SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Tempe, Ariz. hosted to Friday Night Smackdown and the crowd did not disappoint. It seemed red hot, and the smaller entrance made it feel spectatularly huge inside. Smackdown continues the trend of great episodes established over the last several weeks and gave us another night of killer wrestling, story progressions, and only a few rough edges. As always I’m Chris Adams and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think I’ve Missed.
CODY RHODES OPENING PROMO: HIT
There was a strong sense of joy radiating from Cody Rhodes as he entered the arena. His smile, his attire… he has it all. The crowd agrees with me too, as they cheered him on enthusiastically. He actually communicated very little, though, and while his opening line of “What do you want to talk about?” is an informal invitation to conversation, it often feels like Cody has no idea what he wants to talk about.
When he did speak, he acknowledged the strangeness of smashing Drew McIntyre with his championship belt. It was out of character, and Cody knows it, but the way he played to the crowd was a subtle seed planting. Cody’s moral center has somehow shifted, and we are now in the nascent stages of his descent into the corruption of power. That’s my take, at least!
The exchange between Drew was great, as always, and the energy between the two radiates with disdain.
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA & REY FENIX VS. MFT: HIT
Well, it appears WWE will team Rey Fenix with anyone but his own brother. The pairing of Shinsuke Nakamura and Fenix makes logical sense, as they have both been targets of the MFTs in recent days. It would have been nice to have a backstage segment where the two were united by their cause, but it’s also not necessary.
The match had a great fluidity to it, which is a compliment to Fenix and Nakamura, as Tama Tonga and J.C. Mateo don’t move with the fluidity of the aforementioned duo. Tama Tonga came back looking stronger than ever, and the face paint from his days in NJPW harken back to the violence of G.O.D. Nakamura is a breath of fresh air, as it seems he has his fire back. A great opener to a great show!
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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KIANA JAMES VS. TIFFANY STRATTON: HIT
A match nobody asked for or wanted, yet it delivered anyway. We’ve seen Tiffany Stratton’s acrobatic excellence, but Kiana James? The way she carried herself was a revelation. Tall, powerful, yet capable of the most fluid handsprings, she could easily find her way up the card with those qualities.
As of now, she still lacks a standout trait that will cement her as a consistent player in WWE. While it was always clear Tiffany would win, there was enough suspense within the match itself to take us along for the ride.
A note on Giulia: What a waste, an absolute waste, that the beast we know from Japan appears to be in perpetual hibernation. She desperately needs to unleash the fury within her.
SAMI AND ILJA BACKSTAGE: HIT
The backstage segment between Sami Zayn and Ilja Dragunov was my favorite of the night, hands down!
Sami set the stage for Ilja to shine last week, and now he makes a point to elevate the Mad Dragon further. In this moment, Sami seems incredibly generous. He shows no bitterness or revenge, only admiration and appreciation for Ilja’s skill. But there was a fire in Ilja’s eyes, and you could hear it in his voice, radiating such intense heat through the screen.
Ilja rises above everything else around him. He feels like he’s operating on another level of excellence and dedication to the craft. As Sami was talking and Ilya was murmuring to himself, stirring his painful engines, I felt a little fear inside; that’s when you know something truly magical is happening!
ILJA DRAGUNOV VS ALEISTER BLACK: HIT
I hesitate to say anything about the match between Aleister Black and Ilya Dragunov because words will fail it. Sublime, strong-style strikes. Kicks that landed with the precision of a surgeon in an operating theater. Back and forth, Black and Dragunov traded blows like two titans waging war for power! There were moments during the match that took my breath away, when it seemed Dragunov might lose his hard-earned gold to the esoterically brutal Black.
A side note: Black’s entrance with Zelina Vega was both enticing and a bit off-putting. It was enticing for all the obvious reasons—two beautiful people showing off their bodies and Vega offering a new side to her character. But it was off-putting because it seemed like a variation of Karrion Kross and Scarlett’s gimmick, with a bit more personalization. Vega’s role in the entrance needs more work, as the visual blocking often kept Black in obscurity.
Priest’s run-in provided enough distraction for Dragunov to win. I would have preferred a decisively clean victory for Ilja, but now we have plenty of things to look forward to in the future.
MELO BACKSTAGE: HIT
Carmelo Hayes has not been forgotten, but it has felt like he has been intentionally hidden in the mid-card over the past year. His seven-match series with Andrade should have cemented him as one of the top stars on Smackdown, but that momentum went nowhere. He languished in a team with the Miz that had moments of success, but now it appears he is going back on his own.
I have been a fan of Carmelo Hayes since his call-up, as I wasn’t an NXT viewer prior to that. He exudes confidence, charisma, talent, and self-assurance. He’s great looking. He has it all. It’s time for the whole world to see that, too!
DREW MCINTYRE VS JEY USO: MISS
I’ll start with honesty. When the match was made, I had absolutely no excitement. I like Drew McIntyre, and I think he’s excellent. I like Jimmy Uso; I believe he’s great at what he does and an incredibly entertaining performer. I just don’t think they had good in-ring chemistry in the match tonight.
A no-DQ match with one table break and some chairs? Come on!
I understand that there are levels of brutality that can’t be reached on network TV for a no-DQ match, but they could have done more. Bloodless and meaningless. I can’t deny that the match had moments of terror and brutality, mostly involving a chair and the threat of it being used against someone’s head. Those moments were well executed, but they had little to do with the chemistry – the in-ring chemistry – between the two performers, and more to do with what the no-DQ match allowed.
My sense is that this match was made into a no-DQ match to justify Cody’s likely victory at Saturday night’s main event. Drew will enter that match beaten up, having defeated Jimmy Uso and standing tall, but probably won’t make it to the top. The new Dolph Zigler.
I would also like to see Jimmy Uso have his own story to sink his teeth into. He feels like a side character in someone else’s story. There’s nothing ever for him. I do believe these two men have the potential for some anger-filled battles if they could give themselves over to the brutality necessary to make their feud feel consequential and meaningful.
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