. Anyone that has been reading my blog or following me on twitter over the past few months will know all too well that Aliyah is easily one of my favourites up and coming talents today. I have written about her several times here on my blog including my "WWE Superstars to watch in 2017" post (which will be linked bellow). From the moment she first appeared on TV despite having issues with character development and connecting with the fans she clearly had great potential and her in-ring talent was something no one could really touch. In recent months she has been finally making an impact own in NXT and I do believe she's going to have a fantastic twenty seventeen. Seeing her make an appearance on Smackdown LIVE last night did put a smile on my face, it's always nice seeing an NXT star get an opportunity and Aliyah really is someone that deserves it. Now, there was no part of me expecting her to pick up the win last night but she di have a brilliant showing and proved herself yet again. She held her own well, dominating most of the match showcasing her impressive move set and wrestling ability. She may not have picked up the win but she was the one I had my eyes on the entire time and I cannot wait to see more of her in NXT this year.WWE World Championship Contract Signing Gets Personal
I'm going, to be honest with you, I didn't like the idea of having John Cena come back last week and given a championship match just like that. Wit Smackdown LIVE pushing itself as the land of opportunity it angered me so much that John was handed a title opportunity on his first night back without earning it at all when there are so many other superstars who have been working their butt off the entire time Cena has been gone to work towards that very opportunity. Now, John and AJ do have a fantastic in ring history. Their matches from last year were some of the best of twenty sixteen and were very important in setting Styles' debut year as one of the best in history. Of course, I'm confident that these two superstars will once again deliver at the Royal Rumble pay per view. There is no doubt in my mind that the pair will provide us with yet another match of the year quality bout, however, my opinions on what the end result should be, remain the same; while I believe there is chance Cena will walk out the victor I really do want to see Styles retain. Maybe even thanks to a little assistance from a certain dead man... Anyway, during last night's show the contract signing for this match took place and it was fifteen minutes of gold. With Styles once again getting personal with John he pulled up the fifteen-time world champion on a comment he previously made about the Rock and how he was wrong to claim that his comments wrong. He would go on to say that everything Cena said about the Rock is true and that he himself had now become that man he described the Rock to be, something I have to admit I kinda agree with. This segment really did show for me just how strong Styles is as a heel and how far his WWE character has come since his debut a year ago. Cena, of course, hit back strong and eventually got the last word claiming that the phenomenal one would regret pissing off John Cena. Like I said, my opinions on this up and coming match remain the same however, after this segment I am looking forward to this match far more and I do like the touch of unpredictability we are getting here.Will 2017 Been the Year For Baron Corbin
I do not have to sit here and tell you how much of a Baron Corbin fan I am. I have mentioned it every single time I talk about him here on my blog and even over on social media. Now, two thousand and sixteen was an up and down year for the lone wolf starting off strong, falling flat in the middle and picking himself right back up at the very end. He has always been someone that has shown fantastic potential. He has everything you could want in a WWE superstar. He has the lock and the talent but he has always been missing that something. he has worked on his character massively over the past year and while he still has a while to go he really has come far over the past twelve months. Something I do still have an issue with is his mic skills. Recently Corbin has just been on fire, owning it and sitting as one of the tops stars on the Smackdown LIVE roster. Last week he main evented in a triple threat match for the WWE World Championship and this week he was another huge talking point. In the opening match of the night, he defeated Dolph Ziggler clean in what was actually a pretty solid match up. Later on in the show, he confronted both AJ Styles and John Cena where he officially announced himself as the first Smackdown LIVE superstar to enter the Royal Rumble match and promised he would be walking out the victor and he will be coming after that title. Now, I do believe that Corbin winning the Rumble is a huge risk but I don't believe that its impossible. He has so much momentum going right now and he really is one of the hottest talents in the WWE today, and so I wouldn't be angered with him winning. I do, however, believe it's more likely he could walk away Mr Money in the bank this year. However, next week he is set to go one on one with John Cena and I have to say I'm worried. I really really don't want to see Corbin loose clean next week. It will destroy so much of his momentum that he has spent so much time building up and would honestly be such a terrible move to make. Can twenty seventeen be Corbin's year? Let's wait and see.A New Intercontinental Champion is Crowned
One of the things I have been enjoying the most in the WWE today is the growing feud between Dean Ambrose and The Miz. I have previously written about why I have been loving it so much and I have gone on to explain how this storyline once again separates the two shows. The involvement of Renee Young has been fantastic. They haven't overdone it what so ever and we haven't rushed into throwing Renee into a ring (despite the fact she hasn't trained anyway). The show opened with the Miz calling Renee, requesting an apology however the IC Champion has gifted the presence of Dean Ambrose. However, he was able to dodge the lunatic fringe and it was his wife Maryse who gave Ambrose a slap to remember, something she will also gift Young with later on in the show. It was announced in the week that the two superstars would be colliding for the IC Championship anyway this week and it was that match that would the main event this week's episode of Smackdown LIVE. Now, I have to mention just how key this is. I honestly, love how every single championship comes
It's safe to say that Smackdown LIVE provided us with the better show this week. We had some fantastic storyline development, brilliant matches, and an all round entertaining show. I am planning on writing full Smackdown LIVE review starting in February. As always any recent blog posts will be linked bellow and you can tell me what you thought of this week's show by leaving a comment or tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria. Do you think 2017 will be the year of Baron Corbin? Who will walk out of the Royal Rumble pay per view as champion? Will the Undertaker make an appearance? And did you like seeing a new IC champion crowned? Get the conversation going!
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WWE Superstars to Watch In 2017
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