{"id":107350,"date":"2020-10-31T17:37:23","date_gmt":"2020-10-31T22:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=107350"},"modified":"2020-11-01T11:46:10","modified_gmt":"2020-11-01T17:46:10","slug":"wwe-smackdown-hits-misses-10-31-oath-of-the-uce-smackdown-showdown-lars-sullivan-sitdown-interview-aalyah-affair-fresh-princess-belair-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/10\/31\/wwe-smackdown-hits-misses-10-31-oath-of-the-uce-smackdown-showdown-lars-sullivan-sitdown-interview-aalyah-affair-fresh-princess-belair-more\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN HITS &#038; MISSES 10\/31: Oath of the Uce, Smackdown Showdown, Lars Sullivan sitdown interview, Aalyah Affair, Fresh Princess Belair, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-4133699831\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>HITS<\/h3>\n<p><strong>\u2022Oath of the Uce<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The opening promo was Jey Uso\u2019s least consistent performance since the program with Roman Reigns began and included, once again, an overr-eliance on the term \u201cUce,\u201d a brief moment of forgotten script, and a fluctuating delivery, but ironically it all eventually fit nicely into his character\u2019s evolution. It was good to see as close to genuine emotion as we have in a very long time on WWE TV, and having Jey\u2019s outward expressions being complemented by Roman\u2019s understated delivery is pitch perfect. The closing angle was compelling as it comes these days, and it does not appear that Jey was being shuffled down the card in a supporting role as his loss at Hell in a Cell might\u2019ve indicated. A win over Daniel Bryan is still a big win. That alone should be indicative that Jey is here to stay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022Dependable Daniel Bryan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It always feels like a privilege to watch Daniel Bryan on our screens, and having him being positioned as a key contributor to the Reigns\/Uso program was a strong fit. It was surprising enough that Bryan took the loss, but it wasn\u2019t a burial by any means that takes him out of the long term of this storyline. If anything, Bryan is needed more than ever to add an extra layer as a foil to Reigns (and now Uso). It would be interesting to pair Jimmy Uso with Bryan after the show closing attack, with that four way dynamic leading us through the late fall.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022Smackdown Showdown<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am as excited for the Bayley-Sasha Banks rematch as I have been for any match on either Raw or Smackdown in a very long time. I love that Banks\u2019s past failures at retaining her championships have been called back on to give the match historical perspective, and the chemistry that both performers have with each other is probably the best of any women competitors of the Women\u2019s Evolution movement. Banks is top tier and will be significantly better off for having been in this program than she would\u2019ve been without it. Bayley, in her own right, has grown tremendously as well. One can only hope that the respective next chapters for each feature worth while opponents because right now they are the only women that WWE is hitting all right moves with.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022Consistent Chemistry<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A simple hit, but I love the chemistry between Cesaro &amp; Nakamura and the Street Profits. Their rivalry isn\u2019t exactly that deep, but the matches are throughly enjoyable with Cesaro and Nakamura appearing more and more inspired by the week. Street Profits have found a better balance between being outgoing and obnoxious, and the flying flogsplashes by Ford are downright dazzling.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3652329168\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3>MISSES<\/h3>\n<p><strong>\u2022Team Challenge Series<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now this certainly is not the old AWA series, but this has about as much of a significance of the old Team Challenge Series in that we are leading to nowhere important fast. It still makes zero sense for such newly drafted wrestlers to be so passionate in representing their respective brands for anything other than personal pride. Match quality-wise, the show was at a high, but with nothing of note resulting from their participation here, the whole month of November for the mid-card is bound to feel like filler.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022Sullivan Sit-down<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Who would\u2019ve ever predicted we would see Lars Sullivan wearing a polo shirt so quickly into his newest run? Nothing about the sit-down segment advanced the Lars Sullivan character &#8211; from putting The Freak in a sympathetic role by sharing a story of being bullied, positioning him next to Corey Graves who with significant height diminished Sullivan\u2019s size, and spotlighting Sullivan\u2019s relatively soft voice. This was not Mankind circa 1997 level production with Sullivan coming out looking more dangerous than ever before. Instead, it seemed like a lame attempt to find a connection for a character that really only needs a manager to do that work for him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022The Aalyah Affair<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This one is a mixed bag for me, as the acting in the whole Mysterio Family\/Seth Rolllins\/Murphy entanglement has been fairly good throughout. However, there is just too much wackiness to the backstory to expect Aalyah to expect forgiveness of Murphy and there is such a stark visual difference in ages (Particularly due to her looking exceptionally young) that at moments it can feel uncomfortable. I do, however, enjoy that Rollins has flashes of having his \u2018messiah\u2019 approach work work on Aalyah, as that whole character only works if he actually has followers. This is more wait and see for me, which is ironic as it has been going on for seemingly two years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022Fresh Princess Belair?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A win was important for Bianca Belair, but being given such a tough time by Billie Kay (and to a lesser extent Natalya) did not add to Belair\u2019s main event level mystique. Pair that with a less than stellar backstage performance, and much of the bloom is off the rose for Ms. Belair. My preference would have been another dominant win a la last week leading to a showdown with Bayley which could transition into a Wresetlemania match with Sasha. The best we can now hope for is a star showing in the Women\u2019s Survivor Series match, which still doesn\u2019t feel so far out of the possibility, but would be more of a make-good than anything.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3328733580\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Follow Nick Barbati on Twitter: @NicholasBarbati<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>RECOMMENDED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/10\/24\/10-24-wwe-talking-smack-review-heyman-talks-about-reigns-bloodline-sasha-talks-bayley-match-at-hiac-bianca-establishes-shes-babyface-bryan-talks-smackdown-roster\/\">10\/24 WWE TALKING SMACK REVIEW: Heyman talks about Reigns bloodline, Sasha talks Bayley match at HIAC, Bianca establishes she\u2019s babyface, Bryan talks Smackdown roster<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2688047153\"><div id=\"pwtor-317581281\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>HITS \u2022Oath of the Uce The opening promo was Jey Uso\u2019s least consistent performance since the program with Roman Reigns began and included, once again, an overr-eliance on the term \u201cUce,\u201d a brief moment of <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/10\/31\/wwe-smackdown-hits-misses-10-31-oath-of-the-uce-smackdown-showdown-lars-sullivan-sitdown-interview-aalyah-affair-fresh-princess-belair-more\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN HITS &#038; MISSES 10\/31: Oath of the Uce, Smackdown Showdown, Lars Sullivan sitdown interview, Aalyah Affair, Fresh Princess Belair, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":107353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-31-at-5.33.11-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107350"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107354,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107350\/revisions\/107354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}