WWE Smackdown Review
July 31, 2015
By: Dustin Holland of Wrestleview.com
First off I would like to congratulate Mike Tedesco and his new bride and wish them the best from me and everyone here at Wrestleview.
This week Smackdown had more ups than downs. The matches themselves were above average for what the normal is on Smackdown. It really feels like the WWE brass have realized the potential of Smackdown’s ability to push storylines forward. When I first started reviewing Smackdown, it felt like this show was just the leftovers from Monday Night RAW. Now there are weeks where that still is the case, but this week was an example of the show being used to properly move things forward toward Summerslam.
History Repeats Itself
Seth Rollins ability to aggravate fans is what makes him such a great character. Every week he comes out and reminds us of what he has done and who he has beaten to get to where he is. No, seriously it’s every week. This is so annoying that it makes me love to hate this guy. He is by far the most aggravating superstar I can remember in a long time. He just gets on my nerves, which is good, because it keeps me wondering when he will stop boasting and head for that face turn which we all know is coming. I am looking forward to seeing how the turn will transpire. The guy is so annoying and frustrating that I can see it taking a while for fans to warm up to him as a face. He backs up his ability to keep me hating him, by performing in the ring also.
Just Swinging
The Cesaro and Kevin Owens feud is one that I was glad to see continue on Smackdown this week. These two will push each other so hard for the next few weeks that we will have no choice but to love Cesaro and hate Owens. This is the perfect scenario for both men right now. Cesaro is going through the push of his career right now and Owens is slowly becoming the heel. The interactions between these two men last night really helped their cause moving towards SummerSlam.
Tag You’re It
The 8 man tag team match was the hardest match I have ever had to recap in my life. There was so much going on that it was hard to stay focused. I don’t know if I like that aspect of the match or if I hate it. As a fan it was really fun to watch all of those guys flying around the ring going back and forth with each other, pushing each other to the max. As a recapper, it was all I could handle to keep it straight. The match did however provide us with a glimpse into what the future holds for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The Lucha Dragons are on a roll and will definitely be in the title hunt at SummerSlam. The only problem with that is that the New Day are still more win than The Prime Time Players right now. The New Day should be the champs and I anticipate a six man tag match at SummerSam where the New Day reclaim their gold and continue to be the best tag team in the WWE for a long time. There is no reason to break these guys up or to stop the push of tag teams right now. I love what they are doing with this division.
Quick Thoughts
* Stardust continued to impress me with his strangeness. I am looking forward to seeing how this storyline plays out. I just hope that it is not a one off with a match at SummerSlam and then it’s over. The superhero and supervillain thing could really help keep kids interested right now as it seems that the push for more “attitude” could be coming soon.
* Rusev is actually entertaining on the mic. He rambles on about Lana being jealous and goes in and out of Bulgarian which leads to pure gibberish coming out of his mouth. I think it’s hilarious.
* Dean Ambrose is still being misused. All he is doing right now is filling in for the times that Roman Reigns isn’t available. It is a shame to waste a guy’s talent like this. He needs a one on one feud of his own to move him away from Reigns if they are not going to do a Shield reunion angle.
* I guess Jack Swagger didn’t get fired…or did they let him have one last hometown pop?
Favorite Moment of the Night: Jerry Lawler being back on commentary…oh what a difference he makes!
Least Favorite Moment of the Night: The 10 minute replay of what transpired two weeks ago on Raw between Undertaker and Lesnar. We get it, they are having a match. Use that time to make a better show out of Smackdown.
Thanks for reading. What did you think of the show? Let me know below. Have a great weekend!
Follow me on Twitter @DustinHolland84