Three Stars of WWE Smackdown Live (6/5/18)

A look at the three stars for this week’s edition of WWE Smackdown Live.

In hockey, a game’s “three stars” represent the top three performers of the night. For more clarification, I defer to this Pittsburgh Gazette explanation:

“The tradition dates to the 1936-37 season, when Imperial Oil became the principal sponsor of Hockey Night in Canada radio broadcasts and was seeking a way to promote one of its products, Three Star gasoline. The idea of doing so by selecting the top three performers in a particular game purportedly came from a Canadian advertising agency.

Many clubs do recognize the player with the most three-star selections with an award or trophy, usually in conjunction with a corporate sponsorship, at the end of the season (or sometimes, each month). All six Canadian franchises, for example, have an affiliation with a well-known brewery.

The NHL keeps track of its own three-stars-of-the-night selections, but that is done on a league-wide basis. The league employs a system that awards 30 points to a first star, 20 to a second star and 10 to a third – a running total can be found on the league’s website – but it does not present an award based on them.”

In hockey tradition, the first star represents the best of the three, but all three are considered to be receiving a high honor.

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And now, the Three Stars of WWE Smackdown Live for June 5, 2018!

The Third Star:
The New Day

It’s a formula, and there’s no disputing that. You put The New Day on one side of the ring, and you put three quality performers on the other side. They take up TV time, and they deliver the goods.

This week it was The Miz, Rusev, and Samoa Joe. and it delivered the goods. The New Day is the key ingredient to the formula. I still believe the time is now for Big E to become a major singles star, but you’ll never see me complain about The New Day in 6-man tag team action.

The Second Star:
Carmella

You hate Carmella? Great! You’re supposed to.

And don’t give me that internet wrestling community “no no I hate that she’s in her position because there are better talents that deserve it” because that shit is played out and WWE is using it against you. You hate Carmella, WWE wants you to hate Carmella–it’s working!

That leads to Money In The Bank, where it’s entirely possible we see a new Women’s Champion on Smackdown. Even if we do, it’s made all that much more important because you wanted to see Carmella lose.

Others given consideration:
AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Paige, Dean Malenko, Adam Pearce

And now…a distinction usually reserved for the top performer of the night…the first star!

The First Star:
Becky Lynch

Smackdown was huge for Becky Lynch. Look at it as pure fact on paper: Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte Flair via submission. This is the same Charlotte that only lost the Smackdown Women’s Championship because of an IIconics attack and Carmella cash-in. The same Charlotte that beat Asuka, ending her streak, at WrestleMania.

This win was huge, and Becky Lynch needed it. This wasn’t the go-home show for Money In The Bank, meaning this move might be more than “casting doubt.” This is a step towards rebuilding Becky Lynch, and I won’t be shocked if she wins the briefcase.

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Who are your three stars of the night? Comment on social media @ChairshotGreg, @theCHAIRSHOTcom, and use the hashtag #UseYourHead!