WWE RAW & SMACKDOWN REACTION
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Check out my great, good, bad, and pathetic from WWE TV this week.
GREAT
For anybody who was tuning in to see Ronda Rousey fail and fall on her face, you better find something else better to do with your time, because this woman is cash money!!! Ronda was the star of the weekend for WWE and her performance on Sunday and Monday could not have gone any better! She was tremendous in this segment and the way she methodically locked in that armbar on Stephanie was perfect. I love her personna and can't wait to see what's next. Great way to open the show and she is a superstar.
The Raw after Mania is always filled with some surprise returns and call ups from NXT and this year didn't disappoint to the end. Authors of Pain have been ready for awhile and they should do well on the main roster. Ember Moon should be a great addition to the women's roster and may even get her win over Asuka one day. No Way Jose is a good jobber to have on the undercard.
The return of Bobby Lashley could prove to be huge. If booked correctly, like Brock was booked, he could be a mega star, and the black superstar the company has needed for years.
The return of Bobby Lashley could prove to be huge. If booked correctly, like Brock was booked, he could be a mega star, and the black superstar the company has needed for years.
I actually like the storyline of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens looking for work. It would be so great if they showed up at 205 Live and NXT next trying to get a job. Lol. They had a great match before the finish, and I hope they get signed somewhere soon.
GOOD
It was sad seeing Paige have to give her retirement speech from wrestling. I like Paige, and unfortunately we've known for quite some time that she's been battling major neck issues and that injury she suffered a few months ago was the final straw. Sad end, way too soon.
Jeff Hardy made his return and they quickly moved him away from his brother and positioned him as a top star again. Risky to say the least, given his issues with substance abuse. But they sent the fans home happy with a man event featuring three top babyfaces. These guys will be getting shuffled next week.
BAD
This Bayley and Sasha feud is basically in quick sand and it's getting ridiculous. Didn't they just beat the shit out of each other in the locker room a few weeks ago? How many teases and rehashes of "are they friends or not" can they do? It's going to make people really not care. Wrestlemania should have been the day to pull the trigger and shoot the big angle. Instead we are back to where we were a month ago!! Smh.
What the hell was this? Roman came off like a complete and utter crying bitch and Joe made him look like a pussy!! What was this supposed to accomplish? Out of nowhere Joe tells Roman he's facing him at Backlash, while Roman is scheduled to face Brock in a cage for the title at the Greatest Royal Rumble. What is going on here. Joe's delivery was great and I was happy to see him back, but the timing and content of the promo made Roman look bad. And Roman talking with inside terms about the match finish changing was just stupid. Bad stuff.
PATHETIC
What the hell is Sasha Banks doing losing to Mandy Rose? This is ridiculous. The booking of Sasha Banks is the most baffling thing I have seen in wrestling in quite some time. I can only imagine that she is being punished for the spot where Paige was injured and ultimately forced to retire. It wasn't Sasha's fault Paige didn't take the move correctly, a move Sasha does in almost every match. But that's all I can conclude as to why a performer of Sasha's caliber and who is so popular with the fans, is constantly buried and marginalized. Pathetic.
GREAT
The return of Daniel Bryan to the Smackdown ring was so damn great!! He and AJ put on a match that would have stolen the show at Wrestlemania. It was so damn great and would have only been better with a conclusion. I hope these two get more opportunities to have great matches, and I really hope they are kept on the same show.
In two days, Nakamura is the greatest heel in all of wrestling!!!!! His attack on AJ and Bryan, spoiling a great match was so perfect and it played into the story from Sunday. They can go so many different directions with this one and this was so perfect!! I love this guy!
And we must acknowledge that promo he cut when speaking with Renee. EXCELLENT!!!
And we must acknowledge that promo he cut when speaking with Renee. EXCELLENT!!!
One night after announcing her retirement from the ring, Paige was introduced as the new Smackdown GM. This was a great decision, as she's a great talker and character and it gives her something good to do in the company. Good stuff.
GOOD
I liked the call up of Iconic Duo, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay from NXT, but I feel like they debut a lot of the women from NXT the same way. They come up and they beat people down. they are strong fro a few weeks and then scrubs. I get why you want they to come up with big splash, but the way they destroyed Charlotte was over the top to me.
The New Day and the Uso's had a very good, stiff, and well executed tag match that was clearly fueled by the anger they felt for being squashed on the Wrestlemania card. These two teams have been the standard barriers for WWE's tag division and they were treated like jobbers on Sunday. Hell, the three best teams, which includes Sheamus and Cesaro were all squashed at Mania, after carryinging their brands all year. Sad really.
BAD
The real reason i didn't like the beat down of Charlotte because we all knew it was leading to the cash in by Carmella. I really just don't think it was the time to beat Charlotte. She just defeated the undefeated Asuka, and that win should have been fuel to keep her strong for an important defeat down the line. Not a beat down and cash in lost to Carmella. I don't like it.
PATHETIC
So they have a three way for teh number one contender for the U.S titke, and instead of having one of tehir rising stars like Bobby Roode or RUSEV win, we get Randy Orton. Like he really needs it!!! Like we really need to see the worst damn feud of 2017 played out again!!! What are they thinking about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Final Thoughts: Overall both shows had pretty strong post Mania outings and we got treated to a Mania caliber match between Bryan and AJ. I really think they have done a great job building the intrigue to the night after Mania and you know to expect call ups, returns, and surprises. Always fun shows and this was no exception. As for next week....
I really hope they don't break up key feuds that have been building for awhile, or matches that we want to see. I have a feeling AJ and Bryan will be spilt, but I really hope not. Also, it would be great if they put Reigns on Smackdown and gave him something else to do. There are so many things they could do, but ultimately, it will be all up to how Vince feels. I have a feeling Sasha and Bayley may be split and we won't get a a real feud executed. We shall see.