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Smackdown is #thechinthatgotthewin


HumanChessgame

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Naomi/Alexa had much better chemistry this go-round. I enjoyed B.A.D. Naomi so I wasn't sure how I would feel about her return to being a face, but she has been fantastic since the Draft. I keep waiting for her to bring back the Slayomission though. 

I am also in the "liked it" camp, when it comes to the Nikki/Carmella segment. For me, this has been the most entertaining and interesting women's feud on either program. 

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I loved Ellsworth's backstage segment.  He's a goofy guy, but that moment where he cried gave tons more reason to cheer for him.  You knew he'd get his ass beat, but if he could hang in any way then it'd all be golden.  Not only can he say to his grandkids he was in the ring with AJ Styles, but he managed to land a superkick, get a nearfall and stun AJ for a bit.  That's amazing on many levels and I'm so damn happy for the guy.  I might get the shirt, but considering his promotion is a half hour from me I'd rather go to his show and hope to meet him instead.

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And he did it better than Dolph has in a long time (although I wonder how much of that was the camera angle, which couldn't have been better)

I loved that up until then, the most offense he was able to muster was pushing AJ into the corner and tripping him off the top rope.

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2 hours ago, RIPPA said:

Alexa is very high on the "Draft was the best thing for them" list

My initial thought to that was "Well, she could have really come to prominence as a top NXT Women's talent" but it looks like in reality she'd probably be the heel gatekeeper everyone who was going to be fed to Asuka would have to beat to get the shot.

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This is the difference between SD and Raw right now.

Raw had Goldberg, a guy who for a year or two was legitimately one of the biggest draws in the business, (arguably the 2nd biggest behind Austin at one point,) come back after a hiatus of over a decade, cut what I don't think I'm overselling by calling the best wrestling promo of his life for a match against the one guy under contract that WWE has managed to preserve (however tenuously) as a special attraction. We're like, "Good promo, but I still don't care about the match."

Meanwhile if you told me that James Ellsworth was gonna have a match with Miz at the next PPV I would be all the fuck over that.

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Raw should definitely not get compared to a soap opera since soaps pay attention to things like long term continuity, well defined characters and having multiple stories going at the same time. Wrestling as the "male version of a soap opera" is when wrestling is actually good.

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It kinda goes along with something I said last night

The Smackdown women were given something like 30+ straight minutes of time on the show. A match and a long in-ring promo continuing a feud. It isn't a matter of if you liked the matches or the angles or the wrestlers. They were presented in a simple and clear way that fit into the narrative of a good wrestling show.

RAW had whatever the fuck those sitdowns were supposed to be and Dana Brooke being so tiny she blew the finish of her own match (and a match that lasted 4 minutes at that.)

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5 hours ago, goc said:

Raw should definitely not get compared to a soap opera since soaps pay attention to things like long term continuity, well defined characters and having multiple stories going at the same time. Wrestling as the "male version of a soap opera" is when wrestling is actually good.

Soap operas are notorious for forgetting old storylines, and even more so, retconning them to fit the narrative that the current writing team wants.  The days of William Bell and Agnes Nixon writing decades of character-driven drama are long gone in daytime.  Not surprisingly, both wrestling and soaps also resemble each other in that they've become ultra-niche entertainment.

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I don't think you can undersell how big a difference the commentating on Smackdown makes, either.  Renallo/Otunga/JBL come off like guys who are having a great time watching a wrestling show they enjoy.  When Otunga was putting over Ellsworth and JBL started shouting "STOP IT DAVID!" it got a legitimate laugh out loud from me because it sounded so genuine.  Otunga and JBL make for a much better duo than JBL/Saxton and I actually like Saxton's schtick.  Saxton plays so much better off of Graves dressing him down than off JBL because JBL is a big personality, so he needs another big personality to come back at him which Otunga is doing really well (I really loved Otunga's line about using Miz using his wife to get ahead before quietly adding "And she doesn't even have an Oscar"), otherwise his defence of the heels and criticism of the faces comes across like the truth.  But, the whole crew come across as people who are excited, scared, upset, and generally big fans of whatever they're calling and that comes across to the viewers.

BTW, I noticed Ellsworth had his own tron (Complete with two hands!), I wouldn't be adverse to him sticking around a while.  Corbin could get some nice heat by wiping him out.  I'd also love to see Rhyno team up with Ellsworth when his team runs its course (And we get Heath Slater trying to win the World Title!).

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Re: Bliss

I admit before the draft, I had never heard of her, knew nothing of her character. Since she's been on Smackdown though she's consistently been the best women's wrestler on the show and dare I say the whole company, which is pleasantly surprising.

As for Ellsworth, I'm really happy they are continuing to go with this. Since he got a his own theme music and Titantron does this mean he'll get a contract? Who would have thought months ago when he first went against Strowman that he'd have the following he does know? It harkens back to the days of the 1-2-3 Kid appearing on Raw several times then finally getting that one win over Razor and getting a spot on the main roster.

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1 hour ago, Eivion said:

Hasn't she already been called out about Dean a few times?

- by the bail bondsman

- by the E.R. to sign a non-consensual commitment order

- by a veterinarian inquiring about missing stockpiles of bacon strips

- by a local waterslide about mysterious streaks and/or stains

- by Uber reminding her that they are there to provide "timeouts"

- by a group of middle-aged Koeran men claiming they are here to meet their new "band manager"

- by a black market hair merchant with a large C.O.D. delivery of "human hair (non scalp) for non-medical use"

 

She's a busy lady.

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12 hours ago, JCM said:

Ellsworth and Slater are so much better as top baby faces than Rollins and Reigns.

It's because we believe they are genuine. With Rollins and Reigns we just see the WWE machine trying to stamp something through.

YOU WILL LIKE THESE SUPERSTARS.

No...we like these other guys.

NO YOU WILL LIKE THESE SUPERSTARS.

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AJ Styles vs. James Ellsworth is one of the best TV matches this year. Styles giving Ellsworth a beating, Dean Ambrose's antics at ringside and THAT nearfall from the superkick. Did anybody else notice AJ's response to the soccer mom chant with his trademark dropkick?

I didn't see Alexa Bliss in NXT. First I noticed Alexa was in the six-pack elimination challenge at Backlash to crown the first WWE Smackdown Live Women's Champion, she stood out with winner Becky Lynch and Nikki Bella. I like the persona, matches and the promos. Bliss!

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