WWE SMACKDOWN HITS & MISSES (6/20): CM Punk destroyed by John Cena, LA Knight shines opposite Heyman on mic, where is Chelsea and Charlotte going, Ron Killings deserves more, more

It wasn’t Friday the 13th, but Friday Night Smackdown still feels cursed. It is cursed by an inability to deliver consistent television enjoyment and seems unable to find its rhythm. It borrows wrestlers and stories from Monday Night Raw but doesn’t develop those elements with any real substance. Champions who should be fighting are nowhere to be seen. There were some bright spots on Friday night, but they are few and far between. And we will talk about John Cena’s pipe bomb! As always, I’m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think I’ve Missed.

L.A. KNIGHT SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER: MISS

I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon and join the chorus that criticizes L.A. Knight’s booking incessantly. It’s strange that he never fails to reach the top even when the crowd tries to push him there. He was featured as the star; what’s going to come of it? It seems he’s simply going to be fed to Seth Rollins and his new stable. Giving credit where it’s due – he did manage to make this stable look fairly foolish.

Paul Heyman’s voice cracked, giving Knight the opportunity he needed to prove why he’s one of the best on the microphone. But should he really be making the stable look stupid? Where is Seth Rollins? He’s nowhere to be found. Paul Heyman carrying the briefcase looks pathetic, since we know he won’t cash in. This segment was messy and was, unfortunately, a good indicator of things to come.

ASUKA AND ALEXA BLISS: HIT

Asuka has returned in rare form. There is an intensity in her eyes that wasn’t there before her injury. There is a palpable hunger, a hunger for violence. As she took the hits from Alexa Bliss, she batted her chest and beged for more. She’s monstrous, though Alexa Bliss put up an amazing challenge; there was no stopping Asuka because nobody is ready for Asuka.

I’m not sold on the hip attack as a finisher, especially since her opponents need to learn how to better take it as she gives it. If you want to watch a really good professional wrestling match on basic cable, this would be a great match to start.

RON KILLINGS: MISS

Ron Killings deserves more than just being a run-in specialist. He deserves more than story interruptions. He needs his own storyline, and that won’t happen if he continues to feel secondary or disruptive. Maybe they’re setting up a feud between Aleister Black and Ron Killings, which might be fun, but nothing special.

I did appreciate the small backstage segment they had. Sadly, everything feels underdeveloped, because it is. Ron Killings isn’t supposed to be here, yet he is. They owe it to him and to us to make this run feel meaningful and substantial. So far, it is neither.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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KING OF THE RING PROMO: MISS

This segment was weird and felt like just another promo battle meant to fill time on a three-hour show. They must be building something with Cody being left off the mic, perhaps sowing the seeds for some kind of betrayal. Either way, they should find better ways to have their performers interact in a more natural way rather than feeling like poorly-executed community theater.

GREEN VS FLAIR: MISS

Where is this going? Chelsea Green was flying in the stratosphere; now, she’s come down to the ground again. It’s hard to point to anything in this match that was remarkable, other than Piper Niven smashing Charlotte Flair with a senton while Flair was bridging a Figure-Eight. That was a gnarly piece of business. But that really was unrelated to the match itself between Flair and Green.

If this is an opportunity to force Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair to fight, it does a disservice Chelsea Green. And by the way, why haven’t they let Zelina Vega speak? The women’s mid-card is in a strange way on Friday Night Smackdown.

L.A. KNIGHT VS BRONSON REED: MISS

My criticism is mainly about booking another disqualification finish. Why must another main event match be ruined by a spear on the outside by Bron Breaker? If they aren’t careful, Breaker will just become a mindless tool. We know he has personality, but right now, he is just a weapon. Maybe that’s the point, but couldn’t the writers find more creative ways to use this weapon?

I get tired of non-finishes, and I’m ready for Triple H to come up with a new booking strategy.

CENA DESTROYS C.M. PUNK: HIT

It’s a hit for all the wrong reasons. It’s a hit because it will leave a lasting impact on the wrestling world. It’s a home run, with John Cena knocking it out of the park, because he achieved the impossible. He defeated C.M. Punk at his own promo game. It was a master class in character destruction and assassination.

As C.M. Punk lay there with his head next to the logo of a processed meat snack, John Cena told the truth. C.M. Punk is no longer the voice of the voiceless. He’s a millionaire who films videos of himself spending $5,000 on sneakers. John Cena rightly called out how C.M. Punk has been shackled and constrained by TKO, which means he is no longer the C.M. Punk we once loved and knew.

Even if WWE is forcing Punk to go to Saudi Arabia, and they’re using these promos to undermine his moral stance, he still bears some blame for how he can no longer escape accusations of hypocrisy. There were moments in the promo that felt odd and awkward, as if John Cena was really trying to decide how far over the line he was willing to go.

I don’t know how C.M. Punk recovers from this. I don’t know if he can ever regain his Punk credibility. I’m not sure WWE got what they wanted by bringing C.M. Punk up short like this. There’s a phrase used in philosophy: “First as fiction, then as farce.” When C.M. Punk returned and acted friendly with WWE, pretending to be the Corporate Punk, it seemed like fiction. But now, he just feels like a farce, with his broken body lying between two Slim Jim logos. What a joke.