{"id":138786,"date":"2022-05-02T12:24:26","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T17:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=138786"},"modified":"2022-05-02T12:24:26","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T17:24:26","slug":"smackdown-hits-misses-4-29-pearce-uses-logic-50-50-booking-in-tag-team-division-rousey-and-flair-beat-the-clock-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2022\/05\/02\/smackdown-hits-misses-4-29-pearce-uses-logic-50-50-booking-in-tag-team-division-rousey-and-flair-beat-the-clock-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"SMACKDOWN HITS &amp; MISSES 4\/29: Pearce uses logic, 50\/50 booking in tag team division, Rousey and Flair Beat the Clock Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3270742743\" 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><p><strong>WWE SMACKDOWN HITS &amp; MISSES\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>HITS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre<\/strong>: First things first, why was \u201cescape the cage\u201d an option to win this match? I believe that the rule is purely a WWE thing that goes back to the WWWF days of Bruno Sammartino where it was used to protect the champion from taking a legit loss (pinfall or submission). But, in this case, Adam Pearce should\u2019ve made this a \u201ctraditional\u201d cage match where escape was not an option to win especially since that\u2019s all Zayn has done lately. That match itself was mainly everything I expected with Zayn being a bump machine but I still groaned every time Zayn went to escape for the cheap win. This was a nice bow to the end of this mini-feud even if I wasn\u2019t happy with the idea that \u201cescape the cage\u201d was an option.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ricochet vs. Shanky (Intercontinental Title)<\/strong>: I\u2019ll start with the positives. First, it\u2019s nice to see Ricochet get some post-WrestleMania wins to help wash off the pre-WrestleMania stench that was his booking. Also, I\u2019m not saying he was great, but Shanky seems to move a lot better and is more athletic than Omos is on Raw. A win over a giant for Ricochet is a step in the right direction if WWE decides to keep booking Ricochet strong post-Mania. I\u2019m not sure how I feel about this bout being a stepping stone for a Shanky and Jinder Mahal feud but Ill reserve more judgement for that later. Mostly good stuff considering the players involved here implores me to give it a mild hit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Raquel Rodriguez vs. Cat Cardoza:<\/strong> Basically a showcase\/squash type match for Rodriguez. Ho-hum but needed to help build talent in front of a new audience so I had no problem with it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Adam Pearce uses logic:<\/strong> It may seem small to some but Pearce sticking to his guns on keeping the Unified Tag Title Match in place was an applause for me. Why would Roman want this match?! He pushed for The Usos to go about unifying the tag titles. The decision to switch this to a six-man tag match negates that match or, at the very least, postpones it. Did Vince McMahon get cold feet about unifying the tag titles or is he just delaying this to help prolong the story? I\u2019ll wait and see but I don\u2019t understand Paul Heyman\u2019s logic for pushing for this match considering it removes or delays The Bloodline\u2019s opportunity to have \u201call the gold.\u201d The silver lining out of this was Pearce not being made out to be a fool because I actually agreed with his decision over the \u201chigher ups\u201d that overruled him. I\u2019ll give this a mild hit due to that fact even if I hate the booking logic (at least at this point) but am willing to see if it plays out into a longer story.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Xavier Woods vs. Ridge Holland:<\/strong> This match was well enough and Woods continues to get over his Back Woods finish effectively becoming the ROH version of Bryan Danielson that used a small package finish basically a full year (maybe more) at one point. Holland is still a bit green but he\u2019ll only improve more as he continues to work with guys like Woods and Kofi Kingston.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus:<\/strong> 50\/50 booking of these teams continues and I assume we\u2019ll get some sort of conclusion to this story at Backlash. I can\u2019t say anything bad about the match itself as both guys worked pretty hard and put on a solid WWE-style match. The punishment of New Day post-match though leads me to believe that they\u2019ll also come out on top when this feud is all said and done. I\u2019d prefer to see it go the other way as New Day is mostly teflon at this point and can absorb the losses but I suppose we\u2019ll see what happens. The Butch saga also continues and is a an embarrassment to the former Pete Dunne.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3763029429\" 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<p><strong>Lacey Evans Chapter 4<\/strong>: This seemed to be the finale of the Lacey Evans story. I assume we\u2019ll get her re-debut at Backlash or perhaps the Smackdown right before or after. WWE has done a fine job with these up close and personal segments and I\u2019m excited to see what is in store for Evans coming out of this. I\u2019d like to say that this can\u2019t be botched but I\u2019ve seen WWE botch things like this before. However, I\u2019m still hopeful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MISSES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Happy Talk:<\/strong> I feel like I\u2019m in a time loop. A month ago I was optimistic to see Madcap Moss split from Corbin. I knew we\u2019d get a feud between the two but I also thought we\u2019d see Moss shred the terrible gimmick. That hasn\u2019t happened. Now I\u2019m again hoping that once the feud ends we\u2019ll get the same resolution with Moss going a different