WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

WWE SmackDown Live Review - January 17, 2017

1/17/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

SmackDown Live Commissioner Announced a WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match

While all eyes should be on the Royal Rumble event, I was thrilled to hear an official announcement made in regards to the returning Elimination Chamber being a SmackDown Live-exclusive event next month. It will occur only two weeks after the Rumble, so at least they won't be rushing into that Chamber match for the title, which opens up several new possibilities for what might happen at the Rumble. Everyone came off well here, and the bad blood between Miz and Styles led nicely into their subsequent match.

The Miz def. WWE Champion AJ Styles (Non-title)

Heel vs. heel matches don't typically work, but Miz and Styles have been at odds for so long that this worked wonderfully. Both men are at the top of their game right now and I honestly wouldn't mind them facing off at WrestleMania 33 for the WWE Championship with Styles possibly turning face beforehand. Sure, we saw the match here, and although it was enjoyable while it lasted, a majority of their match was consumed by commercials and it ended on a disqualification, so there's no reason they can't do a rematch on the grand stage. Let the speculation begin that John Cena being made to look strong afterward means he isn't winning the title so soon.
Picture

Nikki Bella and Natalya Brawled

For a feud I couldn't have cared less about when it was initially teased a month and a half ago, Nikki vs. Natalya has been surprisingly well-booked thus far. I may not be highly anticipating their eventual match (which I assume will take place at the Royal Rumble), and Natalya's mic work is still shaky, but I commend them for holding my interest in segments such as this one. Taking their fight to another part of the arena helped as well because it was a refreshing change of scenery.

Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose def. Randy Orton (Non-title)

I was shocked when Mauro Ranallo noted that it had been over two years since Orton and Ambrose last did battle one-on-one. I always thought they would be remarkable rivals and it's a feud I'd love to see down the line once Orton is done with The Wyatt Family. Although this match was slightly slow early on, they picked up the pace nicely down the stretch and it was a better bout on the whole than Miz vs. Styles I thought. Additionally, they further teased tension within The Wyatt Family and set up next week's Orton vs. Luke Harper match effectively.

Jerry Lawler Hosted The King's Court with Dolph Ziggler

Has it really been over two decades since The King's Court was last held in WWE? That's unbelievable. It was great to see Lawler back on WWE TV for the first time in ages, and although I wasn't high on him as a commentator in recent years, he thrived as a heel and I would love nothing more than to see him replace David Otunga or JBL behind the booth on the blue brand. While I would have held off on Ziggler finally speaking for a little longer, I loved how they acknowledged his history in technically giving Lawler a heart attack five years ago on Raw, in his hometown of Nashville, no less. I wish the crowd had reacted more to that, but Ziggler superkicking Lawler in the chest was a very nice touch.

SmackDown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss def. Becky Lynch in a Steel Cage Match

The last few matches these two have had in the past month haven't been anything above average, but I thought this bout was the best of the bunch. Sure, they weren't given a ton of time, but they worked well against each other and made excellent use of the environment. The cage was virtually pointless once La Luchdora got involved, but everything prior to that point was entertaining, and Bliss retaining her title was the right outcome. Not to mention they proved they deserved that main event slot and didn't feel out of place in the slightest. Mickie James has been rumored to be under the mask for weeks, but it was still cool to see her revealed as Lynch's attacker. James vs. Lynch should be a stellar feud in a women's division that is already loaded with talent.

Overall Show

I was honestly shocked by the end of the evening when I realized this edition of SmackDown Live had a mere three matches. However, I tend to love the "less is more" approach, and each of the three matches were meaningful. There wasn't too much talking, either, so there was a healthy balance between the two. There was plenty of hype for the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and next week's show, so once again, SmackDown delivered an exceptional episode and I'm excited for how they might try to top themselves going forward.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Interviews
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    NXT PLEs
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SNME
    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 PLEs
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    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

©2025 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact