WWE Smackdown Review
August 29, 2015
By: Adam Martin of Wrestleview.com
I’d like to begin by thanking Dustin Holland for his time and hard work in recent months both recapping and reviewing Smackdown for Wrestleview.com. Dustin had a sudden schedule change and will be stepping away from his Smackdown duties going forward.
We will still continue to provide coverage of Smackdown here on the website. In the mean time, this has created an opening and we are now seeking a weekly WWE Smackdown recapper and reviewer. If you are interested, send an email to webmaster@wrestleview.com and AdamMartin@wrestleview.com with the subject “WWE Smackdown Recapper” giving us a background on your writing experience and why you should be considered for this position. Remember, this is a weekly commitment.
Now for the review.
The Dudley’s are back
Thursday night was largely focused on the return of The Dudley Boyz to the ring for the first time in over 10 years in WWE. The last time we saw this team in a WWE-related television setting was the first ever ECW One Night Stand PPV back in 2005. The team made the jump to TNA just as they debuted on Spike TV and largely remained there ever since.
Earlier this year, Bubba Ray Dudley made a surprising return at the Royal Rumble and it seemed like the next direction was either a singles run in WWE or the possible reformation of The Dudley Boyz. Months went by and nothing happened. Bubba, under his Bully Ray moniker, made two brief returns to TNA during episodes of Impact Wrestling this summer.
The reaction on Monday night in Brooklyn was electric and huge credit should go to The New Day crew for selling it like a million bucks. With the introduction of the WWE Network, I don’t really think we can continue with the narrative that people most likely won’t know who these people are. It’s a new video-on-demand world we live in now, even outside the network.
Both Bubba and D-Von looked great in the ring and had a pretty entertaining tag team match with The Ascension. Nostaligia acts always run the risk of running their course after a few months. Yet, WWE’s presentation of the tag team division over the last few months has really picked up and it feels like the perfect time to insert an act like The Dudley’s.
“The Black Sheep” Braun Strowman
I think everyone was visually impressed with the look of Strowman during his debut on Monday night. The scramble to find out who he was added a fun mystery to the presentation of The Wyatt Family. This crew needed some enhancement and this works. The brief confrontations between Strowman and Roman Reigns has been executed really well and creates another interesting dynamic as we head into the fall season.
Quick Thoughts
* The offense of Kevin Owens is just flat out great and gets better with each match.
* The Divas had a rare backstage segment that actually was good and not cringeworthy.
* I was surprised at the lack of outrage over Seth Rollins’ “minor league” line about Sting.
* Rusev not wanting anything to do with Big Show was entertaining.
* I really want to get behind Dean Ambrose. The presentation is still missing something.
Overall Impression
Flat out, this was a good episode of Smackdown. The two hour format is a nice change of pace from RAW and the overall presentation is very straight forward. The in-ring reintroduction of The Dudley Boyz worked. The Divas had a good tag match. Kevin Owens and Neville work great together. Seth Rollins called Sting old. Big Show punched Rusev. Dean Ambrose loves jumping off stuff. It didn’t break any ground, but it was fun.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you thought of Smackdown in the comments below.
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