WWE SMACKDOWN HITS & MISSES (9/12): Lesnar’s Blue Underwear Moment, Sami vs. Fenix shine in U.S. Title Open Challenge, Disppointing Double Double Countout, Women’s U.S. Titles scene

It’s a show that simply can’t find its identity. It moves from week to week with wild dips in quality, often neglecting feuds without even a backstage segment to keep a character’s momentum alive. Add in a champion absent until this week, and what we have is a show that feels schizophrenic at best, insultingly inane at worst. Either way, viewers aren’t winning lately. As always, I’m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think I’ve Missed.

BROCK LESNAR SPLITS HIS PANTS: HIT

Had it not been for the splitting of his pants, I wouldn’t call this segment a hit. I resent having to see Brock Lesnar on my television. I resent WWE’s belief that they can just trot him out without a story and expect us to be excited.

The live crowd seemed more mixed tonight, but what can’t be denied is how much of a fool Brock Lesnar looked like at the end of his segment. He fumbled over lines, had no rhythm or flow to his words, and his interactions with R-Truth were pedantic and repetitive, as if both men forgot what they were supposed to do.

But an F5 that split his pants open, revealing his underwear, feels like karmic justice – just a little – for someone who has clearly treated people with disrespect and disdain. His red face revealed his embarrassment, and it was well-deserved. Wooden, absolutely wasteful segment, saved by the splitting of the pants!

REY FENIX VS. SAMI ZAYN: HIT

This match crackled with electricity, as if these two wrestlers were trying to make up for the piss-poor segment they had to follow. Sami Zayn was moving like he was 20 years younger, and although he can’t quite keep up with the speed of Rey Fenix, the intensity and athleticism were definitely there.

Back and forth they went in a cacophonous dance of orchestrated violence, and at moments it seemed as if Fenix really could take the U.S. Title. These matches highlight how incredible the younger crop of talent is, and as long as WWE can figure out how to make money from performances like this, we should see more and more high-speed grappling on our screens. This is easily the best match of the night.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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GIULIA, B-FAB, AND THE WASTED U.S. TITLE SCENE: MISS

It’s painful, each week, to see such little creative effort put into the work of these wrestlers and the trajectory of the Women’s United States Championship. From the moment the title was taken off Chelsea Green, it has felt like a prop; Zelena Vega was not booked properly as a champion, and the trend continues with Giulia.

Before her arrival in NXT, the WWE Universe believed we were going to receive another joshi in league with Iyo Sky. Shades of that were present in NXT, but it has all but vanished since her arrival on Smackdown. Her matches and segments seem to be shorter and shorter. She was paired with a manager in Kiana James, yet even she hasn’t been given a microphone in any meaningful capacity. B-Fab felt like fodder this evening, and Michin is all but guaranteed to be a paper champion.

The booking around the title and the abysmal lack of focus or care make us, as viewers, have little reason to care. What a shame.

TIFFANY STRATTON VS. JADE CARGILL: MISS

Before I go any further, I must give respect where it is due. The match itself was better than their match at Summerslam. There was a certain level of physicality that was missing in that previous matchup. In fact, there were some downright nasty bumps that both wrestlers took, which certainly left their bodies bruised.

A basement dropkick on the apron by Tiffany Stratton to Jade Cargill, while looking relatively simple, was full of danger. Moments like this made the match great.

But the double count-out in a title match feels like more of the same no-finish bookings that have been plaguing both Raw and Smackdown in general over the last year, but they’ve felt more acute in the last three months. There could have been a more satisfying way to reach the same endpoint, including the run-in from Nia Jax. Like the rest of the show, there are elements that just felt undercooked.

DREW MCINTYRE VS. RANDY ORTON: HIT

There was too much good in this match to not call it a hit—the violence, the animosity, and the history between these two wrestlers all contributed to a really good television match. While it seemed like this feud would play out at Wrestlepalooza, Cody Rhodes’s post-match promo revealed that he will be taking on Drew McIntyre, not Randy Orton.

This definitely makes for a more high-profile match, but it almost guarantees that Drew will lose. He has lost so many high-profile matches that you have to wonder about the damage to his ability to be a threat if he can’t close the deal when it matters most. While I wouldn’t want Cody to lose the title at Wrestlepalooza, it might be more interesting storytelling if Drew McIntyre finally scores a big win.