Opinion

Levin’s SmackDown Live Review

Published

5 years ago

July 5, 2018

Levin's SmackDown Live Review

Well, here we are again for another review of what was a mediocre SmackDown Live Tuesday night. Somehow, I feel like I am writing the same as last week about WWE. There were a few solid moments with the return of the shenanigans of Team Hell No and the build to Extreme Rules with the announcement of the United States Title Match between champion Jeff Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Nakamura is still on the mend, mind you, as a dog bite continues to keep him out of action. WWE will need to figure out what to do with this confrontation as the lack of in-ring promotion has hurt what should have been a Match of the Year candidate.

I will give the company credit by giving fans a good match between Hardy and The Miz, which ended with Hardy going over, but I am still waiting for the “Wow!” moment where I am begging for more, hoping the Extreme Rules pay-per-view knocks me over with a Shawn Michaels superkick.

Realistically, other than the Seth Rollins-Dolph Ziggler Iron Man Match for the Intercontinental Title, I don’t see that happening. The SmackDown Live brand has the potential to captivate the fans, but making them believe this is the best the blue team has to offer is stretching it a bit.

Here are a few thoughts on SmackDown Live…

Team Hell No vs. The Usos

I get WWE wants to create as much drama as possible with the reunion of Kane and Daniel Bryan, but the idea of the Usos as opponents in the main event did nothing for me. The match went as expected, with the former four-time tag champs putting up a fight but Bryan and Kane securing the win.

The fade at the end of the show with The Bludgeon Brothers coming out from the back was predictable (as was much of the night). If WWE is serious about Bryan and Kane going over at the pay-per-view, then the “Go Home” show next week had better have a bit more drama. This really was ill-conceived on WWE’s part.

Jeff Hardy Retains

Hardy once again had a United States Title open challenge, which was answered by The Miz. It was the best match of the night, but it did not hold up as well as Rollins and Ziggler.

The chemistry between both wrestlers could develop over time, but because of the announcement of Nakamura’s title shot, The Miz misses out on an opportunity to claim another title on his resume. I suspect he will interfere win the tag match, costing Bryan and Kane the titles, forcing a match with his rival at SummerSlam.

If booked properly, this could have been a 20-minute dance. It wasn’t as strong as expected.

Asuka vs. James Ellsworth

This one had nothing on Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs. It was a sad state, with Carmella joining in the action when both wrestlers were counted out and ran around the building only to reach the ring area again.

I’m not sure why this is even a “thing” as it has made Carmella’s reign look silly and has pushed the Empress of Tomorrow into a state of disbelief. The Lumberjack Match scheduled for next week should be equally as bad.

This might be one of those matches where a food or bathroom break is acceptable.

Becky Lynch vs. Peyton Royce

Lynch is in that kind of purgatory wrestlers speak about, but never want to stand in. Since Charlotte Flair left to have surgery, the notion of Lynch in a meaningful feud has been tossed out the window.

Shame on WWE, as Lynch deserves better than she is receiving. How the company plans to book her after Extreme Rules will determine if she can pull herself out of the quicksand she is firmly stuck in.

A.J. Styles vs. Aiden English (with Rusev interfering)

Did someone say predictable? Hmm. Styles wins the match and Rusev beats up his opponent in the moments following. It’s actually a good thing because the Bulgarian Brute is so well liked amongst the WWE fan base.

Rusev has been doing more of his own promo work, which is good and allows us to see him as a heel. The “Rusev Day” shtick is solid and fans love it, but WWE needs to promote him more as the villain in this confrontation. Hopefully, he is more sinister next week before the pay-per-view event.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Opinion

King’s WrestleMania Rewind: Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka from WrestleMania 34

Chris king is back with one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history–Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka!

Published

2 months ago

April 2, 2023

Chris King

WWE WrestleMania 34 Charlotte Flair Asuka

Chris king is back with one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history–Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka!

We look back at Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka at WWE WrestleMania 34. ‘The Empress of Tomorrow’ put her unprecedented and historic undefeated streak of 914 days on the line against ‘The Queen’s’ SmackDown Women’s Championship.

For years, this was considered a dream match while Asuka dominated the roster in NXT, while Flair won numerous championships on the main roster on both Raw and SmackDown. The Empress made her long-awaited debut on the September 11th episode of Raw and began to tear through the competition.

Asuka outlasted all twenty-nine other women in the historic first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match to challenge for the title of her choosing. At Fastlane, she made her choice.

The WWE Universe was so excited for this match myself included. Both superstars delivered a fantastic performance on the Grandest Stage of Them All executing counter after counter. Asuka showed off some nasty-looking kicks to her opponent, and Flair hit a thunderous Spanish Fly off the top rope. Flair was seconds away from defeat at the hands of The Empress but she locked in Figure Eight and Asuka was forced to tap out.

I can’t even begin to explain how shocked I was at this outcome, as nearly everyone expected The Empress to continue her undefeated streak and walk away with the women’s title. This controversial decision was the downfall of Asuka’s momentum. She would ultimately win the SmackDown Women’s Championship at the 2018 TLC pay-per-view in the triple-threat ladder match.

Fast forward to this year when Asuka has recently returned with her Japanese-inspired persona Kana. Kana is dangerous and ruthless and is heading into a championship with Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39. The Empress has regained all her momentum and is highly favored to walk away with the Raw Women’s Championship. Let’s hope that Asuka and Belair can tear the house down and deliver an A+ grade match both women are fully capable of.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

King: Dominik Mysterio Needs To Do This At WrestleMania

Chris King is here with what WWE should do with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania in his long-awaited match against his father Rey Mysterio Jr.

Published

2 months ago

April 1, 2023

Chris King

Chris King is here with what WWE should do with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania in his long-awaited match against his father Rey Mysterio Jr.

On this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Rey Mysterio finally snapped and beat some sense into his disrespectful punk-ass kid Dominik. The member of the Judgement Day came out to push his father again for a match on the Grandest Stage of Them All, this time with his mother and sister at ringside. The ungrateful punk told his mom to “Shut Up,” as a father even I wanted to jump through the screen and whoop his ass.

Back in October of last year, Mysterio made the emotional decision to possibly quit the company but, instead, Triple H persuaded the Lucha libre superstar to move over to SmackDown to avoid his son. This came after Dominik shockingly turned on his father at Clash at the Castle. Mysterio did everything he could to refuse his despicable son’s challenge for Mania but, a man can only be pushed so far. Mysterio will be inducted into the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame and I expect Dominik to embarrass his father during his speech to further this personal feud.

Yes, the WWE Universe hates Dominik and wants to see him get the ever-loving crap kicked out of him but, this feud is missing a special ingredient to capitalize on the biggest heat possible. Throughout this feud, Dominik has made mention of the legendary Eddie Guerrero on several occasions going back to the “iconic” 2005 feud.

I know WWE might not want to go this route but, Dominik MUST come out to Eddie Guerrero’s theme at Mania. The disrespectful punk needs to come out in a lowrider to garner nuclear heat. It doesn’t matter if The Judgement Day comes out and causes interference for Dominik to get the win, all that matters is that both superstars get the biggest payoff of this nearly year-long feud. Just imagine the Roman Reigns heat after he defeated The Undertaker and multiply that by ten. Dominik portrays the perfect heel and he truly is the missing ingredient that The Judgement Day needed to grow and evolve into a top faction.