By Jake Barnett
WWE Smackdown Hits
Opening Segment: Daniel Bryan and The Miz have one of the best ongoing feuds in WWE, despite never being able to get back in the ring together. They both got some good verbal jabs during the segment, along with Bryan getting a chance to revel in returning to his hometown crowd in Seattle and celebrate the upcoming birth of his child. The rest of the segment was setting up a Fatal Four-Way match between competitors in the elimination chamber, and AJ Styles uttering a line about “ticklebutt” that he will probably never live down. The Bryan and Miz stuff was some of the most entertaining banter on the entire show.
AJ Styles vs. The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin: Corbin got a signature pin over AJ Styles, and I’m giving it a Hit because it shows that WWE is serious about attempting to make the guy into a star. The match itself was decent, but the finish could be a launching point for him if he performs well and WWE is willing to commit to him as a top heel.
Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi and Mickie James vs. Becky Lynch contract signings: I enjoyed this segment particularly because of how well WWE has defined these characters. Lynch may be the best babyface in WWE at this point, Naomi has established an identity around her energy and athleticism, and the combo of Mickie and Alexa have been excellent as an arrogant and confident heel duo.
Luke Harper’s Promo: I’ve always enjoyed when Harper has been given a chance to speak, and this was no exception. It was a brief promo, but he was able to capture and hold my attention throughout, and I’m looking forward to seeing what his trajectory is if he finally escapes playing the henchmen role underneath Bray Wyatt.
John Cena vs. Randy Orton: This was a fun match that the crowd was really in to. The finish was fun as well with Harper getting involved and getting some revenge on Wyatt and Orton from last week. The only downside was a ref bump that lasted beyond the boundaries of credulity, and the magic recovery for the final pinfall.
WWE Smackdown Misses
Baron Corbin’s facial hair: The thing he likes about high school girls is that the older he gets, they always stay the same age.
12-Man Tag Team Match: The Ascension win? To what end? They are never going to wash the stink off of being reintroduced as a lame ’80s throwback act, followed by a couple of years of consistently losing on second rate WWE shows such as Main Event.
Natalya and Nikki Bella promo: I feel bad for the people in the building who had to suffer through this. This program has sucked from the word go, and it doesn’t help that they send Natty out there to make the same three insults over and over again. It’s also somewhat puzzling that Nikki doesn’t defend herself well verbally despite having mounds of evidence in her favor, and instead just sits there and rolls her eyes. It’s infuriating to watch, and not in a way that makes you appreciate the heel work being done. They both show better acting chops on their other reality show.
Just as long as Corbin doesn’t go over Dean at any point for the IC title. Especially after he got the better booking at the Rumble and Dean isn’t established enough yet to be losing to nobody midcarders. Have him attack Dean viciously at Elimination Chamber but Dean ultimately eliminates him from the match instead.