WWE SMACKDOWN HITS & MISSES (10/10): One thing about Nakamura’s return really stood out that many might not have noticed, my concern about Cody Rhodes’s future

My vacation has come to an end, and so has the weekend in Perth. There has been a lot of wrestling in Australia, and it’s my job to highlight what worked and what didn’t on WWE Smackdown. Ultimately, I found the show to be fun and engaging, with some returns that excited me but also left me feeling trepidatious. Did Smackdown succeed in entertaining us? I believe so, and that’s what it’s all about! As always, I’m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think I’ve Missed!

CODY’S OPENING PROMO: HIT

While there were elements of self-congratulation in this promo, it was wonderful to see Cody giving so many people their flowers. It was an act of scripted generosity that polished his baby face even more. He is a company man through and through, and that is not a bad thing. I would have liked to see him give flowers to more than just one woman, but that’s a small critique.

Cody is effortless at speaking, and as a public speaker myself, I am consistently in awe of how he effectively undulates his voice. He set the stage for a conflict of depth and emotionality, building on the history between Cody and Seth Rollins. He taunted Seth not with insulting words, but simply with the truth – the truth that Cody has been superior since his return to WWE. Now, we know how their contest ended. Rethinking this promo in light of his loss at Crown Jewel makes the generosity seem even more profound. Another great opener if a Cody promo is the direction you want to go.

SAMI ZAYN AND SHINSUKE NAKAMURA: HIT

I don’t think anybody expected Shinsuke Nakamura to be the one answering Sami Zayn’s Open Challenge, but thank God he did. And it’s found within another moment of creative strangeness – abandoning a heel run that isn’t working. Nakamura has returned with the music and the body language that made him so beloved. This is the artist, the one who paints with violence, the one who vibrates his body with the energy of combat and conquest. This is the Nakamura we both want and need!

Notice that the tron from his villainous run remained, but nearly everything else stayed the same. The exception is his gear. This is my favorite gear he has worn in years, with the koi fish and blossoms adding an elegant beauty to his violence. And what violence we were able to witness! Nakamura and Sami Zayn running back the grappling from their NXT days – there were moments of brilliance and snugness that seemed like both Zayn and Nakamura were coming to life right in the middle of the ring.

I sincerely hope WWE has figured out what to do with Nakamura, but the DQ finish of the match with the run-ins from the MFTs does not bode well for a focused story arc for Nakamura. But my God, did I love this match and love seeing the artist that is Shinsuke Nakamura create beautiful carnage for us once again.

THE WARPAINT OF THE MFTS: HIT:

brief note on the war paint of the MFTs. The face paint instantly adds the potential for terror and chaos from the them, but it must be followed up on with creative trust behind them. They must remain a threat, and there has to be an ascendancy to power for them if they are to be more than mid-card heavies thrown in for a brief burst of energetic chaos.

KIANA JAMES & GIULIA VS. TIFFANY STRATTON & STEPHANIE VAQUER: HIT

Undeniably ,the clunkiest match on the card, it was nonetheless a fun way to spend time on a Friday night. That’s not meant to be an insult. It recognizes that not every segment needs to be Oscar-worthy, nor does every match need to elevate the art form to new heights. It served its purpose, and then some.

First, let’s talk about the wrestling. Since it was mostly a match between Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer, we were treated to excellent grappling and surgical striking. Tiffany Stratton added very little to the match, in my opinion. What made this segment even more successful was finally seeing Kiana James show some real personality in the ring.

I would like to see her toughen up her style, be a bit stiffer, and rely more on an arsenal of suplexes and slams than on striking. But there was something about her presentation tonight that did more to advance her character than anything she’s done in the past two months.

Giulia has suffered the most, as she doesn’t seem to quite fit into the current trajectory of WWE. I’m not sure what to attribute this to, other than recognizing that something isn’t working for her, in contrast to how everything is working for Stephanie Vaquer.

STREET PROFITS VS. THE WYATT SICKS: MISS

This match was way too short, never giving either team a real chance to shine. They have faced each other before in much more exciting and violent matches, but they weren’t given what they needed tonight to create magic. Sadly, the Wyatt Sicks seem to have lost their edge. They don’t feel like threats anymore, and Dexter Loomis is so painfully wooden in his line deliveries that it comes off like bad community theater. Even worse, we’re now headed toward a feud between the Sicks and the MFTs, which looks like mediocrity at its finest. This is a dull direction for the tag titles.

ALEISTER BLACK VS. DAMIEN PRIEST: HIT

This delivered on every level! Nuanced storytelling with the long-awaited on-screen pairing of Zelina Vega with Aleister Black, creating the opportunity for the fireball, that black magic sprayed into Damian Priest’s face that ultimately led to a Black Mass that brought Damian Priest down for longer than the 10 count. This match did not dishonor the feud that was growing between the two of them in the ring and backstage for weeks.

If they continue to build on this, we now have a main eventer and Aleister Black, who can be a spectral force of violence across the entire scene of Smackdown. Part of what made the match so effective was Black and Priest’s willingness to trust each other with their bodies, a hallmark of good wrestling. By trusting each other, they became very physical, very snug, and very visceral in their combat. It created a beautiful chaos that betrays a feud just getting started.

POST CROWN JEWEL REFLECTION ON CODY RHODES

I’m increasingly worried about Cody Rhodes, especially after his loss at Crown Jewel. Yes, it was a dirty loss, but still a loss. Having lost at both WrestleMania and Crown Jewel, and with his championship win at Summerslam barely being celebrated, I sense a lack of clarity about his future, and I don’t like it.

I believe it was the right decision for Seth to win, but just because it’s the right call doesn’t mean it can’t lead to negative consequences if not handled properly. My gut tells me they won’t manage it well, and that’s disappointing.