Smackdown LIVE 1000 : The Best Moments
Last night a historic episode of Smackdown LIVE aired as fans celebrated the 100th episode of a show that has been a part of so many childhoods of wrestling fans. The night was jam-packed full of returns, major appearances, announcements, and standout segments and with so much going down there was no way I was going to pass up on reliving some of those moments and so today I bring you my review of this must-see episode!
A McMahon Opening
There were plenty of ways this historic episode of Smackdown could have kick-started and while a huge return or an in-ring legend showing up would have been a favourite opener for so many I have to say that I strongly believe this was a majorly fitting way to kick-start a celebratory night. With the second episode of Truth TV taking place the electric crowd was totally engaged in dance sessions and comedic angles from Truth and Mella and with the two soon joined by the first ever Smackdown GM, Stephanie McMahon the mood shifted yet the energy remained the same. Moments later Stephanie was not only joined by her brother and current Smackdown commissioner Shane but father and WWE CEO Vince McMahon. A show opening with McMahons really does always divide opinion considering this was such a historic and big show I felt it was massively fitting and well done. It showed just how much of a big deal the night was, how celebrated it was by the entire WWE, and Vince, in particular, making an appearance further emphasized how special this weeks episode truly was.
Excellent Booking in the Opening Contest
The first match of the night saw Crown Jewel opponents AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan team up to take on former tag team champions the Usos in a rather random but strong contest. Seeing these superstars put in a match against each other was an interesting and unexpected move that I and I’m sure the majority massively enjoyed. It’s extremely rare we would see these talents step in the ring together on in this special night the four superstars created an excellent contest fan easily enjoyed from the get-go. The wrestling was strong and overall this was a fun solid tag team match that saw the Usos pick up a huge win. The miscommunication between Styles and Bryan made for a good ending and strong storytelling element and the match was a brilliant way to build tension between the two stars ahead of their WWE Championship match while also giving the Usos huge momentum.
The Seeds Have Been Planted
One of my personal favourite segments of the night was the Evolution reunion. As a kid who grew up in the noughties watching wrestling all four of these men were a huge part of why I became such a major fan and seeing Evolution reunite on this special episode made for a special moment. Now, for a while, Batista has made it clear he wants to face Triple H one on one and last nights phenomenal segment the seeds for the match were planted. With the animal pointing out that Hunter has done everything there is to do in the WWE apart from beat him the tension between the two was evident and while no physical contact was made the seeds have been planted and fans can now have faith that in the coming months as we edge closer to twenty nineteen and Wrestlemania this contest will indeed take place.
A Dangerous Alliance
While this week’s Smackdown LIVE was far more about celebrating than dishing out five-star quality matches one of the best matches of the night came from the tag team division as fans witnessed the New Day defend their Smackdown LIVE tag team championships against the bar in an entertaining contest. I and many others were indeed expecting the titles to change hands on this night, however, the involvement of the Big Show was angle no one could have predicted. Only making his return a week prior fans were curious about the role in which he would now be playing on the blue brand and when his music hit during the closing moments of this match and the former world champion targeted the New Day a new alliance surprised the WWE universe. Now, I liked this angle. It was unexpected and looking ahead I would love to see these three superstars work together in a new and exciting little faction. Reminding many of what we have seen from McIntyre, Ziggler, and Strowman over on RAW there is clearly potential here for this to be something pretty interesting so let’s not throw too much hate and watch this space!
Rey Mysterio’s Return
Another personal favorite moment of mine to come from this 1000th episode of Smackdown LIVE was, of course, the return of Rey Mysterio. The return of Mysterio has been something I have been anticipating for weeks and with so much waiting for him I was massively excited to see the future Hall of Famer return to the ring last night facing Shinsuke Nakamura earning a spot at Crown Jewel in the world cup tournament. Again, this was a huge special moment. So many including myself grow up in total awe of Mysterio and he really is a special name for me personally and its watching Rey in this week’s main event that gave me so many amazing flashbacks and memories of watching with my Grandad.
Adding to the nostalgia and closing this special episode was, of course, the Undertaker. Hearing that entrance is enough to give anyone chills and an array of flashbacks from their childhood and the energy from the arena transcended through TV screens worldwide massively last night. The Undertaker is amongst those including Rey and Edge to really leave a mark on the history of Smackdown and seeing them all show up last night was fantastic. In the final moments of last night’s show fans witnessed the Undertaker stand in the middle of the ring promoting his up and coming tag team match against DX and while his appearance was kept short the smallest of Taker appearances are special and truly epic moments and this was no different.
The Disappointment
I’ll be honest, if there was anything that did disappoint this past Tuesday was the lack of involvement from the women’s division. While this was a night to celebrate Smackdown it was a week the division truly needed to add to some depth to the up and coming Evolution PPV and that was not provided. One segment involving the female talent was not enough, we had next to no returns and overall it was another week of poor build for this equally important up and coming show. I am at this point extremely worried about the Evolution pay per view and it’s such a shame this historic episode for Smackdown LIVE wasn’t used to build this more and create a larger buzz considering the opportunities there. I will, however, pay attention to the brilliant segment involving Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and WWE Hall of Famer, Edge which I massively enjoyed.
Overall, I strongly enjoyed this historic and celebratory night. The show had so much excitement, great moments, and an infectious energy and while I’ve shared my disappointments all round this was an entertaining must see show and I cannot wait for the next 1000 shows to kick start!
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