SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE appears to be aware of the increasing criticism regarding Smackdown’s inconsistencies. This episode was, from beginning to end, a top-notch show that advanced lingering, simmering storylines and pushed others forward with fierce intensity. Both WarGames matches were enriched through added wrestlers and violent actions, which bodes well for Survivor Series. As always, I’m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think I’ve Missed.
CODY’S OPENING INJURIES: HIT
It’s the feud that keeps on giving, but what it’s giving us isn’t quite satisfying. Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes have been at war since before Wrestlepalooza. They’ve beaten each other with belts. They’ve smashed each other’s heads through tables and glass. They’ve done everything except switch places when it comes to who remains on top, holding the gold. It’s high time for Cody to drop the belt to Drew in a display of true Scottish brutality and malevolence.
What we saw at the start of this show was a taste, reminiscent of the Final Boss’s beatdown of Cody near his bus – which, given Drew’s connections to The Rock, makes some sense. They need to capitalize on this brutality with a brutal loss. Drew needs to be rewarded for his performances and nuanced character, but it’s slowly becoming stale as he’s always complaining and chasing, never achieving the brutal victory he needs. Cody, too, has become somewhat stale. Hopefully, what we see is a shift in power.
As much as I am a fan of Cody Rhodes, I hope they find a way to give Drew McIntyre a meaningful victory so he can reign as champion – not just fighting but destroying – through the raw brutality of his fists, not through numbers like Roman Reigns. We need a violent man on top for a while, so a new hero can arise to slay a dragon.
ILYA DRAGUNOV VS. J.D. MCDONAGH: HIT
The Open Challenges of Ilya Dragunov have quickly become THE staple of great wrestling on Friday nights. No other performances or segments can come close to those elevated by the raw yet artistic brutality of Dragunov.
Unpredictably, at least as far as this viewer is concerned, it was J.D. McDonagh who answered the call of the challenge. Once I saw him respond, I knew we would be in for an absolute treat of violence and horror.
Dragunov is known to scream, “Pain shall entertain you,” and Friday night, we were indeed entertained by pain. These two men battled as if kayfabe is the truest reality of them all, and they gave us a display that shows why professional wrestling is the king of sports. Both performers understood the physical brutality they were about to unleash and receive from each other, and they did so with sheer delight.
Can you believe J.D. McDonagh countered the torpedo Moscow? It was a beautifully surgical strike from a man known more for his forehead, but who should be known for his skill. I don’t know what the future holds for J.D. McDonagh. He should never be the featured star of a promotion, but he could hold a mid-card title with the same conviction as Dragunov. Perhaps he can’t match Ilya’s ferocity, but a ferocity and brutality of his own could make this title a haven for technical and brutal wrestlers alike. If the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship is the workhorse title, then the United States Championship could be the title for technical and brutal wrestling.
CARMELO HAYES VS. BRONSON REED: HIT
Faithful readers of my column will know that I have been championing the cause of Carmelo Hayes since his arrival on the main roster. I did not follow him in NXT closely, but I was aware of his rise.
Burned into my brain is the image of the black-suited Carmelo Hayes sweeping the legs out from under one of his friends as he made his Shawn Michaels-esque turn. He has been lost since his arrival, and whether that was by design or sheer mediocrity on the part of the writing staff, the tide is turning as I have noticed a distinct shift in his presentation lately.
He is shedding the skin of the heel upstart. He is becoming someone that we want to get behind and see become victorious. He’s moving away from underhanded tactics, and we can see the heart of a hero breaking through the shell of a villain who never truly reached his own villainous and heelish ambitions. I did not expect Hayes to win this match.
Color me surprised when he secured the victory, albeit a victory by countout. It’s a win nonetheless, and one that makes sense logically. It would have taken a lot for us to believe that Carmelo Hayes could physically outmaneuver and out-think Bronson Reed. Reed still looked good despite the loss, but Carmelo Hayes achieved something greater in his victory.
This win meant everything to him, and you could see it on his face as he shouted uncontrollably once that third hand slapped the mat in the three-count. An entertaining match that told a multi-layered story with a creative finish that made sense. This is how you make a count-out finish mean something.
DIY VS. FRAXIOM: HIT
In what felt like a return to some recent tag team glory, an incredible display of tag team prowess was put on by both teams tonight. DIY are always dependable, rarely inconsistent in their performance. When your quality is so predictable, it can go unrecognized, especially when they are not as explosive or vibrant as Fraxiom.
Fraxiom is a team of barely controlled chaos, always on the verge of exploding like a supernova, radiating energy, brilliance, and power. It can happen at any moment, this explosion, and we are waiting with bated breath for it to pop off. That’s what makes them different and special compared to DIY. Their chemistry makes for a great match between the two teams. But as it should be, the babyfaces are the more engaging team to watch. Indeed, they are sometimes not as polished as DIY. But honestly, that doesn’t matter much, given everything else this team excels at.
I’d like this feud to continue and even turn into something like a tornado tag team cage match where we could see these teams push their hatred to new heights, bad pun intended. The unmasking of Axiom bothers me, and I’m not sure why. Maybe because the mask tradition in Lucha Libre is so deeply tied to a particular cultural expression that messing with it outside that context feels risky to me. Still, it was an incredible match.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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PENTA VS. FINN BALOR: HIT
Much like Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor is always the bridesmaid, never the bride. He seems to be okay with this, as he recently signed a contract extension after years of falling short. Perhaps falling short isn’t the best way to say it, because Finn Balor is consistently featured on national television in high-profile matches. He might not be grasping a singles title or advancing in the tournament to face John Cena as his final opponent, but he remains highly visible and very gainfully employed.
I’d like to see him bring out some of the Demon again, though. There could be an interesting story of exorcism with Penta, whose own masked demonic ferocity is what finally calls forth Balor’s darkness.
Imagine Penta staring down the Demon Balor and shouting, “Cero Miedo!” I have no fear of you even if you are from the pit of hell! But that’s for the future.
We had a solid match between the two that didn’t take many risks but featured some moments of brilliance. Finn Balor’s moves looked especially fierce when landed. Even though he missed his coup-de-grace, he still showed well against Penta, the current darling of the WWE Universe.
Penta demonstrated his strength by driving Finn Balor into the turnbuckle with his shoulder and then running him halfway across the ring. Lifting him high above his shoulders and bending him over, Penta tried a variation of a Muscle Buster – it didn’t finish Finn, but it looked as close as it gets.
It was his Mexican destroyer that finally sealed the deal and ensured that Finn Balor stared up at the lights for the three-count. Penta is fun to watch, and yet I find myself growing critical of what I perceive to be a level of sloppiness in the execution of some of his moves. There are times when it feels like he wishes he could be the Penta of old but can’t quite fly as high as he once did.
He is electrifying and lights up the crowd, fully deserving of the praise that he gets, yet I worry that he might grow longer in the tooth more quickly than we realize. He advances, but will certainly not be the one to face John Cena. Perhaps it is time for the Lucha Brothers to reunite. Ray Fenix is stuck playing Survivor Series Lite in a Traditional Survivor Series match next Friday. A hit, but not a home run.
THE ABSENCE OF THE STREET PROFITS: MISS
It is egregious that the Street Profits have vanished from television without a trace. Hints of a rift between the two were made visible in the ring and on social media, but nothing more. This team has earned its place on TV due to its larger-than-life characters that have a variety of expressions within the ring and outside. If Triple H has a strategy here, it is failing. If he has none, then he is failing.
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