SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
HITS
Face Off
This showdown with Roman Reigns and John Cena feels so special, especially in comparison to their previous, brief program. The pacing here has been great in that the entire feud will not feel past-due by the time Summerslam arrives, and verbally, these two sparring is bringing out the absolute best in both. It is certainly Roman who is different this time, and it makes all the difference. Cena was especially strong and is still managing to not have the crowds turn against him, which is amazing all things considered. Mission-ary accomplished.
Crowning the King
Apollo Crews and Shinsuke Nakamura wrestled like they had something to prove and were met with an appreciate crowd. In the Thunderdome, this would’ve read as standard fair, but the entire environment tonight created a more inspired Intercontinental Championship match than typical on Smackdown. Pair that with the wonderful celebration by Nakamura and the entire segment felt special. Boogs even added to the moment – talk about a big win for all involved!
Tag Team Turmoil
How exactly did the Usos invade the production truck to do their video screen run-in on the Mysterios? I guess we aren’t supposed to think that hard, but it is a glaring moment that nearly entirely took away from what was a very fun match. This is only a minor hit because of the Dirty Dawgs still serving as the absolute best opponents for the Mysterios and their ability to make Dominik look fantastic for this point of his development.
Owens-Corbin
People seem to love this Baron Corbin character. I do not. It is fine enough, but I hardly look forward to him as a weekly presence. I do, however, gladly welcome the return (does it count as a return?) of Kevin Owens. KO is such an underrated part of making any show he’s on have that extra spark. The match here was very good, and it is safe to say that Corbin does not get the credit he deserves for his ring work and the amount of time of Smackdown that he can fill. I’m also glad, though, that Owens – like Balor before him – doesn’t seem to be stuck in an extended program with Corbin now.
Pacing
This week’s show featured a lot of long matches and set ups to promos that spread over multiple segments. Sometimes that pacing can give off the unwanted feeling of a shallow roster, but this week was done well enough to keep all of the big items moving forward with the proper amount of breath needed without giving the viewer sensory overload. The big takeaways here were the bookending segments leading to the Summerslam main events and nothing is coming out of this show that confuses that goal.
MISSES
Rambling Rollins
Seth Rollins was reaching for something of an epic promo tonight, but he really missed the mark. It was too long and rambling, and Rollins’s acting isn’t as good as he seems to think it is. I’m not sure any promo could be great with a video package break in the middle, which always just seems to take the viewer out of the moment, or quite frankly with this character, that is still maintaining way too many corny qualities to have the intended impact.
Backup
I’m not exactly sure what we saw with the Women’s Championship match contract signing, but it wasn’t very good, whatever it was. While both Sasha and Bianca are continuing to improve, closing the show out with them verbally sparring when neither of them are at their peak in that environment was… a choice. The back-up of having Zelina and Carmella come out only highlighted that Bianca had no one to stand for her, which doesn’t exactly speak to her being an intelligent babyface that has friends. The closing Banks Statement looked good enough for a highlight package, which is good enough coming out of the show.
NOW CHECK OUT OUR FULL REPORT: 8/13 WWE SMACKDOWN TV RESULTS: McDonald’s “alt perspective” report on Reigns-Cena Summerslam build, Banks-Belair contract signing, Crews-Nakamura IC Title
Seth Rollins is the BEST thing on WWE television lately, you just don’t get it.