direction. Having said that, I lose more optimism weekly. I still am surprised that no one has pointed out that the Andre the Giant Memorial Trophy seems to be the same trophy annually with an updated plate on the side with updated names (like the Stanley Cup). Corbin stole something that doesn\u2019t \u201cbelong\u201d to anyone technically, in my eyes. The brawl between Moss and Corbin was well enough but I can\u2019t help but think that Triple H wouldn\u2019t have been thrilled with Moss\u2019 mishandling of the sledgehammer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contract signing w\/ RK-Bro and The Usos<\/strong>: This was entertaining while it lasted but the trope kicked in when it turned into an all out brawl\u2026before the contracts could be signed no less! Another trope also kicked in when Randy Orton &amp; Riddle also stopped fighting to watch Roman Reigns\u2019 long entrance. Distractions in WWE also seem to turn things for the worse and this was a prime example of this. Not every distraction should be a complete turning of the tables but that almost always is the case in WWE. I also was not a fan of how quickly McIntyre was able to discard The Usos so quickly on his way to the ring. All six wrestlers in this segment have built up some credibility and for Jimmy &amp; Jey to be discarded so quickly had me shaking my head a bit. A mild miss if only because this was WWE trope heavy even if it was still mostly entertaining.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shayna Baszler vs. Naomi:<\/strong> The match itself was pretty decent but why is Naomi going over here? Sure, Natalya &amp; Naomi got some heat back after the match was over but I don\u2019t see why Baszler couldn\u2019t have been booked to win here. I\u2019m curious to see how, presumably, Natalya and Sasha Banks will be booked next week before their title match (this is also me assuming that match is taking place). If we see Banks go over then maybe we\u2019re getting another title change at Backlash.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi (Beat the Clock Challenge):<\/strong> Well, this doesn\u2019t bode well for Shotzi. I though maybe she\u2019d be given more post-Mania but being put in this sort of match doesn\u2019t say much for what is planned for her. I also hate the idea that she ran to \u201cbuy herself some time.\u201d Is she conceding defeat? Why not try to win the match? If she wins the match that actually makes her look better than \u201cbuying time.\u201d I just hated the logic put into this match. Not a fan of this leg of the challenge.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Charlotte Flair vs. Aliyah (Beat the Clock Challenge):<\/strong> The first part of my statement about Shotzi also goes for Aliyah. Remember when she defeated Natalya in less than 4 seconds? Me either. At least Aliyah was attempting to compete but I suppose that makes sense as a gritty, underdog babyface. This went better as the second leg of the challenge but didn\u2019t exactly get me excited more for their title match. I\u2019m still not certain the idea of dragging Drew Gulak into this Smackdown Women\u2019s Title situation. I suppose the \u201cwait and see\u201d technique will be best here as I\u2019m now wondering if there\u2019ll be a swerve due to Gulak at Backlash but this felt super flat as an end to the show.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overall Show:<\/strong> More hits than misses this week but I feel like the weight on the misses definitely outweighs the hits. The Charlotte-Ronda stuff just seems to be dragging at this point. The weird addition of Gulak to it does nothing for me at this point. The idea that we aren\u2019t getting a Unified Tag Title match that a lot of people seemed to be excited about for weeks now is very disappointing. Why was the Shinsuke Nakamura angle with Roman Reigns dropped and never brought up again? He was on Smackdown last week as a lumberjack so I assume he\u2019s not injured. He seemed like the placeholder for Roman for this month and maybe even next if he was booked properly. I said it last week and I\u2019ll say it again. There are a lot of WWE stadium shows later this Summer and Fall. I\u2019m surprised they\u2019re already moving into Roman and Drew feuding this soon. Maybe I\u2019m wrong and there\u2019s a grand plan but it feels a bit rushed. Next week is the go-home show and maybe they can make some of these matches feel more exciting going into Backlash then.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4235706665\" 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<p><em>Tony Donofrio is a Contributor for PWTorch.com. You can contact Tony at TonyDonofrio@icloud.com and follow him on Twitter @TonyDonofrio.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1484121113\"><div id=\"pwtor-28327059\"><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>WWE SMACKDOWN HITS &amp; MISSES\u00a0 HITS Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre: First things first, why was \u201cescape the cage\u201d an option to win this match? I believe that the rule is purely a WWE thing <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2022\/05\/02\/smackdown-hits-misses-4-29-pearce-uses-logic-50-50-booking-in-tag-team-division-rousey-and-flair-beat-the-clock-challenge\/\" title=\"SMACKDOWN HITS &amp; MISSES 4\/29: Pearce uses logic, 50\/50 booking in tag team division, Rousey and Flair Beat the Clock Challenge\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":76073,"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],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2019\/03\/RouseyRondaJoelTesch3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138786","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\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138786"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138787,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138786\/revisions\/138787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}