BorneAgain

The NXT guests are getting some well deserved praise, but I have to say, even if the point was to be victims to the invaders, the Smackdown talent there were utilized very well. -The SD Women's roster being decimated -Zayn as the sneaky heel being caught by the babyfaces -Miz as the more arrogant face being shown up by Ciampa -Bryan as the fiery face putting over the NXT title and losing clean to the champion. For sheer efficiency of the stories being told, I can't recall a Raw or SD in any recent memory where the show's roster were being this well used.

Beyond Canada, Is there some Saudi passport issue in regards to international talent, hence 8 Americans in the "World Cup"?

Its the loss of one the greatest personalities in wrestling. Solid wrestler, fantastic manager, and the most enjoyable color commentator of all time. Bobby the Brain Heenan was professional wrestling in the best sense of that term. This was a man who could endlessly entertain whether he was being made to look like a fool or insulting someone via his barbs. A man who helped make babyfaces and heels while still standing out as character all his own. There will never be more consistently entertaining non-wrestling personalities week to week than Brain and Monsoon in the glory years of Prime Time.

The funny thing is I think Cena could hold his own no matter what Miz threw at him; its just the smug, uncaring dismissal attitude from the former doesn't really do much for the angle. On paper Miz is entirely the heel, but its hard for me to not root for him just by sheer virtue of the fact he actually seems to give a shit about this entire program. Well Nikki does too, her delivery is just so awkward its hard to tell her sincerity. I get that its just a silly mixed tag to act as a prelude to the proposal, but after watching so many pissed off babyface promos on the Network, its weird to go to this and see one with a figure so uncaring about the whole thing.

Perhaps, but an actual fiery emotional promo from him would be nice to see again.

I figured out why Cena's promos bother me. Guy never gets angry at anything. Its always the same scathing annoyance every time punctuated with random (yet somehow understated) shouting. Stuff like tonight would work better if he seemed pissed off and not on the verge of checking his watch at the end of every sentence. Fingers crossed Miz gets to work with an actual fiery babyface again after Mania.

Now I really want to see a smirking Reigns claiming to Renee that he had no idea the dog that bit Cena had rabies.

I love that Miz just exhausts Renee and Bryan's patience so much with his spiels that you can just read it in their faces. Young's expression after "Tune in next week for Talking Smack, it won't be as good because we won't be on it. See ya!" was the perfect icing on the cake.

Forgot to mention this:

PS4 and PC owners, get yourselves ready: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTjfkQlql2g

Orton posing in front of the fire almost saved that last segment, but overall a lame manner of doing the face turn. Incidentally, Cena doing a "burial" promo of a hated cowardly heel like Miz works so much better than him doing so to a technically talented and beloved one like AJ Styles; doubly so given Miz can get his heat back with just one talking segment.

Rewatching the match, props to Miz for basically being the only one to really sell how fearful the Chamber is. Guy is very nervous walking in, is horrified seeing the bumps guys are taking inside, and looks scared shitless when Corbin's telling him to get in the ring. For someone who took very few bumps, he really put over the implications of the gimmick.

They either have to do the draft post Mania/Payback or bring some NXT talent up to fill out the shows. Smackdown's managed to effectively rotate promo and wrestling time week to week with talent in the past few months (Wyatt, AJ, Corbin, Orton, Miz, Ziggler, Ambrose) to avoid fatigue; with guys like Ellsworth to stretch things out and now Cena to carry the weight. But all the smoke and mirrors in the world can't mask doing the same matches again three months from now.

That's Cena's MO for feuds these days. Beat him and he'll give you nothing. He beats you and then suddenly he's generous with his praise. At best its meaningless because its done after it could actually mean anything in a build for a match. At worse it comes across as condescending and disingenuous on his part for only showing respect after he's proven he's the better man in some fashion.