SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
HITS
Face-to-Face-Face Opener: Last week I handed out praise to Carmella for her in-ring prowess. However, this week her promo was simply put, annoying. Becky Lynch and Charlotte had good, solid lines but much of Carmella’s promo made no sense and didn’t mean much of anything regarding their triple threat matchup at Summerslam. The promo led to a women’s tag match between Flair and Lynch vs. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Lynch and Flair walked out with the win.
The New Day vs. Sanity: Solid match. Crowd was into it from jump street including wishing Kofi Kingston a happy birthday. Kingston and Xavier Woods sold for most of the match making SAnity look strong as heels. Big E was obviously the muscle and had some big power spots especially in the final spot that led to a New Day victory. New Day will face the Bludgeon Brothers Sunday at Summerslam for the Smackdown Live tag titles.
Samoa Joe promo with Paige: Joe has separated himself as one of the best promo guys in the industry. He’s smooth, convincing, and his interviews always come off in a shoot style. A natural and as long as he can stay off the disabled list Joe will be a champion soon.
Aiden English vs. Andrade Cien Almas: Real solid match. Unfortunately, it was too short. Five more minutes and this could’ve been the match of the week. English showed off a little bit in this contest and we are all happy he did. He showed he can go. Almas is getting stronger each and every week. His work is getting sleeker and his confidence is gaining traction. I expect him to be one of SD Live’s top heels in a matter of months.
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz vignette packages: Great stuff produced by the WWE. I think a lot of fans forget how long this rivalry really has been. It’s longevity is impressive and I believe the WWE have booked this rivalry masterfully.
MISSES
Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin: I’m not sure if Hardy got his bell rung in the opening minutes of the match but after a stiff kick to head by Benjamin things changed. Hardy was very slow and sloppy. His movements were forced and painful. Hardy picked up the win after a twist of fate but he didn’t look ‘all there’ afterward. Adrenaline kicked in for Hardy once Shinsuke Nakamura bumrushed him. The number one contender for the United States title hit the champion with a twist of fate and swanton bomb.
A.J. Styles and Samoe Joe final promo: Something was missing. The cliffhanger aspect I understand. But involving a letter from Styles’ ‘wife’ could have been exploited last week. I wanted and expected to see some physicality. Didn’t get it. Not a strong finish to an otherwise strong go-home episode of Smackdown Live.
NOW CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE: TOP 3 DEVELOPMENTS – SMACKDOWN 8/14: Becky Wins Alone, Bryan vs Miz in 3 Parts, Conflicting Stories from Joe and AJ
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