It’s beginning to look a lot like the holiday season as the WWE has taken over the USA Network once again with a variety of programming all week long. That is why I’m able to bring you my SmackDown review on a Tuesday rather than a Friday! I’ve always held hope that a live SmackDown would Benefit the overall program and I am pleased to report that I was right. The WWE took advantage of the live presence by incorporating a championship match with a provocative main event and a full card lacking severely in monologues and sketches. This was proof of what the WWE roster is capable of when confined to a mere two hours of wrestling with very little emphasis on the entertainment aspect. As always I am here each and every week to tell you what’s COOKIN’ and What Doesn’t Matter from this week’s episode of Friday, nay—TUESDAY Night Smackdown.
Roman Reigns versus Fandango
First of all, someone told me last week that I left a match off of my rundown. For which I apologize, but I will say that if I went as far as to leave an entire match off of my review, it was probably pretty forgettable. Right? Anyway… I mentioned in my weekly Monday Night Raw review, “The Highlight of the Night” that I thought Fandango was the perfect return opponent for a Roman Reigns on the rise. Particularly because it affords Reigns the opportunity to work with a semi-established heel for a short period of time before entering into the faceless Royal Rumble match. As far as their match was concerned, there isn’t much between the ropes on WWE television that gets me excited nowadays. That’s just a plain and simple fact, and I wish it wasn’t so. I like quite a bit of what Roman Reigns does as far as his regular repertoire of maneuvers, but I hope he can develop a more synchronous style as he prepares to become the backbone of the next generation. I think Fandango is destined to be apart of the low-to-mid card realm for the forseeable future, if not for the rest of his WWE career. But that’s not to say he can’t make the most of the hand he’s been dealt. I hope that the WWE doesn’t continue booking this same match until the Royal Rumble, as I would rather see Reigns move through a series of diabolical opponents. This could be an opportunity to help build lower level heels such as Titus O’Neil and Tyson Kidd as they prepare for their own place in the WWE of tomorrow.
Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt talk again
More talking. Just a whole bunch of talking. It’s all about talking with these two! What does this storyline have in common with boring black and white movies from the 50s? Talking—so much talking! Okay, enough jokes. I am in agreement with most wrestling reviewers that Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt suffered greatly at TLC by headlining a card that had already displayed most every WWE gimmick match anyone could have asked for. By the time they pulled out the TABLES, the Cleveland crowd was coming off the contest between Cena and Rollins; when it was time for LADDERS the audience had already seen Ziggler and Harper steal the show; and Chairs? Well nobody gives a damn about chairs, but if you do you already saw them swung in the most unsavory of styles by Kane and Ryback. That being said, this program needed to continue, as the hero Dean Ambrose is still without a singles pay per view victory… This year! So what are they to do? They talk! Because that’s what these two performers do best. I don’t have much else to say about the matter, quite frankly. I’ve been admittedly enchanted by their program since its inception, but even I’m beginning to lose interest in what’s becoming a phantom shell of what it once had the potential to be.
Miz and Mizdow and Harper vs. Uso’s and Rowan
The dynamic between the Usos and Naomi is developing exactly as I predicted just a few short weeks ago. I think the best thing for the future of Naomi a.k.a. Trinity would be to declare her professional independence from her husband as she has already done with Total Divas, align herself with the Miz and begin using her real name. I don’t understand why she and Cameron a.k.a. Ariana don’t use their real names on Raw and Smackdown. It’s probably just an oversight that wasn’t taken into consideration in the years prior to Total Divas. I am getting a bit tired of seeing the Usos, which is why I think adding a little bit of drama to their storybook lifestyle could be just what’s required to revitalize their characters. Nothing negative to say about the Miz and Mizdow, and I especially enjoyed the bit between Harper and his tagteam partners when Damian Mizdow proceeded to mimic Harper rather than the Miz. Luke Harper is one of my favorite wrestlers on the WWE roster; I think he is continuing to improve in every possible way from week to week which is truly impressive given the repetitive environment in which he is expected to evolve. If this was Monday Night Raw it would have been the match of the night, and perhaps it is a contender this evening as well. All I can say is that I was overjoyed with all aspects of this, from the in-ring delivery to the entertainment which surrounded the entire situation.
