{"id":191732,"date":"2025-01-26T17:50:44","date_gmt":"2025-01-26T23:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=191732"},"modified":"2025-01-26T17:50:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-26T23:50:44","slug":"wwe-smackdown-hits-misses-1-24-shadow-cody-peeking-through-ko-just-cant-be-stopped-apollo-crews-gets-a-win-savages-b-fab-format","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/01\/26\/wwe-smackdown-hits-misses-1-24-shadow-cody-peeking-through-ko-just-cant-be-stopped-apollo-crews-gets-a-win-savages-b-fab-format\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN HITS &#038; MISSES (1\/24): Shadow Cody peeking through, KO just can&#8217;t be stopped, Apollo Crews gets a win, Savages, B-Fab, Format"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1136966987\" 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>It\u2019s difficult to pinpoint what exactly tipped the scale, but this week\u2019s episode of Smackdown felt more laborious than enjoyable, more like actual work than the shots of adrenaline we\u2019ve been getting over the last year or two. There were elements of absolute fire, like Jacob Fatu\u2019s promo, but there was a mass of confusion and bad booking masquerading as the build to the Women\u2019s Royal Rumble. To call this episode uneven wouldn\u2019t even be accurate, as it was evenly, across the board, somewhat boring. And that\u2019s not what you want to be writing when you look forward to Friday nights with such passion. As always, I\u2019m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at <a href=\"mailto:cadamsowj@gmail.com\">cadamsowj@gmail.com<\/a> if you think I\u2019ve missed.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Smackdown: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/wwe-smackdown-post-show-1-24-keller-goodspeed-on-charlotte-entering-rumble-and-perhaps-aiming-for-tiffany-transfer-window-snme-hype--63889785\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cwade Keller\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=63889785&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>HITS<\/h3>\n<p><strong>SHADOW CODY PEEKING THROUGH:<\/strong> It\u2019s peeking through the cracks, like a prisoner who can see a bit of light. He\u2019s coming. Maybe not now, maybe not any time soon. Or, maybe it will be soon. Sooner than we might think, that dark side is going to come out of Cody Rhodes. He\u2019s threatened it enough, threatened to unleash what\u2019s within. He\u2019s also warned us. He said we wouldn\u2019t like what would break through. And I believe him. However angry and vengeful Kevin Owens has become, Cody will transcend him. However diabolical Kevin Owens has to become, Cody Rhodes will go even further. It\u2019s not a threat. It\u2019s a reality. Or, in the words of Paul Heyman, it\u2019s a spoiler. Let\u2019s hope so!<\/p>\n<p><strong>PRETTY DEADLY ON THE HUNT:<\/strong> As they are enjoying more TV time, the audience has been able to connect with Pretty Deadly and catch a glimpse of the uniqueness of their characters. Fancy boy brawlers, these two make the best of every segment they\u2019re featured in. Yet, I\u2019m afraid the gimmick will soon plateau if they aren\u2019t given the opportunity to shape their characters with nuance. We don\u2019t need Bloodline-level depth. We just need a bit more. Still, their match with Motor City Machine Guns was good, not great, and I hope we see even more as time goes on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>APOLLO CREWS GETS A WIN:<\/strong> While it&#8217;s hard for me to picture Apollo Crews as a long-reigning Intercontinental Champion, as he was in the past, I&#8217;m still perplexed that Triple H has not found more for this charismatic, muscle-laden high flyer to do. Admittedly, he is on the short side, but that should not be a barrier to someone&#8217;s main event-level success in the modern era. After Baron Corbin&#8217;s release, it seemed as if Crews would be lost. I&#8217;m glad to see that&#8217;s not the case and even more elated to see Crews win a match. Running the risk of broaching a sensitive topic, Triple H is going to have a hard time beating the allegations if he continually books black male wrestlers to job out. Keep Crews\u2019s momentum going, please!<\/p>\n<p><strong>KO JUST CAN\u2019T BE STOPPED:<\/strong> He marches on, running roughshod over any and all comers. Kevin Owens is doing incredible character work. Certainly, it\u2019s the best I\u2019ve seen him since my return to wrestling. He is next-level in his trolling, playing mind-games with everybody even as he breaks down their bodies in the ring. Full disclosure: I\u2019m as big a Cody fan as they come, but I\u2019m cheering for KO to take the belt. I\u2019m cheering simply because the story being told is too good to put down right now. Take the belt, KO. Take it and let that Winged Eagle fly!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>MISSES<\/h3>\n<p><strong>B-FAB\u2019S BOOT ENDS THE MATCH:<\/strong> This match ended with a thud, literally, as B-Fab\u2019s boot knocked a tooth out of Chelsea Green\u2019s mouth, apparently forcing an abrupt end to the match. This shouldn\u2019t be a setback for B-Fab, who has been putting in the work. I\u2019m only frustrated because she has had so few moments to shine, and this one had to be cut short. Run it back, and let\u2019s see what happens. For now, it\u2019s a miss for me, and that hurts to write!<\/p>\n<p><strong>WADE BARRETT AND THE ARCHAIC NOMENCLATURE:<\/strong> Someone who has the ear of Wade Barrett needs not just to whisper but to scream into his ear: \u201cLet\u2019s not call only brown people savages!\u201d Has anybody else noticed this trend, and does anybody else care? In 2025, I\u2019m finding it increasingly problematic to continually refer to the Samoan wrestlers as savages, continuing an age-old stereotype of Pacific Islanders being referred to as such. I don\u2019t think Barrett intends to further the stereotype, yet the impact doesn\u2019t care about the intention. It\u2019s time to let that descriptor go.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4089717805\" 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>FLAWED FORMAT:<\/strong> It only took three weeks for the feel of Raw and Smackdown to be noticeably different. The matches on Raw can breathe without the constant interruption of vacuous and meaningless ads. On Smackdown, we are stuck with the segmented format of years past, and it has immediately become ancient. Perhaps ancient is too strong a word, but the sentiment remains. What can WWE do to ensure that Smackdown doesn\u2019t feel tired or stale, furthering the idea that it has become the B-show? They can\u2019t escape the format, so they must ensure that the stories and angles are as white-hot as possible. Otherwise, Smackdown will feel more and more like something belonging in a museum.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (1\/24) - WWE Smackdown w\/cohost Jason Goodspeed\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zdL9LBQ71AQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2478765779\"><div id=\"pwtor-159427944\"><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>It\u2019s difficult to pinpoint what exactly tipped the scale, but this week\u2019s episode of Smackdown felt more laborious than enjoyable, more like actual work than the shots of adrenaline we\u2019ve been getting over the last <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/01\/26\/wwe-smackdown-hits-misses-1-24-shadow-cody-peeking-through-ko-just-cant-be-stopped-apollo-crews-gets-a-win-savages-b-fab-format\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN HITS &#038; MISSES (1\/24): Shadow Cody peeking through, KO just can&#8217;t be stopped, Apollo Crews gets a win, Savages, B-Fab, Format\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":191733,"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-191732","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\/2025\/01\/Screenshot-2025-01-26-at-5.49.50\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191732","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=191732"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":191734,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191732\/revisions\/191734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}