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

WWE SmackDown Review - November 26, 2015

11/26/2015

0 Comments

 
PictureDean Ambrose and Kevin Owens come face-to-face.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus Interrupted Roman Reigns

Another long, draining talking segment to kick off the show? Ugh. Reigns wasn't half-bad here and Sheamus showed more enthusiasm than usual, but as I've said ad nauseam since he won the title last week, people won't care about him as champion until his booking changes. They didn't have anything more to say than what we already heard on Raw, so it was somewhat pointless even though the actual content of the respective promos weren't poorly delivered. Their TLC match should be entertaining, but how they get there is crucial depending on how the crowd reacts to both men going into the event.


The Dudley Boyz def. The Wyatt Family by Disqualification

I appreciated how this wasn't a rematch of Raw in that Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan represented The Wyatt Family on this show as opposed to Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. Granted, they're the worse workers of the four men, but The Dudley Boyz were able to get a competent match out of them. It would have been questionable to have either tandem lose here, so the disqualification finish was acceptable. Could a six- or eight-man tag team match be in the works for TLC?

PictureJack Swagger attacks Alberto Del Rio with a chair.
Paige def. Becky Lynch

Similar to Lynch's match with Sasha Banks on Raw, they produced a pretty good match, but the crowd interest just isn't there. I honestly don't even know what to suggest they do at this point. They've so much damage to the Divas division over the years that fans are automatically conditioned to not care, which disappointments me greatly considering how talented these women's wrestlers are. More character development might help, but it's going to take time. It's worth noting that Paige attempted to cheat to beat Lynch by putting her feet on the ropes, but she was too far away so she rolled her up instead, so I guess it turned into a clean win unless she did something the cameras or commentators didn't pick up on.


Jack Swagger def. United States Champion Alberto Del Rio by Disqualification (Non-title)

Del Rio and Swagger have always had enjoyable chemistry with each other, but their feud has been lackluster so far. The "hater" gimmick from Zeb Colter is falling flat with fans and it's not helping Del Rio garner genuine heat. The match was decent for what it was, but I can get only so excited about a rematch when the rivalry has no juice behind it and neither competitor has anything going for them at the moment.


The Lucha Dragons def. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Non-title)

As soon as The Usos said they had a plan backstage, you knew exactly what they had in mind. That said, it didn't take away from the match as it was a fun bout with a clever "twist" despite it being seen coming from a mile away. The Lucha Dragons scored a major win that will likely earn them a title shot at TLC and if The Usos are included in the picture as well, the matches the three teams can contest have the potential to be awesome.


Dean Ambrose def. Tyler Breeze and Dolph Ziggler in a No. 1 Contender's Triple Threat Match for the Intercontinental Championship

I loved how the tag team match from Raw was made to mean something by including Ziggler, Ambrose and Breeze in a No. 1 Contender's match with Owens on commentary. Granted, Ambrose was the fan favorite to win after he scored the deciding fall on Monday night, but the in-ring action was excellent and there never seemed to be a dull moment. My only gripe would be that they didn't allow any of the spots to sink in before moving on, but at least it was very well-wrestled and the crowd cared about each of the nearfalls.


​Overall Show

For a holiday show, this was a pretty solid show from start to finish. I was fully expecting them to phone it in, especially since they tend to neglect SmackDown more often than not, but the two hours were entertaining topped off by a newsworthy main event that confirmed a new match for the TLC card. The backstage segments with The New Day alone made this an above-average episode. Happy Thanksgiving, folks!

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

    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