WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact

Columnist Corner

Friday Night SmackDown Review - March 28, 2014

3/28/2014

0 Comments

 
PictureBig Show prepares to chokeslam Bray Wyatt.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Triple H Interrupted Batista

I love how much history (and truth) was incorporated into this segment, fully making it feel like the "Reality Era". Both individuals delivered their lines well and planted the seeds for a potential collision at WrestleMania. Triple H was right in that Batista hasn't been the same since he returned, though I still enjoy him and believe he works far better as a heel. Hopefully that line will light a fire underneath him going forward. This was a solid segment to kick off the show that also helped hype the main event between Batista and Sheamus.


United States Champion Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins def. 3MB

For those that have been pitching for a Shield vs. 3MB feud... well, here you go! In all seriousness, it was a complete squash for The Shield, but they still managed to make it fun. The crowd was as into the action as I would have expected them to be, but The Shield's opponents were 3MB after all, so I guess that shouldn't surprise me. Kane putting them in another match against Ryback and Curtis Axel was a nice lead into the commercial break.

PictureBatista assaults Sheamus after their match.
United States Champion Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins def. Curtis Axel and Ryback

My disdain for the team of Ryback and Axel is well-documented, but The Shield got a good match out of them. They're another tandem who has no heat on them at the moment, so the crowd didn't really come alive until Rollins and Ambrose hit their signature spots toward the end. I'm all for seeing two Shield matches in a row, but couldn't this have been saved for Raw for next week?


Sin Cara def. Damien Sandow

The only difference between this match and their encounter from Raw is that a talking dog wasn't at ringside. It was obvious Sandow wasn't going over when he received the jobber entrance, but did it really need to be another minute match? Sin Cara didn't gain anything from this and it only solidified Sandow's burial. Yes, I used the word "burial" because it definitely applies here. I was hesitant to use it when he first lost to John Cena in October, but it's ridiculous how badly he's been booked since then.


Fandango def. Goldust

Is Fandango supposed to be feuding with the Rhodes brothers? This was his third match against one of them in the last week. Even if they are feuding, I don't see why aside from the fact they're all in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. This was a better match than the first time they clashed, but I still couldn't care less. Fandango was bound to get a win at some point after weeks of losing, but it's a shame it had to come at the expense of Goldust, who I'm sure didn't returned to the company to job out to an enhancement talent.


Sheamus def. Batista by Disqualification

This was one match I'd been looking forward to ever since 2010, so I had high hopes for it. That being said, it failed to live up to my expectations. It may not have been a bad match, but there were a few clunky spots and felt flat. I would have loved to see Batista go over clean and Sheamus would have been able to absorb the loss since he isn't doing anything of note at the moment, but the non-finish was fine by me. Batista's post-match attack and promo tied into Triple H's line of him not being the same animal he was before he left, so that was well done.


The Bella Twins def. Divas Champion AJ Lee and Tamina Snuka

We've seen this match a thousand and one times in the last six months, so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It was fine for what it was, but the focus was on the tension teased between AJ and Tamina. All signs to them splitting at WrestleMania, so don't be shocked if Tamina wins the Divas Championship to lead to a feud between the two. When Vickie Guerrero said on commentary that she isn't sure of the rules of the Divas Invitational yet, I'm sure the Creative Team isn't sure, either, which is sad.


Jack Swagger def. WWE Tag Team Champion Jey Uso

This was a decent match while it lasted, but its brief length made it forgettable. The Usos are fun in the ring and The Real Americans have great chemistry together, but the two teams are better against each other in tag team action than in singles competition. It was a logical win for Swagger to put heat on The Real Americans going into WrestleMania, but the tag team title match as it stands isn't exciting me in the slightest at the moment.


Mark Henry def. The Miz

Could either of these guys mean any less at the moment? I'm glad Miz actually wrestled for the first time in months, but the crowd didn't react to anything in this brief bout, and it's hard to blame them. Neither Miz nor Henry have any sort of direction at the moment and haven't been utilized correctly for the longest time. Thus, their match was a complete dud and didn't make me any more excited for the Battle Royal at WrestleMania.


Bray Wyatt def. Big Show

It may not have been a technical masterpiece, but this was still a solid match. Wyatt dominated most of the match and was made to look like an equal to Show. It could have used a few more minutes to feel more memorable, but the important thing is that Wyatt went over via pinfall. Granted, it came after interference from Luke Harper at ringside, but it's better than the match going to a disqualification. Wyatt hitting his finish on Show was also a cool visual.


Overall Show

Since this show emanated from Boston (which isn't too far from where my campus is), I could've gotten tickets to go, but I am beyond glad I didn't. This was an extremely boring show and easily on the worst in recent memory. The opening segment was good, but everything that followed it was downright mediocre or forgettable. All eyes are on Raw, of course, so I can't say I'm surprised WWE half-assed this episode of SmackDown, but I expected a better effort.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2023 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact