WWE Smackdown Live - 7/3/18

WWE Smackdown Live
7/3/18
Century Link Center, Omaha, Nebraska

Quick Results:

1. United States Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) defeated The Miz to retain. 
2. Asuka vs. James Ellsworth ended in a double countout. 
3. Non-title Match: AJ Styles defeated Aiden English w/ Rusev by submission. 
4. Becky Lynch defeated Peyton Royce w/ Billie Kay by submission. 
5. Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) defeated The Usos (Jimmy and Jey). 

Blog:

Smackdown opened up with one of the most debated topics in the WWE; Team Hell No. Some fans hate to see Daniel Bryan doing comedy and feel he should be protected until he challenges for the title, while others believe the nostalgia act will help Bryan get more over until he is moved to the main event (assuming he signs a new contract).

Personally, I believe this is a great direction for Daniel Bryan. He is naturally funny and has great chemistry with Kane. Fans have fond memories of the dysfunctional yet successful tag team so this is a good way to draw interest to Smackdown. During Bryan's rise, the tag team division was on fire with the Shield, Usos, Wyatt Family, and Rhodes Bros., so there is no doubt that, even five years later, Team Hell No and the Bludgeon Brothers will steal the show at Extreme Rules.

The bickering between Kane and Bryan was funny and a good callback to their roots. The main event against the Usos was also a good reminder to the matches Team Hell No had in their first run.

Jeff Hardy and The Miz had the second best match of the night. No one believed Miz would win but the crowd was happy to see Jeff Hardy. I am enjoying the "open challenge" so far but would like to see Nakamura with the U.S. title. He needs something to light his character up and he can bring a lot of value to the belt. A long term feud with Jeff Hardy would be great, as both are charismatic and exciting in the ring.

It's good to see Rusev playing a definitive heel. Fans have been wanting to cheer him but will choose AJ Styles over him every time. Rusev laying out AJ after his victory was a good way to heat him up for the title match. The real test will be how Rusev is booked after Extreme Rules. I doubt he will win the title so I am hoping he does not end up back in the lower mid card as a comedy act. AJ continues to be booked well, with a quick submission victory over Aiden English.

On the undercard, Becky Lynch continues her win streak, with a quick win over Peyton Royce. The Iiconics are a great duo but do not need to be protected in the ring in order to get over. Becky is a fan favorite but fans need to see her win in order to believe in her. It is unclear where she is headed, but I am hoping to see her face Asuka for the title.

I am hoping for better things for Asuka and that should start with a win over Carmella for the title. Her segments with Ellsworth were entertaining and I like the vignette featuring the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis game in order to set up the match. However, Asuka has cooled off a lot since her days on Raw and needs the title win in order to gain back her momentum.

Other Thoughts:

I was happy to see Sanity interrupt the New Day's pancake eating contest. New Day is becoming very stale and I find myself not looking forward to their segments anymore. Their matches are solid but their act just doesn't make people laugh anymore. The "internet" wants to see Big E break away from them and go on his own, without an official breakup, which wouldn't be a bad idea. However, there is currently no indication of that. A six man tag against Sanity at Extreme Rules can be fun but I am not looking forward to promos featuring New Day make fun of Sanity.

It's good to see Nakamura should be ready to compete at Extreme Rules despite his dog bite at a house show about two weeks ago.

Match of the Night: Team Hell No vs. The Usos.

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WWE Royal Rumble

WWE Royal Rumble
1/28/18
Wells Fargo Arena, Philadelphia, PA

Quick Results:

1. WWE Championship Handicap Match: AJ Styles (c) defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to retain the championship. 
2. Smackdown Tag Team Championship 2 out of 3 Falls: The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) (c) defeated Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin in two straight falls to retain the titles. 
3. Royal Rumble Match: Shinsuke Nakamura last eliminated Roman Reigns to win the match. 
4. Raw Tag Team Championship: Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan (c) to win the titles. 
5. Universal Championship Triple Threat Match: Brock Lesnar (c) w/ Paul Heyman defeated Kane and Braun Strowman to retain the title. 
6. Royal Rumble Match: Asuka last eliminated Nikki Bella to win the match. 

Blog:

I assumed the Smackdown tag title match would be the "hot open" to the show so I was surprised to see the WWE title match on first. I was not a fan of this move but it did not matter in the end given the finish, as it looks like this feud with continue. The match was entertaining and it doesn't look like Owens was seriously injured while working this match. He might be a bit banged up but he performed well here. The finish with AJ pinning the illegal man was interesting but I am personally getting tired of seeing Owens and Zayn in the main event scene. 

The finish of the Smackdown tag title match was a bit shocking. The Usos won in two straight falls. The first fall went pretty long but the second fall happened soon after. While the match wasn't bad, it was hard to get into, as I don't think anyone bought Gable and Benjamin winning here. 

The men's Royal Rumble was the best rumble match in recent years. The surprise entrants (Rey Mysterio, the Hurricane, Andrade "Cien" Almas, and Adam Cole) were great. Hurricane put on a little weight but Rey Mysterio looked to be in phenomenal shape, leading to speculation about a full time return. I like the idea of filling the rumble with NXT talent as well as talent from the past, but Aleister Black should have been here instead of Cole, given his victory. The other "surprise" entrant, Dolph Ziggler was the only downside to this match. He returned at #30 and got a decent pop but did nothing in the match before quickly getting eliminated. They did an angle with Ziggler relinquishing the title, that got a little interest, and did nothing with it. Aside from that, the rest of the match was very good. The face off featuring Cena, Orton, and Mysterio against Balor, Nakamura, and Reigns got a great reaction from the crowd and was my favorite moment in this match. The crowd was great too, as they were there to enjoy the show and not "hijack" it. The crowd cheered heavily for Rusev but did not boo the rest of the match once he was eliminated. Rather, they cheered for who they liked and booed for who they disliked, rather than choosing to hate the show. 

WWE also seems to finally be listening to fans and committed to pushing Nakamura. The fans really did not want Roman Reigns to win and rather than shoving him down the fans throats, they will give him a different road to Wrestlemania. As for Nakamura, fans will get the Wrestle Kingdom rematch at Wrestlemania, as he will be facing AJ Styles. There is no doubt that this match will steal the show. 

The Raw tag title match got little to no reaction due to the crowd being exhausted from the Rumble. There was a story here with Rollins working most of the match due to injury but the crowd was just not into it. I like that the tag titles are back on Sheamus and Cesaro but Sheamus did not need to be eliminated in 2 seconds during the Royal Rumble match. This could have been a spot given to Curt Hawkins but not to a former Royal Rumble winner who is wrestling for a championship on this show. 

The Universal title match also suffered the same effects although not as bad. The fans were into this match but were also anticipating the women's Rumble match. Brock Lesnar pinning Kane was a given and it looks like Strowman will be kept in the title hunt. Strowman is still very much over but WWE needs to strike while the iron is hot, otherwise he will turn into Bray Wyatt and lose every big program he is in until the fans no longer care. 

I was excited for the women's rumble for many reasons. The novelty of this being the first ever women's rumble, the possible nostalgia returns and NXT entrants, and of course, the suspense of who the winner will be. Starting the match with Becky and Sasha was a good surprise as it started the match off hot. The next few entrants really showcased that while the women's roster has numbers, it lacks a lot of depth. Lita's return was done well and I was surprised to see her pull off a Moonsault (and even the Twist of Fate). Her time in the Rumble didn't need to be long. Kairi Sane was another surprise entrant here and her time in the Rumble was not really memorable. The other surprise entrants were Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, Ember Moon, Beth Phoenix, the Bella Twins, and Trish Stratus. I was looking forward to a staredown between Trish and Asuka which we didn't get, however we got two moments which I really loved. First, Asuka had an exchange with Ember Moon, who had her arm wrapped up. Asuka mocked her injury, which would have been a heel move but Asuka can get away with it. The other moment was a great throwback between Mickie James and Trish Stratus. The match getting down to Asuka and Nikki Bella made it obvious that Asuka would win but the Basement Dropkick from the apron was a clever finish to the match. 

The only thing I did not like about the women's rumble was that a lot of wrestlers who were still in the match were recovering outside of the ring. While this is a good tactic for a heel to gain an advantage or for a babyface to get sympathy, this served no purpose. It made it hard to keep track of who was still in the match. While there was criticism over Torrie Wilson being in the match despite her lack of in ring credibility, there is no doubt that she was the most over woman on Smackdown during the initial brand split. 

Ronda Rousey's appearance was great and I am sure it got a lot of media coverage. I am glad she was not in the actual match and I am curious as to where this goes. 

Overall this was a two match show, as the other matches were just there to fill the card. However, both world title matches were good but were overshadowed by the rumbles. 

Match of the Night: Men's Royal Rumble

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