WWE Smackdown LIVE Highlights
The Elimination Chamber is Set to make a Return
The elimination Chamber has always been one of my favourite WWE Matches. I know it's something that over the years has divided opinions but it's something that I have always enjoyed, even the ones that maybe weren't as good. A couple of years ago the Chamber stopped becoming a pay per view event and instead in twenty fifteen we got a Network special of the show that would feature one killer matchup between Kevin Owens and John Cena, the match that saw the then NXT Champion pick up the biggest victory of his career at that time. This year the Elimination Chamber is set to make a return and as the blue brand set to bring it back to life last night's episode of Smackdown LIVE kick started the road to that pay per view, despite the fact that the Royal Rumble hasn't even taken place yet. In the opening of this weeks show, Shane McMahon announced that Smackdown LIVE would present the two thousand and seventeen Elimination Chamber pay per view and at that event, the WWE World Championship will be defended inside the Elimination Chamber. Th announcement soon grabbed the attention of current champ AJ Styles who struggled to come to terms with the fact that not only does he have to defend his title against John Cena in less than two weeks time at the Royal Rumble pay per view but if he leaves that event as champion he will then have to once again put his title on the line this time in the most unforgiving structure. The opening segment itself was strong. I wasn't a fan of them taking the attention away from the Rumble so much but it was nice to get things kick started for the first Smackdown LIVE only pay per view of the year. The segment saw the obvious names, Styles, Cena and Miz all take part all wanting one thing, to walk into Wrestlemania as the WWE Champion. Now, I am of course expecting all three of these men to take part in the chamber match but someone I strongly do hope to also see in that match is Baron Corbin. As I said on twitter last night, Corbin doesn't necessarily need to walk out the victor but this kind of match would do him wonders. It's an easy way to showcase a darker more barbaric side to Corbin getting him over and also allowing him to gain some kind of momentum. If we Ambrose in there too we can set up a nice program between the lunatic fringe and the lone wolf heading into Wrestlemania. I do plan on talking about this in much more detail so keep an eye out for a future post on that very very soon.
Nikki Bella & Natalya Brawl at a Merchandise Stand
One of the things I have commented on a lot of over the past few weeks is the growing feud between Natalya and the longest reigning divas champion in history, Nikki Bella. I've said it time and time again that I wasn't the biggest and of this whole thing at the start but the more we get from them the more I like what I'm seeing. I've commented on the fact the pair have good chemistry and the storytelling and the booking has been done so well over the past month or so. During last week's show Nikki and Natalya were set to go one on one and settle their difference, however, the queen of hearts had other ideas and a brawl between the two took place instead. In the second segment of the show this week Nikki came down to the ring to address what happened last week and demand that she and Nattie finally settle the score. Yet again Natalya had other ideas and standing in the crowd encouraged Nikki to pay attention to the titron where moments later live footage of Nattie verbally attacking the Merchandise seller and taking away all of Nikki's merch was shown. I actually didn't know where the WWE were going to this little segment when Nattie first appeared. I didn't know what was going to pop up on the screen but I have to say I liked what I saw. Okay, so there were a couple of cringe-worthy moments and Nattie isn't the best on the mic, we all know that, but we're a group of people who always moan about seeing the same thing and here we got to see them doing something different and I liked it. I didn't like the whole "die alone" comment and the digs she made at her uncle Bret Hart reminded me a lot of what we have seen and heard from Charlotte over the past year but the segment as a whole, the brawl at the merchandise stand and everything else just worked for me. I was entertained, it was talking point and one of the highlights of the show this week in my personal opinion. I like the fact they are building some heat that feels real here and the match hopefully will be a solid one when it rolls around.Dolph Ziggler attends Kings Court
You guys know my deal with Dolph Ziggler, I talk about it week in and week out but I have to say that I have been loving the work we have had from the show off since the brand split. The WWE have been telling a fantastic story with him since the summer and having that slow build up and that slow approach is something that we very very rarely see the WWE do but it's something they have proven to be super super effective. One of the biggest issues I have always had with Ziggler is his lack of charisma but since the brand split he has been proving me wrong time and time again and I couldn't be happier about it. His heel turn is something that has been a great success. Again, it's something a lot of people including myself wanted to see but something the WWE have really been taking their time with and it has just worked amazingly well. We are beginning to see and hear more of him every week and he's finally showing us more character and charisma. Last night we saw Jerry the King Lawler make his first appearance on Smackdown LIVE when he held an eddition of Kings Court with special guet, Dolph Ziggler. If you told me a year ago that segment between Dolph Ziggler and Jerry Lawler would be one of my favourite parts of a show I would have said you were completely insane but honestly... I really really liked this segment last night. I know I sound like a broken record but this was just one so amazingly well. It's one of the only things I can't really fault. I was invested in the entire thing from start to finish and it's something that just got better and better the longer it was on my TV. I like that we didn't get the loud talking and all heated Dolph Ziggler we have been getting recently. Instead, we had a much calmer version of him that still came across intimidating and very heelish. It actually felt like we were watching a bad ass heel you didn't wanna mess around with. I love that the history between Ziggler and Jerry was a heavy part of this segment. They touched on the fact that Ziggler had elbow dropped the king in a match moments before he suffered a heart attack and while the lines that followed were dark and Ziggler kind of implied he would murder Lawler I thought this was fantastic. It felt so real between them, you could feel the tension and Ziggler really did come across exactly how he was supposed too. The closing moments of this segment saw Jerry make one last final personal dig which would tip Ziggler over the edge and it was one superkick to the chest that ended the segment and as Ziggler walked off backstage Jerry demanded he returned to the ring and face him like a man while JBL stood by his side. Like I said, I thought this was great! I don't know what will be coming up next for Ziggler but more of what we got last night is needed.It's Brother VS Brother Next week on Smackdown LIVE
