Opinion
Levin’s WWE SmackDown Live Review: August 7, 2018
Is it fair to say I was underwhelmed by Tuesday’s SmackDown Live show from Orlando? After being on hand to watch Ronda Rousey in her WWE singles debut and feeling the energy from the soldout crowd in Jacksonville from Momday Night Raw, I came home Tuesday night hoping to be overcome with excitement as the second to last show for the blue team before SummerSlam should have made a statement.
It did not. And because of it, I changed my format a bit for this week. We are allowed to do that from time to time, to show creativity and keep things fresh.
While Randy Orton continues to give fans his best performance of his career, blaming them for the lack of respect he has been shown over his career, how he fits in the United States Title match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Jeff Hardy is yet to be determined. It is difficult following to storylines when the title match takes a backseat to the new package WWE has created for “The Viper.”
Personally, I never knew the third-generation superstar could be this entertaining. In years past, he has been stiff, uncomfortable on the microphone and somewhat robotic. The “Apex Predator” has finally become a complete performer.
I have to admit I am beginning to like the new Randy Orton. From “Legend Killer” to “Legend” or whatever you want to call him, he has been at his best while he has been at his worst. Orton opened SmackDown Live with plenty to say and one statement to make. He would erase any opponent put in front of him.
This is the best Orton we have seen, and the most vocal. He said his actions are because of a lack of respect he has received over the years from the locker room and the fans. While he is not part of the United States Title match between Jeff Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura, the 13-time world champion figures to be a part of the result.
WWE has rebranded a veteran who figures to be part of the main event shortly. Orton prefers to play the role of the heel and has been rumored to have politic for the change.
Here are a few other thoughts from Tuesday night
Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch are Headed for Splitsville
This, my friends, is what we call tension. We all know where this is headed – the infamous storyline of friends becoming foes. Somehow, I believe the IIconics want to be the Bella Twins. The fans did not like the monologue prior to the match. The match wasn’t great. Flair got the win, which thrilled Lynch.
Sense the sarcasm?
After the match, you could see the transformation happening, the fiery redhead turning into a jealous and angry heel. It’s only a matter of time. Less than two weeks and counting. The problem is, in order to do this properly, Flair must beat Lynch for the strap while Carmella falls in line with the story.
The idea of Lynch turning heel does have its appeal, especially if it leads to a confrontation with Asuka for the title by the end of the year.
The Miz’s Major Announcement
It is on! The Miz announced he and Daniel Bryan will meet at SummerSlam. It could be the match of the year. Hopefully, WWE will continue to build the momentum of this battle.
Byron Saxton interviews The Miz…
Once again, The Miz kicks it out of the part. His over-the-top personality is perfect for this wrestling climate. And then, Bryan appears and attacks his rival. It’s building to be … wait for it… AWESOME!
WWE has slow played this match since “Talking Smack” and the confrontation heard around the wrestling world. This match must meet everyone’s expectations – including mine. I am already thinking “Match of the Year” and “Feud of the Year”.
Please do not disappoint me, boys.
AJ Styles Speaks
It was the current WWE Champion’s chance to rebuke the comments made by Samoa Joe one week ago. This was a fairly bad promo as Styles is a better performer than he is a talker. Still, the message is clear – this could be one of the best matches of the night in Brooklyn.
“You made it personal when you talked about my family,” Styles said. “I want to be one of the greatest WWE superstars for my family.”
Styles and Joe go back to the independent circuit. While his delivery wasn’t as direct as his opponent, Styles made his claim to keep the WWE Title. I hope WWE does the right thing and puts the strap on Joe’s waist for a while. Let Styles chase him for the belt, and eventually make him a three-time world champion.
Zelina Vega vs. Lana – The Rematch
I still want to see more of Andrade “Cien” Almas and Rusev, but this will do – if f0r nothing else than the hot factor. The only problem is I hate the program. It takes away from Almas getting a much-deserved push.
Both women have been impressive in recent weeks. But the Aiden Engish angle takes away from a pretty good storyline. Can we already get past the apologies and have the two former friends get in the ring?
And if that is the case, where does Almas fir in all of this? I thought WWE was high on him and ready to push him toward the main event? That’s two straight weeks has not been in-ring action.
The New Day Beat The Bar
The best match of the night produces the wrong winner, in my opinion. The Bar – Sheamus and Cesaro – showed no signs of rust and continue to impress with their strength and size.
The New Day is still one of the best tag teams to ever wrestle in WWE. Maybe it is fatigue, but I would love to see someone else go over and face the Bludgeon Brothers. When you have a tag team so big and so dominant as Harper and Rowan, you must have an equally impressive opponent. The David vs. Goliath theme does not work here.
So SummerSlam will pit the baddest tag time in wrestling since the Wild Samoans against cartoonish act we are tired of.
Some hold the popcorn. This might be a bathroom break for me.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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