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I don't know how many of you will agree with this assessment. But that's the fantastic thing about wrestling isn't it...it's all subjective and nobody is right or wrong. Which is why I invite all of you to chime in with your comments in every 'Best and Worst' column that I write. As always, tell me what you thought of this week's show even if your opinion differs from mine!
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So yes...my assessment of this week's show. I thought that SmackDown Live did a far better job in building anticipation for SummerSlam than RAW did. While there was filler, there was enough good stuff on the show to outweigh all the bad.
The crowd at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida certainly did help things overall. In my opinion, they added a lot of excitement to the show with their enthusiasm.
Maybe the fact that the show is only two hours long and not three helped matters as well.
#1 Best: R-Truth
At the age of 46, R-Truth moves like few men his age can (or indeed men of any age can). While he suffered a loss at the hands of Shinsuke Nakamura this week, he won the hearts of everyone in the audience. As great as he looked in the ring, it was his comic timing that won everyone over. To get a shot at Nakamura in SummerSlam, Truth wanted to pin Carmella!
I like the pairing with Tye Dillinger as well. It keeps Dillinger on TV even though Creative may not necessarily have anything for Dillinger at that point in time. The oddball duo of Truth and Dillinger make for some entertaining television.
The humour on this week's show was actually not all that bad. I also enjoyed Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch joking about the fact that while tensions existed between them, they were not Sasha and Bayley.
#1 Worst: The wrong team won?
Make no mistake about it. I love The New Day and have even had the chance to interview them shortly after their shift to SmackDown Live, where they were absolutely entertaining. I just feel like The Bar vs. The Bludgeon Brothers would have been a fresh match for SummerSlam. The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day is a contest we've seen in the past.
The two teams did compete at WrestleMania, albeit in a Triple Threat match. Moreover, the teams have competed on SmackDown Live as well. I am sure that the match at SummerSlam will be great, but I don't feel particularly interested to see it unfold.
#2 Best: Building tension
Rusev forgave Aiden English for costing Lana her match last week, but instructed him not to show up on this week's show. Of course, English would run out to help his friend and cost Lana her match once more. This has led to some interesting possibilities down the line, maybe with a feud between Rusev and English.
Honestly, I'm also digging the tensions between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. I'm intrigued to see how it plays out at SummerSlam. Which one of these women do you think will turn heel?
It's great to see SmackDown Live's creative team putting effort into storylines. RAW could learn a thing or two!
#2 Worst: The IIconics
Do you guys think that The IIconics were brought up too soon? After all, they are only being used as enhancement talent on TV. Maybe a longer run in NXT could have helped them significantly.
Their promos aren't cutting it either, honestly. We saw the crowd chant 'boring' at them in unison. Their shrill delivery makes one want to switch channels.
At this stage, they really need the Women's Tag Team Championships to be introduced to appear relevant over the long haul. Otherwise, they are little more than jobbers, at best.
#3 Best: AJ Styles' extremely passionate promo
Samoa Joe said last week that Styles' family must be rooting for Joe to win so that AJ Styles spends more time at home. I thought Styles cut a fantastic promo in response. He alluded to the two of them being friends for a long time, and how Joe himself knew Styles' family well. By naming Styles' family, Joe had incurred the WWE Champion's wrath.
How much has the WWE Champion grown on the microphone since he first made his official debut?!
#3 Worst: The champs vs. some jobbers
We get the point already, WWE. The Bludgeon Brothers are an unstoppable unit. Did anyone think that the two champions would not be able to overthrow an enhancement talent unit of three individuals? I guess this was the official toilet break segment of the show!
Well, let's hope that the match at SummerSlam is better.
#4 Best/worst: Randy Orton's promo
I loved the creepy promo that Randy Orton cut at the top of the show. It makes you wonder why he was ever turned babyface. Orton is a natural heel and he revels in being a bad guy. He took issue with the audience cheering for Jeff Hardy, who took a 10 year break from WWE.
However, this seemed like a promo to just kill time. There was no interruption, there was no payoff. It was just a promo to kick the show off.
This is what I thought of SmackDown Live. Take care and be nice to your friends. Don't turn on them as one of these two women will, very soon.
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