The storyline with Randy Orton and the Wyatt family is something that I have changed my opinion on so many different occasions but I have been enjoying what we have been given over the past month or so. I really have been invested in the work and once again it's the slow approach that has meant that everything just works and is so much more effective and over than it would have been if they had rushed it. Over the past few week's we have seen tensions between Randy Orton and Luke Haper heating up and after Harper was held responsible for the Wyatt's losing the WWE Smackdown LIVE Tag team championship things grew even more intense and this week's things got even hotter. night it was announced that Randy Orton and Luke Harper will go one on one during next week's show in a match I really do have an interest in thanks to the build up. Now, I don't know where the WWE are going to go with these three superstars for Wrestlemania but for now I'm really enjoying what we are being given and I cannot wait for next weeks singles match.With Orton set to go one on one with the current Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose, everyone wondered how this match would end and what would be waiting for the story development for the Wyatt family. The match between Ambrose and Orton was without a shadow of a doubt one of the best matches of the night and I can honestly say that I really enjoyed the match. It's nice to see Ambrose being booked strongly still and having a superstar like Orton challenge Ambrose even in a non-title match does the championship and the champion some good. The closing moments of this match saw an accidental distraction from Harper cause Orton to lose yet another match and the actions that followed after would set up a must-see match for next week's show. With Orton and Harper going toe to toe it was time for leader Bray to pick a side and it was no surprise that he favoured the viper in this situation. Later on in the
A history Making main Event and a Shock Return
Last week it was announced that Alexa Bliss would be defending her WWE Smackdown LIVE women's championship against Becky Lynch inside a steel cage in this week's main event and there was actually a great deal of excitement for this match amongst the WWE universe. I, myself, made it perfectly clear I was super excited for this match and I was over the moon that it got to main event. I commented on the fact that this match had great potential and I did have high expectations as did a lot of other fans. Now, I won't beat around the bush, I was disappointed with the way certain things were done. I do feel as though Becky and Alexa put on a fantastic match. There were some great moments in this match on top of the brilliant storytelling and great chemistry between the two superstars. There were moments in this match that I doubted whether or not Bliss would retain the title with so many close moments that saw Becky very almost escape the cage. It was Becky who in my eyes did a lot of the better wrestling work but Bliss was the women I had my eyes on. I felt how desperate and how badly both women wanted to walk out as champion, I love the viciousness of Bliss and the attitude from her. I mentioned last night on twitter that I was so proud and happy for and of Alexa for coming so far within the space of twelve months. She really has so quickly become one of the biggest stars on the Smackdown LIVE roster and seeing her grow is just amazing. Honestly, I do believe she will be a huge huge star one day. Now, I do think this match could have been a lot better if it was longer and I had an issue with the finish. I understand a lot of people had and issue with the fact that La Lucha Dora was able to be apart of this match when the whole point of this match taking place was to stop that from happening but I felt as though it worked. I did feel as though the WWE missed out on a huge opportunity with this match to have some amazing spots to close the match but those last minutes of the show just made it all up for me. I do think it could have been done better and the whole thing could have been a heck of a lot stronger but that Mickie James reveal was bloody brilliant. We have all been aware that Mickie would be making a return to the WWE and joining the Smackdown LIVE women's division and for weeks we had predicted she would be behind the mask but the way she was revealed and the fact it was during the end of this particular match was so so well done in my opinion. It made this feel like a main event even more. Sure, the alliance between Mickie and Alexa doesn't completely make sense but it had that important main event feel to it and that's something the division has always needed. I do believe Mickie is going to be a huge huge part of the division and I'm so excited to see what the WWE have planned for her.This week was an interesting week. I thought we had three very strong matches with booking decision that all made sense and worked for the individual superstars. The highlight of the night for me was Mickie James' return. It's something I have been waiting for for weeks and I was not disappointed at all. I actually felt like that last moment had a pay per view feel to it. I strongly believe that Mickie's arrival will put the RAW women's division under immense pressure. We are getting such great storytelling for the Smackdown LIVE women's division and this is something I predict is now only going to get a whole lot stronger. If you would like a post on me talking about why I think Mickie's arrival will change things for the women's division let me know but for now you can also tell me what you thought of this week's show by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.
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