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Smackdown did a few things very right.

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Smackdown did a few things very right.

Postby DBSoT » Aug 03, '16, 9:35 am

So after watching Smackdown last night, I have to say that I was optimistic for the future of the show. I noticed a few subtle changes that really resonated with me.

1) The wrestlers made the matches. During the opening segment Bray challenged Dolph to match for his #1 contendership. This doesn't seem like much on paper, but considering how much authority figures always seem to come out and just decree matches, this was refreshing. Dolph still had to confirm it with Daniel Bryan in a backstage segment, but at that point it was just Dolph saying, give me the match. They also did the same thing with AJ and Cena. After two good promos, AJ challenged Cena to a match at Summerslam, which was accepted. Simple and easy. No need to confirm it with Shane or Bryan coming out. The one time Bryan did make a match it was the IC #1 contender triple threat. That kind of match should be booked by Bryan, considering none of the competitors have a feud with each other.

2) The top 3 feuds all had either impressive fiery promos or solid physical interaction. For all of the complaining about Dolph being in the WWE Title picture, he did a very good job on the mic yesterday. Also, Ambrose may have cut his best promo in quite a while. Dolph didn't go with the show off stuff, he talked about his failures and how this is his one chance to finally prove himself. There was no goofiness or babyface pandering for Ambrose. It was a "This title means I am the best and I will go through anyone to keep it" tweener promo. They were accurate, truthful and intense tweener promos from both guys. It also planted the seeds for a rare situation. Either guy could become the heel after that promo. They both played tweeners to the point that the title matters so much, you could see either guy snap if they lose at Summerslam. I don't want to make this too long, but AJ-Cena promos were just as good and AJ has really come into his own on the mic. Finally, the Orton-Lesnar angle resonated throughout the night and culminated in Orton taking a bit F5. Solid set up and payoff.

3) Storylines were set up well from the start of the show and paid off by the end. Ambrose and Dolph promo led into Bray attacking Dolph and demanding a #1 contenders match. This was talked about during the course of the night and led to a main event that had something big on the line. Bray also showed some character development, because until yesterday, I had no idea he even wanted to a champion. It also adds a wrinkle to the Dolph-Ambrose feud, with Bray being the wild card. The other feud that progressed through the night is Orton-Brock. Technically, you could say this was set up on Raw, but it was talked about from the start of the show and discussed during the night.

4) A nod to the new era. Smackdown was always going to be built on the backs of former NXT members, but yesterday really showed. Carmella, Eva Marie, Becky Lynch, American Alpha, Vaudevillians, Kalisto, Apollo Crew and Baron Corbin. The only one that we didn't see (sadly) was Alexa Bliss.
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