SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Hits
Ricochet vs. Sheamus: This was a pretty good TV match. It was a mild hit and not a solid one due to what it’s seemingly going to set up. Ridge Holland and Sheamus have only been together for a few months and the breakup tease is already happening. That last statement can be said for a lot of duos and teams in WWE and I’m sure that I’ll be writing it many times over as I start my role breaking down the hits & misses of this show. A terrible trope in WWE is that most teams and duos are put together simply to get to a breakup and feud. Unfortunately, this pairing seems to be no different. What’s worse from this, is what should have been seen as a good win for Ricochet is simply going to be buried to plant the seed for this feud and likely won’t lead to any worthwhile push of Ricochet. Again, a really good TV match that unfortunately won’t be remembered for much other than the post-match. However, I’m slightly encouraged by Ricochet’s interaction with Aliyah later in the show. He could end up in a TV program with Sami Zayn before and after WrestleMania during the times that Johnny Knoxville won’t be around to engage with Zayn. So maybe all hope shouldn’t be lost quite yet.
Drew McIntyre in-ring promo: Another mild hit here. McIntyre has been tasked with making chicken salad out of chicken scratch and he did his best. I know the Madcap Moss jokes are SUPPOSED to be bad, but when I know the punchline before he says it, it makes it even worse. Worse yet, unless we are heading for a swerve, it seems more and more as if we’re headed for a McIntyre-Baron Corbin match at WrestleMania. Considering what McIntyre did to help carry the company (especially Raw) over the course of the pandemic he deserves so much better than this for a WrestleMania program.
Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (IC Title): This was a really good TV match. It definitely wasn’t their epic classic from Takeover: Dallas in ’16 but this isn’t that event and this isn’t that version of NXT. Regardless, a solid match deserving of being the main event wrestling match on Smackdown. If we are to believe the reports, this’ll lead to Sami defending the title at WrestleMania against Johnny Knoxville. If anyone can carry Knoxville to an okay match, it’ll be Zayn. Here’s hoping the booking doesn’t show Knoxville eventually going over in that match.
Roman & Goldberg face-to-face: This was another mild hit due to Paul Heyman carrying most of the segment. This was the main event segment but didn’t feel like that big of a deal. After all of these years, I still don’t always “get” the Goldberg entrance. Heyman was cut off by Goldberg’s music, but Goldberg wasn’t even ready to come out? The music goes off and then he comes out after being alerted his music has started…for a promo. I can grasp the concept for a match because he’s due to be out and is waiting until the last possible minute. But why is Heyman getting interrupted by Goldberg’s music if he’s not ready? Maybe because he’s still due for a face-to-face? But then why did Roman look so annoyed if he also knows that Goldberg is due to come out for a promoted face-to-face. The whole thing just didn’t seem well thought out but I can still appreciate the work put in by Heyman here.
Misses
Contract Signing (Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Ronda Rousey, Sonya Deville): The idea that Rousey will have to wrestle in Saudi Arabia with one arm tied behind her back somehow being slipped into the contract is a bit silly. Are we always to believe that these documents are never reviewed before they are signed on national TV? As for the segment itself, all four women came off a bit catty and it really felt beneath all of them. The video that leaked last week showing Charlotte’s poor sell of getting her head slammed into the table was hidden well enough by Kevin Dunn’s constant cuts production tactic. On the bright side, after her initial Raw showing, Rousey seems to have at least fully embraced her role as a babyface and is actually smiling and acting like she wants to be around. Baby steps, I suppose.
Jey Uso vs. Ivar: The match itself here was fine while it lasted but another typical bad finish. Jimmy Uso winning a singles match two weeks ago against Erik in such convincing fashion was bad enough. Why not give Ivar a clean win on this night? Is anyone really convinced that the titles will switch hands in Saudi Arabia? A few clean singles wins from Erik and Ivar over the Usos would’ve at least given them some credibility going into Elimination Chamber. WWE is not only lacking credible challengers for the Universal Title but for its Smackdown Tag Titles as well.
A lot of filler/long video packages: There were 3 long video packages with two being back-to-back in the first hour of the show. There was enough filler on this show that I was able to write most of this column as the show went on. Granted, I know this show was taped immediately after last week’s show due to the travel needed to get to Saudi Arabia this week. Having said that, the long video packages really disrupted any flow this show was going to have. This two hour show really felt like it dragged. The show as a whole just just kinda there and, aside from the IC Title change, was merely just there to provide FOX with two hours of content before a big international Premium Live Event the next day.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.