Rollins versus RyBack with Rusev Run In
Not much to say about this segment except it helped to convey Rusev as a true heel rather than an unstoppable powerhouse. There is no question that Rusev is on a warpath, but it can sometimes be difficult for technically gifted and athletically inclined heels to garner true heat when they perform so elegantly. That is why it’s important to the overall development of his character for Rusev to go on these somewhat out of character rampages. I always enjoy listening to Seth Rollins in the ring, especially when he’s working alone and not as the straightman to John Cena or Dean Ambrose. His fun banter with the “stooges” harkens back to Vince McMahon’s own egotism regarding his firm grasp on the WWE; whenever McMahon was comfortable, someone would come along to shake things up. And in this case, it’s none other than the Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler who’s been on a roll recently since outlasting every other man in his match at the Survivor Series and reclaiming is precious title belt from Luke Harper just two nights earlier at TLC. I echo the sentiments of most journalists and podcasters in that I would love for wrestlers to speak from their hearts rather than a piece of paper. But in some cases, especially in the case of Dolph Ziggler, those scripts can help create compelling moments out of otherwise thin air. A very enjoyable several minutes of programming, considering it was the longest stretch on the show without any in-ring action.
Naomi versus Nikki Bella
Far more provocative than anyone could have anticipated, this match offered edge-of-your-seat excitement due primarily to the live aspect of Tuesday Night Smackdown, as well as the unpredictable nature of Naomi’s relationship with the Miz. As previously stated, I think Naomi’s character would best be developed through an unlikely alliance with The Miz and Mizdow, and what better time to work that organically into the program than when Naomi wins the title with the help of the Miz? Instead we are spoonfed another unbelievable misunderstanding storyline where apparently nobody in the ring has ever seen a wrestling match before. It’s those sort of lazy loopholes that make me angry about the WWE Creative Department, but I don’t get hung up on seemingly unimportant things such as character development and storylines. Sarcasm, of course. Everybody knows that I’m a fan of Nikki Bella despite her apparent negative reputation, and I thought this was another well constructed match considering the lack of experience from those involved. I am anxious for Nikki to drop the belt however, because as much as I enjoy her character I cannot for another moment pretend that she is of adequate ability to hold the only women’s title on the main roster.
Adam Rose versus Kane
I won’t go into much detail because I outlined my proposal pretty clearly in my Raw review, but I think it could be possible to use Kane to revitalize the Adam Rose persona. I think the illicit influence of the Big Red Machine is exactly what could be required to draw the maniacal Leo Kruger from wherever he’s been hiding. I think it will come down to a choice between turning on The Bunny or not; if he decides to spare his furry friend the pain of betrayal, we know that Adam Rose is here to stay. But I think we could see a case where Leo Kruger could find Kane’s actions appealing, something he might want to engage in himself. I am definitely digging too deep into a program between a party animal and a man who’s been designated a “Demon,” but I hope for the best for both characters and think this would be a great way to achieve a positive outcome.
Ziggler versus Seth Rollins
This was the match of the night in my opinion, as any main event should strive to be. Dolph Ziggler is coming closer to the top of the WWE as time goes by and weeks fade into months. He seems to have had trouble over the past few years jumping the hurtles between break out midcarder and true main event superstar, but his victory at the Survivor Series, along with reclaiming the Intercontinental title and his win this evening over Seth Rollins have all helped prove Dolph worthy of carrying the torch. I’ve said on several occasions that I admire the chemistry between Rollins Ziggler and it’s only a matter of time before we see them start battling it out for world heavyweight gold. Rollins has yet to work an ill nerve on me as I’m still just as excited to see him now as I was to see Tyler Black first appear in NXT. Say what you will about the WWE in relation to other so called “progressive” wrestling promotions, I’m optimistic that Ziggler and Rollins will lead a revolution in the wrestling world, along with a roster that includes Prince Devitt, Kevin Steen, El Generico, KENTA, and Pac. The future looks bright and Smackdown should be proud for featuring such a high class main event.
I happen to think that this was a very good episode of Smackdown and an adequate response to the action packed presentation by the now-rival NXT roster. After REvolution went down this past Thursday, there were rumblings regarding some Superstars and their attitude about stepping up their game in response to the developmental talent. I was hoping we might see some of that at TLC, but I suppose there isn’t much room for improv when the script is already written. This is a few weeks in a row that Smackdown has had a superior program to its Monday night counterpart, and the awesome advertisements for WWE’s return to Thursday has me hoping that “Blue Raw” could possibly revert to its previous glory, once experienced during the Ruthless Aggression Era. Folks, as I mentioned in my previous columns from this week, I am heading to my home state of New Jersey for the holidays and I’m not sure how much writing I will be doing once I get there. It’s been nearly 3 years since I’ve seen any member of my family, or any of my friends for that matter, so I assume I might be taking a week off. In the meantime I hope you stick around and continue to check out everything that Cheap-Heat has to offer, as we update our material each and every day. Until next time my name is Mark Haggerty, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Joyous Kwanzaa, a Reflective Ramadan, and a very Prosperous New Year.
