SmackDown Cliff Notes 6-19-20
- Sean Covington
- Jun 24, 2020
- 3 min read
Matt Riddle vs AJ Styles [c]
WWE better use Renee Young a lot more, that’s all I gotta say about that. The SmackDown locker room surrounded the ring for AJ’s coronation. AJ goads Daniel Bryan into coming into the ring during his IC title presentation and actually put the title on him.
The match was good, a different tone from a typical WWE match. Riddle sold well and did a great job as usual. The crowd was into everything going on. All of the people around made things feel like a much bigger deal. When Riddle won it was even better that the wrestlers celebrated with him. A new wrestler won his debut match on a show…take note Tony and Cody.
Hard(y) times
Renee Young asks the tough questions of the charismatic enigma. Great use of Renee Young, she’s great at interviews and we need to see a lot more of her conducting them. Hardy has some tough answers but he appears sincere, not just going through the motions during his emotional response. I’m invested in the story but what happens next? I would guess an IC title run but I’m not sure.
Mojo Rawley vs Shorty G
Sick of the prep rally speeches from Chad Gable, I’m also sick of the short jokes. Speaking of great uses, a strong way to build up the midcard is to pit guys against one another to get the best out of them. Mojo Rawley is a good candidate for a midcard title holder, if only there were one below the IC title that he could acquire.
Side note: the 24/7 title should become the 24/7 hardcore championship and be redesigned.
Miz TV
After insulting Mandy Rose, Miz and Morrison revealed that they just flat out setup Mandy when they brought out Sonya DeVille.
Sonya rips Mandy to shreds. I mean Sonay did not go easy on Mandy, this wasn’t even the first time and it surely won’t be the last. The physicality involved in their interactions is what we need throughout the entire division.
New Day [c] vs Lucha House Party
Lucah House Party have been used quite a bit in the no live audience era. They are exceptional workers that could really help put over some strong heel acts if they were tag champs. I was hoping they won so that my case could be made even further but nope.
Shinsuke Kensha’d the hell out of Big E as soon as the ref counted 3. Cesaro says he’s fed up with how he’s treated so it’s time for heads to roll. Cesaro and Shinsuke are gonna be next in line and I hope they win because the New Day is old news.
You look like you’ve seen a ghost
The Strowman Express is about to be derailed because Bray Wyatt, the cult leader, has returned to face Braun. Bray Wyatt is just a super cool character, there is no way around itm if you don’t like Bray then you should reevaluate why you watch wrestling.
Honorable mentions
Dana Brooke stood out the most in a backstage segment featuring most of the women’s division.
Sheamus promo.
Nikki vs Sasha. I’m not sure what story is being told here but I’ve got my eye on Cross – Bliss.
Final take
The crowd sounded much better this week, a very strong audio presence on the show really got me into what was going on. It provided a lift and energy to the matches/segments that had been missing even from previous shows. The Prichard Era continues to produce very watchable TV. I highly recommend watching SmackDown, its watchable, not just random stuff thrown on television.
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