Kickoff Show: Sheamus def. Shorty GI'm glad this got moved from the main card to the Kickoff show considering their "rivalry" has barely been focused on in recent weeks on SmackDown. It was nice to see Chad Gable in a singles match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, but this Shorty G gimmick is death. The longer it lasts, the more damage it'll do. At any rate, this was a decent match, but nothing worth writing home about, unfortunately. I applaud their effort, but the arena was barely half-full and the fans that were there didn't have much of an incentive to care. They picked up the pace a bit down the stretch, but it never reached that next gear they're capable of. Sheamus winning in his first bout back was hardly surprising. Kickoff Show: United States Champion Andrade def. Humberto CarrilloThis was another match that had no business being on the main card after just being announced earlier in the week. Don't get me wrong, it made sense from a storyline standpoint given their history from late last year, but I would have built up the feud a bit more before having them face off for the United States Championship. In fact, this felt like it hindered from being rushed. There were some fun moments and was well wrestled on the whole, but it wasn't their smoothest encounter. I'd like to see Andrade hold onto the gold at least through WrestleMania where he can defend against Aleister Black.
0 Comments
Pre-Show Match: NXT UK Champion Kay Lee Ray def. Mia Yim (Non-Title)Much like the NXT Women's Championship (which I'll address later), the NXT UK Women's Championship is being shortened to simply the NXT UK Championship. It's an odd move that I wish would be explained to avoid confusion. Putting that aside, this was a well-wrestled pre-show match that made sense from a storyline standpoint after Ray cost Yim the WarGames advantage two months ago. Yim didn't waste any time in going after Ray once the bell rang, which was a nice touch. It would have been silly for Ray to lose to someone who isn't even a part of the NXT UK Women's division, but despite the obvious outcome, they had a very good matchup and Yim was protected in defeat. My only nitpick is that the referee came across like a total idiot for not seeing that Ray clearly used the ropes to give herself an advantage during the finish. Finn Balor def. Ilja DragunovThe crowd didn't seem to be overly familiar with Dragunov, but they should be. I realize he hasn't appeared on NXT TV at all, but he's a terrific talent and has a bright future ahead of him. He and Balor had strong chemistry and kicked off the night on a high note with an awesome match. They worked a consistent pace, the crowd was into it, and the aggression and intensity from both men was appreciated. There was no way Balor was losing so close to his clash with Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: Portland, but I liked that Dragunov scored as much offense as he did over Balor and looked credible in defeat.
Tyler Breeze def. Ariya DaivariIs it written into Daivari's contract that he must appear on every episode of 205 Live? I feel like I see him on every show. Unfortunately, his matches never get any more interesting. I said last week that Breeze gave him his best bout to date, and while this was equally enjoyable, I have no idea why it needed to happen if the result was going to be the same. I feared that Daivari would avenge his loss from last week with a win here, but thankfully, that wasn't the case. Breeze maintains momentum with the win, but couldn't they have had him face someone else instead? The Brian Kendrick def. Danny BurchKendrick cost Burch his match against Daivari a few weeks ago, and when Kendrick hinted at Daivari having his back before this bout, you pretty much knew how this was going to end. The actual matchup was decent and hard-hitting, but the crowd didn't seem to care much. It didn't help that Daivari got involved in predictable fashion and aided Kendrick to victory. I'm sorry but a Kendrick and Daivari alliance does nothing for me. Fingers crossed this is leading to Oney Lorcan returning to reunite with Burch.
Roman Reigns and The Usos def. King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and Robert RoodeI honestly can't remember the last time SmackDown opened with a match as opposed to a talking segment. It was a refreshing change of pace and I liked that this received a ton of time. The early goings weren't anything out of the ordinary, but once they picked up the pace, it turned into a very entertaining opener. There's no denying that Reigns and The Usos work wonderfully together and the heels were fun foils for them. I just fear that Reigns and company winning clean here means Corbin will beat Reigns at the Royal Rumble. SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley and Lacey Evans BrawledEvans talked a lot here about losing her father to depression, the upbringing of her daughter and how she strives to be an inspirational role model for the audience. She really laid it on thick and even got emotional toward the end. If this promo doesn't get fans to rally behind her, nothing will. I've enjoyed her babyface run so far and thought this was strong stuff. The brawl with Bayley left a bit to be desired, though.
|
Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
|