WWE Smackdown Review
May 29, 2015
By: Dustin Holland
Hello and welcome to my first review of Smackdown here on Wrestleview.com. Let me just say up front that in writing this article, a childhood dream has come true. I have been following Wrestleview for 15 years and always wished I could provide input and analysis like so many of the featured writers on this site. Enough about me though and on with the review.
Thursday night’s show started off with an in ring promo by Dean Ambrose hyping the Main Event for this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber. For a few weeks now, Ambrose has been getting one of those pushes that the WWE has become known for lately. He was thrown into a main event at the last PPV and has had positive fan support ever since. I just wonder when the rug will be pulled out like it was for the last few Superstars that Dean is following such as Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns. I like Ambrose on the mic and he seems to perform every time he is in the ring. He plays the “crazy” guy way better than Wyatt does the “scary” guy and I feel he could be a top talent and fan favorite if given the opportunity. The question is though, will he be given the shot or is he just being used to further Roman Reigns’ future as the ‘Next Big Thing’ which is what it seems like they want to happen. I can see Ambrose getting a good pop and performing with Reigns for a few weeks which will lead to one of two outcomes. First, Reigns is used as the “Good Guy” and remains loyal to Ambrose through his run as the main eventer. Secondly and more likely is a Reigns turn on Ambrose which provides a few months of matches back and forth between the two while a return of Brock Lesnar forces us to see him in this summer’s main event. When Lesnar needs his next “break”, we will see who WWE decides to push forward with. Will it be Ambrose? Reigns? Maybe it will be someone fresh and the revolving door of main eventers will keep spinning.
Who says that Tag Team Action is Dead?
Next up was the Tag Team Lumberjack match with Cesaro and Tyson Kidd taking on Los Matadores. The ring was surrounded by tag teams who are all participating in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Tag Team Championships this Sunday. Kidd and Cesaro have been really impressive since coming together as a team and perform well as a tag team. I can see them sticking around for a while if tag team action stays on the rise as it seems it should with the current teams and with the NXT’s use of tag teams in the current product. Los Matadores on the other hand did not use the same equality. Kalisto saw way more action in this match. That being said he did not disappoint. The high flying and quickness of Kalisto provided for some great pace setting throughout the match. I just would have liked to have seen Sin Cara a little bit more to see what he really has to offer. We know he can fly, but can he take it to the next level? Kalisto seems to be more polished at the moment and the WWE may be forced to split the team if he can take the next step towards singles gold. We need a new Lucha face now with Mysterio and Del Rio gone. Maybe he is the guy. The use of the Lumberjacks was well done with The New Day and The Prime Time Players getting the most hype going in to the PPV. The match at Elimination Chamber will be interesting. I am leaning towards Cesaro and Kidd winning the belts on Sunday and having a pretty good run through the Summer.
Match Rating: B+
Can You Handle The Truth
Next up we had a filler match with King Barrett taking on R-Truth. Here is where the show got me shaking my head. You have a future star in Barrett who is being misused as The King of the Ring already in a match with a guy, while entertaining, is past his prime and you have the King of the Ring getting pinned by a simple rollup. The five minutes of this match was supposed to be a buildup for an Elimination Chamber match for the Intercontinental Championship. Where was the hype supposed to come from with Barrett doing nothing but taunting in the center of the ring and R-Truth getting a pinfall by rollup. Oh wait, here comes the hype, The Great White Hype. That’s right a run in by Sheamus who by all indications will be the champ after Elimination Chamber. Two Brogue Kicks later and an arm raise over the title and there you have it. “Join us this Sunday for the Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber Match.” Give me a break. They have got to find a way to make the Intercontinental Title relevant again and this is not going to help.
Match Rating: D-
Intercontinental Title Hype Continues
The buildup for this match continued with an interview with Lana where Rusev spouts off about Dolph Ziggler not being there. He pokes fun at her new relationship with Ziggler leaving this storyline open for more Lana Love Triangle action. Rusev and Ryback was up next and I was ready for a change of pace after that last match. Boy was I disappointed when Ryback and Rusev locked up for what seemed like a never ending series of grapples and reversals. The match picked up a little and then Rusev was tossed out of the ring where he visibly hurt his ankle. I thought, alright here we go, Ziggler will run down and get involved and I won’t be yawning anymore. Any time now, here he comes. He has to come down and provide a spark leading up to the match at Elimination Chamber right? Wrong! Rusev ends the match with a DQ and that’s it. Match over. No push of Ziggler, who is deserving of a chance just as much as the next guy. It looks like once again, the result of this Sunday’s match will have Sheamus walking out with Gold, not only blinding us with the glisten of the championship belt, but also his snow blinding skin tone.
Diva’s Disappointment
Next up was Paige and Naomi. I am glad that NXT has some up and coming women’s wrestlers and not so many “Divas.” Paige has what it takes to be the face of the Diva’s. She returned with a fire wanting claim Diva gold. The recent run of the Bella’s being the face is about to change as the WWE is pushing towards more in ring action and less prancing in the ring. This match showed Paige’s abilities and that was about it. The Bella’s came out at the end to be seen and that was all there was to it. Naomi does not impress me and I feel that Tamina should take over the wrestling duties if they want that pairing to work out.
Match Rating: D+
Unstoppable?
Kevin Owens’ interview was interesting. He looks ready to me as far as advancing to the main roster. He does what Kevin Owens does. He is confident and smug and ready to fight. I can’t wait to see this match Sunday. I am ready to see how Owens is pushed from here on out.
Final Push to Elimination Chamber
The main event was exactly what it should have been. It featured all parties involved and provided pretty good value as a push towards Sunday. The outcome of Sunday’s match is pretty obvious as I feel the Reign of Seth Rollins is not going to end until Brock Lesnar returns. I can see this match ending much as it did in Smackdown’s main event. Interruption by someone will end the match in a DQ. The question is will it be The Authority providing the run in or will it be a turn by Reigns, or maybe something unexpected? That would be a far change for a PPV to end with a “what just happened?” response as they have been pretty predictable lately, but we will see.
Match Rating: B-
I hope you enjoyed my first review here on Wrestleview. Feel free to leave comments below and tell me what you think of this week’s Smackdown. Also hit the feed up with some predictions for this Sunday.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend.