The Smackers Thread

[air_raid]

Dominick showing arse every time it's required and quietly going about becoming the "safe pair of hands" to wrestle every time someone comes back from injury/other endeavours is one of my favourite stories of personal development of the last five years. Much like Chelsea in the Womens division, Dom Dom's got all the potential in the world to Honky his way into being a smug little shit with a belt around his waist that we're all dying to see knocked off eventually. It would be great. As long as it serves to eventually put someone other than Bron in the seat, it's time for him to be looking up rather than standing still.

[tiger_rick]

On 4/12/2025 at 12:56 PM, air_raid said:

At least we all have a better reply to that “worlds saddest six word story” meme that goes around.

Decline between WrestleMania 40 and 41.

Not as bad as 10 and 11.

[air_raid]

6 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

Not as bad as 10 and 11.

If we're going there, I think 8 to 9 was the worst.

[tiger_rick]

Just now, air_raid said:

If we're going there, I think 8 to 9 was the worst.

Mania 9 is great. They're still making documentaries about it 32 years on.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I haven't got a huge amount to say that I haven't already said. Nothing on Smackdown changed my opinion, or made me excited to see something I'm not already excited to see.

I think my major issue, again, with WWE's current booking is it seems to be entirely designed around getting a good Instagram reel. I think that's the primary reason the triple threat is happening, so they can have three big entrances for social, and it's why these big promos fall flat as not enough time is spent on making them make sense; it's all about just getting the killer line in.

"I worshipped you, you're the GOAT.. but let's get real, you're overrated and you can't wrestle!" 

Sorry, what?

Still, HE MENTIONED STING! LOL! I guess that's the response Uncle H wants.

Shame about Mysterio if he's too injured for Mania. They should absolutely replace him with Rey Fenix though, he's been absolutely great since he joined. He should have won the Andre The Giant Battle Royale and he should be on Mania. I'm hyped for Rey Fenix.

Hope they've got something better lined up for Orton's open challenge than Solo.

Edited April 19, 2025 by d-d-d-dAz

[air_raid]

1 hour ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Hope they've got something better lined up for Orton's open challenge than Solo.

Rusev innit.

[d-d-d-dAz]

1 minute ago, air_raid said:

Rusev innit.

I hope that's his new gimmick. The Hackney version of Rusev Time.

I'm watching the Cena/Cody promo back, it's all over the place. They just keep contradicting themselves. 

It sort of feels like the Cena heel turn hasn't worked in any real way. It doesn't seem like anyone really wants it. The fans still want to cheer him, they're still turning him into a merch horse and they've even erected a 'Thank You Cena' wall in Vegas for people to sign.

The crowd is going to be a mess for that match.

[The King of Old School]

Cody was superb again.

That crowd were desperate to boo him and he immediately won them back around.

Not bothered about Mania at all this weekend as it looks like shite, but this match has my attention.

[RedTwoster]

I really hate the trope of someone thinking they’ve won a battle royale in spite of the bell not ringing, turning their back on the person/people they’ve not eliminated and celebrating. 

There’s just a bad feeling surrounding WWE right now, at least for me. Adding to the terrible ‘Mania line-up and build are the insane comments made by wrestlers.

Even if you cast aside the pro-Trump stuff as coming from ignorance and stupidity - which in some cases probably is reasonable- you have a level of praise for Vince McMahon that is indefensible. Harvey Weinstein was instrumental in the career of Judi Dench, she’s acknowledged this - but what she hasn’t done is come out after he was unmasked as a sex offender to talk about her love for him. Whether you’re John Cena, Triple H, Mick Foley or anyone else - have a bit of empathy for the people whose lives have been destroyed. If your feelings for McMahon are complicated, keep that to your fucking self. 

One thing I will say about the show is that AEW missed a trick in not signing Naomi alongside Mercedes Mone. She’s doing career-best work right now, and would have been a great addition to their women’s division. I’m also a little surprised that they passed up on Chelsea Green, who continues to be brilliant.

But yeah, I didn’t get much out of this show, and I hope the feeling surrounding WWE changes post-Mania. 

[Pinc]

It’s like Cena’s heel/face alignment carries a hex that passed to Cody when John turned on him. Cody escaped it once when he fled AEW, but you can’t escape fate forever.

[AndyUK]

 ‘’You can’t wrestle’’ being an insult to a guy that has won the World Title 16 times in a wrestling promo is when these shoot promos start to jump the shark. 
 

On another note, that TLC match next week should be quality. Why on earth is it not in the Mania card? 

[DavidB6937]

1 minute ago, AndyUK said:

On another note, that TLC match next week should be quality. Why on earth is it not in the Mania card? 

Because absolutely no one cares about the tag division.

Granted, you'd think they'd be able to fit them on a 2 night card but still, all the teams have faced each other a million times and it's so boring.

[Guest]

For those who have been more engaged than me, what happened with that Cody promo? Why were those fans so determined to boo him so badly? He was almost getting the Dominic gimmick there, until, fair play to him, he got them back and then some. 

