 |
| FRIENDSHIP! Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Tag Time
I've been, shall we say, less than impressed with Smackdown lately. This episode, however, got things back on track in a big way, starting with the opening segment, which gave time to the much neglected tag division. The Usos and New Day have been regularly stealing the show on pay-per-views for a while now, and they definitely deserved some time to bask in the limelight. There was so much good stuff here: New Day still selling their injuries from Hell in a Cell, the Usos offering respect but still kind of being jerks about it, New Day totally agreeing that they're the best but not wanting to throw the rest of the division under the bus. Then there was the parade of the rest of the division, which gave us Mojo Rawley pointing out that it's easier to be the best when you get the most TV time and the most title shots, acknowledgment that having a Shelton Benjamin brings a lot to the table (but still, BACK OF THE LINE), everyone agreeing that the Fashion Police are cool, and the Ascension still apparently following their would-be BFFs around. The rest of the tag division has largely been under the radar, but they've still been interacting and developing. We got a real sense that these are all people with relationships and history with each other, and it was fun as hell, which is not something one can usually say about a start of show talky segment.
The match to determine the next championship challengers was a whole lot of fun, too. Everyone backed up their insistence that they deserved a shot at the title by going all out and never letting up, with brawls breaking out throughout the match. The best parts came at the end with Gable and Benjamin trading near-falls and high-impact moves with the Fashion Police. I honestly didn't know which team I wanted to win, but I'm hugely excited to see Gable and Benjamin take on the Usos. The Usos are just killing it right now, and I want to see them have good matches with every team we've got. Make Smackdown the tag team show. They make everything better!
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't briefly talk about the reveal of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan's new look. Honestly, I think “the Bludgeon Brothers” is an enormously silly name, but wrestling is an enormously silly pastime, so I can live with it. I'm just happy that Luke Harper will be a part of the show again and hopefully doing things that matter.
Telling and Not Showing
I'd love the women's division to get the same kind of revitalization the tag division is apparently getting because they desperately need it. Once again commentary drew our attention to the fact that Becky Lynch hasn't been in the title chase for quite a while, stating that she needed the win against Carmella in order to “reassert herself in the women's division.” But, again, we haven't seen any real indication of that either in the ring or backstage. There was a lot of intensity in the match on this episode, but Lynch always goes all-in, so other than commentary telling us, there was no reason to think of this match as anything other than a fun bit of nothing. And it WAS good, don't get me wrong, but the women's division right now is caught in a loop of champion/challenger/Carmella taunting both of them with her briefcase without it much mattering who the champion and challenger are. Becky Lynch is my favourite wrestler to watch in the division, but she's also by far the best actor. Why not give her something really meaty to work with?
FRIENDSHIP
Wishes do come true. I have been hoping that Sami Zayn would throw in with Kevin Owens and so it came to pass. I am fucking magical. APPEASE ME, SMACKDOWN.
Uh, anyway. It's true that this situation isn't perfect. We're apparently still supposed to think Zayn and Owens are in the wrong even though that notion is utterly absurd, as has been well documented on this blog. I would have liked to see Zayn a little more conflicted, like he knows that it was the right thing to do to come to Owens' aid, but he also knows that he can't fully trust his friend. Owens was even out there calling Zayn his guardian angel...but only insofar as it led to Kevin Owens being able to do whatever he likes. And while Owens was definitely representing the interests of any employee being unfairly targeted by their boss, he's hardly an altruist, and it would be understandable if Zayn had reservations about what he might have unleashed. You can't argue with anything Sami Zayn said against Shane McMahon, and it's going to be both hilarious and infuriating when they try and convince us otherwise. And despite him being completely right, a bitter and down-on-himself Sami Zayn is a heartbreaking sight.
Still, friendship prevailed, and Kevin Owens with a giant smile on his face was one of the most adorable things I've ever seen. I can't remember the last time I felt so many emotions about a story. I'm not going to think about the ways this could go wrong for now. Hugs for everyone!
A Thing That Happened
I don't know. What am I supposed to do with Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton teaming up to crush Rusev and Aiden English? True story: I fell asleep during this match. Did I need to see Rusev and English get beaten yet again? Nope. Did Nakamura and Orton have a single reason to team up? Nope. Did either of them gain anything by winning? Nope. It just happened. Still, though, this (apart from the Ziggler/Roode confrontation that I will not be discussing because fuuuuuck) was the low point of the show and it just made me nod off rather than gnash my teeth in rage. That's a real improvement for Smackdown.
The Return of Baron Corbin, Wordsmith
I was surprised when Baron Corbin versus AJ Styles was announced as the main event because I expected it to be just an okay match, but it was actually pretty great. I think I've just gotten used to Corbin not being competent that I forgot he's capable of making an impact, and Styles gave him lots of opportunities to show off his strength. I particularly enjoyed when Styles had Corbin in the calf crusher and Corbin just reached back and SLAMMED Styles into the mat, forcing him to break the hold. Likewise when he snatched Styles off the apron and flipped him to the floor. Styles is an absolute master of making his opponents look great without losing face himself, and Corbin held up his end of things, too. I'm not opposed to Corbin holding onto the United States Championship if he can keep having matches like this.
Also he left us with the amazing line of “I will buy a boat and float down the river of your tears,” which was fantastic. He must be feeling better if he's back to composing terrible prose.
