Smackdown Discussion Thread

[bigfoote]

The AJ/Bryan/Heyman segment was WWE at it's most subtle, that is to say, like a Nia Jax punch to the nose.

Telegraphed multiple times, and the lack of crowd pop for the entrances was palpable. Who would have thought an AJ v Daniel title match would get crickets. And apart from that guy in the pink shirt doing his best Lesnar streak killer impression, a turn should have more impact than that. 

I can deal with Becky choosing Charlotte, for the fact that, they were once friends, went back and forth, and even THE MAN has respect for her "talent". Becky sold me on Charlotte, and I wasn't sure that was possible. Any idea who the 5th could be for team Blue women?

From the Twitter footage, I thought it was a misplaced forearm from Nia. Nope, straight up punch to the cheekbone. Now, she has the "family" protection, but surely come the next cull, Nia could find herself on the block. Concussions are the buzz in sports, and Nia is buffing the statistics on her own.

And dare I say, Asuka may be saved yet?

 

On the whole, it feels, as said above, that Vince threw out the script due to the injury, and decided on locking the creative team in a small room until re-write 98 met his expectations about 30 mins before they went live.

 

Final thought: Did Bryan ever sign a full new contract? Or, was it just an extension?

[Mr.Showtime]

So we get Daniel Bryan completing his comeback story out of nowhere on a PPV go-home show, Bryan v Lesnar for the first time with zero build-up, Ronda v Charlotte for the first time with no build-up. And no Becky.

Fuuuuuuck saaaake 😒

[HarmonicGenerator]

I read that Lynch and Flair did a handshake n’ hug deal and thought “for fuck’s sake, they were trying to kill each other a couple of weeks ago”, but @bigfoote it sounds like Becky was able to make it feel convincing?

WWE Title change is a shocker to wake up to, I’d convinced myself AJ was exceeding Punk’s reign. Heel Bryan I have no problem with. His face run was failing and he’s a bloody good heel.

New prediction for Survivor Series: suplex, suplex, suplex, F5, Brock wins.

[tiger_rick]

Just when you think WWE have lost the ability to surprise you, they pull something like that. I don't know what I think about it because I still can't quite believe it. Fucking hell.

[bigfoote]

As convincing as it could have been. It felt like a "I'm choosing you because of how far you pushed me, not because I like you. You have my grudging respect as the #2 in this roster"

Heel Bryan will be OK, but my new prediction for SS: Suplex, Suplex, sup...backflip out, soccer kick low blow.

EDIT: To add quote from the Man: "I want you to make her submit the way I would have"

[Supremo]

Look at that punch, 2:45 onward. What the fuck?! Honestly reminded me of when JBL beat the shit out of Blue Meanie at One Night Stand.

[The King of Old School]

I'm wondering if they will strip Becky of the title next week and keep her off TV for a bit, back in time for the Rumble, win the thing and we finally get Ronda/Becky at Mania?

At the moment that match feels big enough to go on last at Mania but no doubt by then, Becky will have turned into that shit smiley babyface character, everybody will be shattered from the 7 hour marathon before it, and nobody will give a shit.

As for the Becky/Charlotte hug 😂 good grief, as said before Becky will be dead in the water by Mania.

Heel Bryan vs heel Brock is only going one way, Bryan will probably get less offense in than Braun did.

The Colons and The Club, when was the last time either appeared on Smackdown?

The two new "dream matches" for survivors have actually made me want to watch it less, what a mess!

 

 

[DavidB6937]

Didn't mind the Becky/Charlotte thing at all. Just a little respect. Doesn't hurt Becky or her character in the slightest.

Heel Bryan was necessary. SOMETHING had to be done with him. They've failed to make him interesting since he came back and it's difficult recapturing that magic again. Especially trying to force it. This way he can actually do some decent work and have an eventual strong face turn again. So while it might be very last minute it's a good move.

[C-Rock]

Any chance that AJ is injured? Would make sense for the swift title change.

Becky choosing Charlotte was obvious, I'm guessing the story is she may not like Charlotte but she respects her ability to go against Ronda.

The whole madness that was Smackdown this week could be based on the fact the ratings are dropping fast and house shows are down maybe WWE is trying to make Smackdown must see TV were anything can happen such as Daniel winning the title. Drastic times called for drastic measures. Heyman mentioning that Raw is the premier WWE show allows me to think that WWE are aware this is how it's perceived by fans and something needed to be done to turn the tide and give Smackdown a boost.

[Supremo]

If this was their attempt at making Smackdown must-see TV then they failed miserably. It was easily one of the worst shows in months. Last week’s show with Bryan and Miz bickering back and forth was infinitely more enjoyable. This was a shambles.

Is this the oldest and most immobile Big Show has ever looked? Maybe I just don’t pay enough attention to his matches these days but he looked bloody dreadful here. At one point, when he was walking around ringside, he legitimately reminded me of my Nan. Then when he tried to stand up after the finish he reminded me of Stone Cold when he came back too early at Backlash 2000 and struggled to get back to his feet. Genuinely thought the ref was going to help him up at one point. Poor bastard.

Despite the Title change and the heel turn, the most surprising thing on this whole show was that they showed a repeat of Ronda and Peyton’s miscommunication from Raw’s brawl. That moment where time stood still as Peyton froze and failed to feed Ronda. I couldn’t believe they didn’t cut that. Looked just as bad in highlight form.

Also, shout-out to the entire Raw roster who didn’t retaliate after Monday because these two chaps stood by the fire exit. 

[SuperBacon]

This company is absolute dog shit. They've obviously seen Lynch make a success of turning heel and thought they could do the same with Bryan.

When he won the title at WM 30, I wept tears of joy. I just watched him win that on a 3 minute YouTube clip. That's how little they've made me care about his character since he returned. 

[Devon Malcolm]

Remember when Becky was unexpectedly turned heel and everyone thought it was a terrible idea and a few months later they, well, didn't? Reckon Bryan will be alright, you know.

[Supremo]

Yep. Let’s also remember Sami Zayn, too. Whilst some guys are born babyfaces that’s not to say giving them a new direction can’t light a fire under them.

Imagine if Bryan shows up on Sunday with his head and beard shaved off. It’d be ace.

[Fatty Facesitter]

Thinking there must be more to this, i.e AJ is injured or, my guess, about to be slapped with a suspension or something like personal reasons. To chuck away a reign that quickly with no build up and to change plans for the two different matches both Bryan and AJ were involved  in means something major must’ve have gone down/is going down. I expect there to be more to this story. It’s a strange way to execute it mind you. Somoa Joe can’t be a happy bunny!

As for Bryan, I’m still weirdly delighted for him - he’s actually won the title again after coming back from retirement. Couldn’t be happier for him in that regard. Shame in a way it’s under these circumstances as it would’ve made for a great babyface moment, but at the same time this will actually give him more longevity - he was growing stale and losing some of his aura from peak Yes era, so this change in direction will absolutely be better for him in the long run. I’d never pit him against fucking Lesnar though after the way he was handling the Singh brothers on Raw! 

 

[SuperBacon]

I have no doubt he'll make it work, and like Lynch will just be cheered anyway, but the panic booking is ridiculous.