Also I was certain after Cena's long monologue Cody was going to say "Fine speech". When he didn't, he lost me. Boo that man. Boo.

 

Oh and The crowd loved it, but "Paler than Sting at Starrcade 97" is a terrible line.

[Supremo]

Good to see Cody reach his final, ridiculous form, just in time for Wrestlemania.

“When CM Punk came back to the ring, it wasn’t a WWE ring…” - Seth Rollins

WWE airing a single episode of television without referencing AEW Challenge. Impossible. Lads, you have got to stop this. It’s so fucking lame. You won. Get over it. It’s like airing the Billionaire Ted skits in mid-2000, when you’re miles ahead. Tragic, thin-skinned losers. Can’t even win normally.

Speaking of thin-skinned losers, genuinely funny that the same week that Hunter and Nick Khan declared that the internet isn’t real and they focus on the broader, casual audience, they script Damien Priest to tell Drew, “You’re going to wish you were Future Endeavour’d again.” They don’t pander to the internet, though.

Surely Hunter realised how bad it looked having his little cry now the fruit baskets have ran dry. He wouldn’t double down, would he?

Dreadful take. Imagine complaining your fans are invested and engaged. Weird how it’s only became a problem now they’ve fell off a cliff creatively. Never heard him moan about the YouTube essays when everyone was pretending the Wyatt Cinematic Universe was a work of genius.

For as much as they wish they were the same as every other form of entertainment, it’s stuff like this that reminds me how fucking weird they are. Imagine someone releasing their biggest film, book, game, album or whatever, and during the press run to promote it they bang on about how fans shouldn’t articulate anything beyond surface level enjoyment.

Must be fucking brilliant going to see a film with Triple H, then getting food afterwards. “Shut up! Stop discussing it! Just say if you liked it or not and then sit in silence!” It’s enough to make me suspect the man’s seen less films than Michael Owen.

John Cena accidentally saying what we’re all thinking in that go-home promo. “The reason there isn’t a wrestling retirement is because every wrestler is a scared, insecure loser.” Sure as fuck feels that way this week, John. Yourself included. Say hi to Vince for me.

It was an episode of Smackdown in 2025. More of the same. The D-O-double-G doubling down on his tropes. He gave us two DQ finishes (Tag Title and LA Knight vs. Solo) and two impromptu matches (6-man tag and Solo/Fatu vs. Knight/Strowman). It’s borderline canon at this point that Nick Aldis is that colleague you hate, who’s demonstrably shit at his job, but due to good fortune always gets away with it. Every week the lazy prick starts his TV show with massive gaps in the format, and it’s only due to blind luck that impromptu matches develop as the show goes on. The show is fucked the week this doesn’t happen. He’ll cost the company the Netflix contract if he’s not careful!

If we’re looking for the positives, this choice of shot during the montage to build up Seth/Punk/Roman really made me laugh. Genius bit of shithousery. Just the three of us. The way it always was. Three of us. Definitely not another member of The Shield we’re trying to pretend never existed.

Good that they’re doing an Open Challenge for Randy Orton. That’s a million times more exciting than just doing Orton vs. Solo. Will be interesting to see if it is Rusev and whether he’ll be willing to do a job on his first night back. You assume Randy has to win, since it’s looking increasingly likely he’ll be getting a WWE Title shot in his hometown, at Backlash.

Fitting, really. As the wheels fall off and WWE is resembling the mid-2010 product more and more, they release the most mid-2010 looking poster of all time, likely promoting Randy Orton vs. John Cena in the main event! We’re so (unfortunately) back!

So yeah, at the risk of Hunter hitting me with the Pedigree for not just posting a binary thumbs up or down, this was a mostly rubbish show that didn’t change my complete lack of enthusiasm about Wrestlemania.

It’s unfair to judge though. I’ll have to wait until Smackdown truly finishes. As a company that doesn’t listen to the internet and never, ever pivots, I can only assume last night’s episode isn’t over and this is still to come.

I hate what a snarky prick I’ve became watching WWE. I had to go check this wasn’t always the case. Get on this, from October!

On 10/20/2024 at 1:31 AM, Supremo said:

Cracking episode of Smackers. We’re eating good.

 

On 10/26/2024 at 9:39 AM, Supremo said:

How is every episode of Smackdown the best episode of Smackdown ever?

Leave the memories alone.

[RedTwoster]

4 hours ago, Supremo said:

Good that they’re doing an Open Challenge for Randy Orton. That’s a million times more exciting than just doing Orton vs. Solo. Will be interesting to see if it is Rusev and whether he’ll be willing to do a job on his first night back. You assume Randy has to win, since it’s looking increasingly likely he’ll be getting a WWE Title shot in his hometown, at Backlash.

I genuinely think this’ll become another multi-person match. Solo will come out, followed by Rusev, followed by Black. Bell rings, Orton pins Solo so the newbies don’t take a loss, we move on.