SmackDown 8-7-20

Riddle vs Sheamus

The way to get a guy going is to put him in the ring with some veterans right away and that’s what they’re doing with Riddle on SmackDown. The match was good but there is still a lot that can be done in a feud should they choose to pursue it. Riddle wins via DQ after Shorty G attacks him. Sheamus then Brogue kicks Shorty G….twice.

Miz TV

Miz and Morrison name drop Retribution and have a truly awful segment. Sonya DeVille is revealed as the real victim in the Mandy Rose feud and DeVille exposes just how much we shouldn’t route for Mandy (though she was trying to do the opposite). Tucker and Otis run out to stop the slander and end up in a match later which ends in an odd pull apart with Mandy doing an awful job at acting which is a shame because she has been great lately.

Cesaro [c] vs Lince Dorado

Lucha House Party show a ton of personality in their vignette, far more than we’ve seen before.

Cesaro wins too quickly, really wanted to see that match drug out a while. I like this feud because it elevated Lucha House Party and they are fantastic in the ring so why not push them and give them something meaningful to do?

Back to the Funhouse

Bray Wyatt blames Braun Strowman for what happened to Alexa Bliss. Well he just shows up mid show, an excellent surprise to have the Fiend show up with his entrance and all. Great idea to have him come out then cut to break. When the show returned Alexa Bliss was in the middle of the ring ready to hurt Alexa but Braun was on the big screen, playing mind games with Fiend. Strowman claims that he is now unleashing his inner monster but what will that look like exactly?

Corbin vs Jeff Hardy

Another great potential feud that left a lot on the table that they can go back to in several rematches. Corbin and Sheamus have beef after Sheamus confronts about his bounty getting into the way of his match with Riddle which led to Sheamus Brogue kicking Jeff Hardy out of nowhere to give him the win via DQ. I like a heel vs heel feud, let them compete for the baddest dog in the yard.

Sheamus vs Corbin

I love it! Two heels tearing each other apart just because they are two jerks. The actions of two individuals led directly to a match that made perfect sense. The second match for both men, making them both look like total badasses.

Riddle runs into the ring causing enough of a distraction for Sheamus to deliver yet another Brogue kick tonight and beat Corbin.

The queendom

Stephanie McMahon has a special message for Sasha and Bayley. Stephanie feels as if the duo have played too many games and its time to put an end to them. Clearly taped separate from everything else the static camera and cuts gave that away immediately which took me out of things until a triple brand battle royal was announced. The winner faces Bayley, that all makes sense because the pair have caused trouble on all brands and it can be a major shakeup if someone from another brand wrestled and beat Bayley. Imagine if Rhea Ripley or Shotzi got a title shot; you could even move Io to SmackDown and have her duel wield for a while. The NXT women’s division is stacked. Bayley is salty Sasha played her game, thrusting her into a match she didn’t want so the story is finally going into a different chapter that may play out in a title change for the Golden Role Models.

Antifa-light

Retribution certainly was mentioned a lot tonight, they were literally spoken into existence. Retribution shows up and in Antifa/Shield fashion, come to the ring. Michael Cole and Corey Graves got the absolute hell out of there without hesitation though. They started to kick the audience members’ asses.

This faction looks weak as hell, like super weak. They are not physically imposing at all, the ninjas look more intimidating. I’m glad we’re getting something new-ish though. The riot angle is a good one to play, AEW is playing the election angle; tis the season to mirror current events. Chainsaws really sell crazy

Honorable mentions

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Otis and Tucker are back.

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Big E interview, always doing a gimmick.

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Sheamus was on fire, a promo and two matches and like 4 Brogue kicks.

Final take

I feel as if this show took what Raw did and paced it better, with 60% less bullshit. The show was on a roll and it was only halfway done. By the end, I was thoroughly entertained by the show and I’m looking forward to next week.

#sheamus #Sashabanks #MattRiddle #BaronCorbin #JeffHardy #smackdownonfox #Bayley #SmackDown #Cesaro