WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
    • WWE Reviews >
      • Raw Reviews
      • SmackDown Reviews
      • NXT Reviews
      • Other >
        • 205 Live Reviews
        • NXT UK Reviews
        • Main Event Reviews
        • Superstars Reviews
        • ECW Reviews
    • AEW Reviews >
      • Dynamite Reviews
      • Dark Reviews
      • AEW PPV Reviews
    • More >
      • IMPACT Reviews
      • ROH Reviews
      • NWA Reviews >
        • Shockwave Reviews
        • NWA PPV Reviews
      • LU Reviews
  • Week in Review
  • Audio
    • WrestleRant Radio
    • Interviews
    • Audio Archive
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact Us

Columnist Corner

WWE SmackDown Live Review - September 20, 2016

9/20/2016

Comments

 
PictureAlexa Bliss and Becky Lynch come face-to-face.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss Signed the Contract For Their No Mercy Match

I enjoy Daniel Bryan as an authority figure as much as the next guy, but is it really necessary for him to be involved in the opening segment every week? At least he remained a background player during this segment, so I don't have any major complaints. Meanwhile, Lynch and Bliss both delivered strong mic work that hyped up their upcoming No Mercy match very well. They didn't drag on forever and they made their respective points in the perfect amount of time. I continue to love how SmackDown Live utilizes each of its women and this was pure proof of that.


The Usos def. American Alpha in a No. 1 Contender's Match For the SmackDown Tag Team Championship

While I would have held off on this match until No Mercy, I really liked the story they told throughout this bout. Chad Gable, despite being medically cleared to compete, was still nursing his knee injury, and that was cost him in the end. Jason Jordan refusing to tag him in because of that was a nice touch as well. Sure, we just saw The Usos just face Heath Slater and Rhyno at Backlash, but Usos explained afterward that they wrestled two matches in one night that time, so it will be interesting to see if the outcome is any different in their rematch.

PictureAmerican Alpha fall to The Usos.
Baron Corbin def. Apollo Crews

I don't think I've seen without Crews without a smile on his face since he debuted in NXT over a year ago, so his serious demeanor here was a refreshing change of pace for his character. He was able to score some measure of offense, but the match mostly consisted of Corbin decimating Crews. That's great for Corbin, especially given he has a program with Jack Swagger on the horizon, but Crews continues to suffer because of a lack of direction.


Intercontinental Champion The Miz def. Dolph Ziggler

Yes, it's a match we've seen several times in the past (okay, more like a million), but you can't deny that they have awesome in-ring chemistry together. Henceforth, this was another excellent match from them and the crowd became more and more engaged in the matchup as the match progressed and that one Zig-Zag down the stretch made for a suspenseful nearfall. I'm happy Miz retained as he should have, but what was with the repeat finish from Backlash? How unoriginal.


Randy Orton def. Erick Rowan

I still have no idea whether Rowan is officially aligned with Bray Wyatt or not considering Wyatt wasn't at ringside here, and to be honest, I couldn't care less. You had to know Rowan wasn't going to stand a chance against Orton when his entrance wasn't even televised, so this was as simple and as straightforward of a squash as they come. Wyatt's post-match promo was short and sweet, but I was hoping Luke Harper would resurface when the lights came back on. Of course, I was disappointed.


Nikki Bella and Naomi def. Carmella and Natalya by Disqualification

Well, this was a waste of time. Naomi's awesome over-the-top entrance lasted longer than the match did. I don't know if another match went over time and they were a victim of time constraints or what, but why bother at that point? They should have just saved it for next week. The Nikki and Carmella feud was well-furthered, but that's the only positive thing I can say about it.


Dean Ambrose def. John Cena

This came across as a television main event and not the marquee match I know they are capable of producing, but I'm assuming they were merely holding back because we'll be seeing plenty of matches between them in the near future (i.e. once Ambrose goes full-fledged heel). Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the match and the clean win over Cena caught me by surprise. That's a major endorsement of Ambrose by Cena and the company, and regardless of what you think of Cena, you have to give him the props he deserves for putting over so many stars in recent years. Additionally, I loved how they advertised the WWE World Championship match one week out and how they're delivering on the promise of Ambrose receiving a one-on-one championship rematch before No Mercy.


Overall Show

This might have been my favorite edition of SmackDown Live since the Brand Extension went into effect, and that's saying something considering every episode has ranged from good to great. Sure, it wasn't without its flaws such as the throwaway women's match, but even that seemed to serve a purpose. Everything else was either meaningful or entertaining, or both! The plug for next week's WWE title match was awesome as well, rounding out a strong show. In opinion, Raw hasn't been horrible (I know many will disagree), but the blue brand has just been absolutely killing it lately.

Comments

    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    Tribute To The Troops
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    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

©2021 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
    • WWE Reviews >
      • Raw Reviews
      • SmackDown Reviews
      • NXT Reviews
      • Other >
        • 205 Live Reviews
        • NXT UK Reviews
        • Main Event Reviews
        • Superstars Reviews
        • ECW Reviews
    • AEW Reviews >
      • Dynamite Reviews
      • Dark Reviews
      • AEW PPV Reviews
    • More >
      • IMPACT Reviews
      • ROH Reviews
      • NWA Reviews >
        • Shockwave Reviews
        • NWA PPV Reviews
      • LU Reviews
  • Week in Review
  • Audio
    • WrestleRant Radio
    • Interviews
    • Audio Archive
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact Us