Opinion

Top 5: Things I Learned From WWE Smackdown On FOX

Greg DeMarco sat down to enjoy WWE Smackdown on FOX, and finished with several takeaways. Check out the Top 5 and see if you agree!

Published

4 years ago

October 5, 2019

Greg DeMarco

WWE Smackdown The Rock People's Elbow Baron Corbin

Greg DeMarco sat down to enjoy WWE Smackdown on FOX, and finished with several takeaways. Check out the Top 5 and see if you agree!

October 4, 2019 was the date we all had circled on our calendars for quite some time–the day WWE Smackdown made it’s debut on the FOX network. While Smackdown had been on network television in the past, it was never on a network the reach of FOX. You no longer need cable, internet access, or a ticket to see WWE, you need a TV and some basic rabbit ears. For the first time ever, WWE Smackdown is available in 99.9% of American households (according to Media Bistro).

So like 99.9% of you, I sat down to watch WWE Smackdown on FOX. Like .01% of you, I decided to write about it! Here are my biggest takeaways from the broadcast, with some bonus honorable mentions at the bottom.

1. Becky Lynch Is The Biggest Female Star In Company History

WWE had a ton of options for the talent to kick off Smackdown proper (not counting the welcome by Stephanie and Vince). They went with Becky Lynch. Becky Lynch may not have started the Divas’ Revolution/Women’s Evolution, but she damn sure took the flag and waived it more than anyone. She willed herself into a top spot, main evented WrestleMania, and now she walked out as first focal point of WWE’s efforts on network television. At this point I don’t think it’s even an argument…Becky Lynch is the biggest female star in company history.

2. You Knew It Was Bad For Kofi Kingston When He Was Introduced First

Look, it’s one thing for the champion to enter first. That’s something we have seen for years, and is used to balance out the presentation and manage the roller-coaster of emotions a crowd can experience. But once everyone was int the ring, Kofi Kingston was introduced first? Damn man, that was the only sign I needed! Once Kofi was the first man introduced for Smackdown’s main event by Greg Hamilton, his fate was sealed. A crushing defeat at the hands of the Beast Incarnate, the new reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Champion, Box Office Brock Lesnar.

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3. Corporate Sponsorship Is Only Getting Bigger

Look, commercials are great, but we can all fast forward through them if we’ve time-shifted our programming even just a little bit. But if you can get your brand inside the show? That’s money. And that’s exactly what we had tonight. Progressive is the presenting sponsor of WWE Smackdown, and also had the Progressive Match Flo appear during the show. Pizza Hut was promoted during the broadcast, along with Snickers. you also had the main event, which was sponsored by the Ghost Recon Breakpoint video game. “Ghost Recon Breakpoint,” by the way, takes about as long to say as the main event lasted.

4. Mainstream Crossover Is Real

Branding is huge for WWE, just as it is FOX. That’s why this relationship is such a great fit. Well that includes mainstream crossover, and we had it tonight. On the fringe, you had a graphics package that felt like FOX Sunday NFL broadcasts. You also had Erin Andrews working backstage, with no one screaming on Twitter that she’s stealing valuable screen time from Kayla Braxton (no one other than me, anyway). You also had the obvious appearance of Cain Velasquez, who showed up with Rey Mysterio and drove the STAPLES Center crowd into a frenzied state. He probably should have kept his shirt on, too. Then there was the interplay between Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury, which is obviously going somewhere.

Mainstream crossover isn’t new to WWE, but this is the first time we had this much of it in a single show. Welcome to FOX, WWE!

Must Listen:
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5. The Two-Person Broadcast Booth Is Better

With “special contributor” Renee Young nowhere near the broadcast table, Michael Cole and Corey Graves were firmly entrenched as the lead commentary team for WWE. And it felt right. A two-person booth is indeed better, as proven by Michael Cole and Nigel McGuinness at the first WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament, and confirmed on Friday night.

So there is your Top 5 Things I Learned From WWE Smackdown On FOX. What did you take away from the show?

As a bonus, here are the other headings that didn’t make the Top 5 tonight:

Baron Corbin Is Already A Staple Of WWE
The Rock Is The Greatest Performer In Sports Entertainment History
The Fiend Is Very Important to WWE
Kevin Owens Is The Modern Day Every Man
Roman Reigns Is Still The Big Dog
That Is The Grandest Stage WWE Has Ever Made

Follow me on Twitter @ChairshotGreg.

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.