WWE SmackDown Review - October 22, 2015

Tyler Breeze storms onto the scene in WWE.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins def. Cesaro (Non-title)

Cesaro's taken a backseat on WWE TV as of late, so I'm not sure how many people saw him as a threat to Rollins. Then again, Rollins has lost to just about everyone in the last month, so anything's possible! In all seriousness, it was cool to see these two former Ring of Honor standouts face off because of their great in-ring chemistry and their tendency to deliver entertaining matchups. This contest was no exception as each of them took the other to their limit and kicked off the night in fun fashion. Rollins picked up a nice win and it was refreshing to see Cesaro spotlighted for once even though it was in a losing effort.


Nikki Bella def. Paige

​As I've said time and time again, I appreciate the attempt to create more stories in the Divas division, but it's when they overlap that things start to get confusing. Paige's feud with Natalya hasn't done anyone any favors as it has only muddied the waters even more with her character, and I'm not sure if fans know whether to cheer or boo her. Putting her up against a fellow (?) heel in Nikki was a strange choice, but to their credit, they produced a good match. They've always worked well together and it was nice they received as much time as they did.

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Seth Rollins comes out on top.

Tyler Breeze Debuted on 'Miz TV'

It has felt like forever that Breeze has been down in NXT, so it's fantastic he finally got the call-up because it's very well-deserved. I'm as fearful as anyone they won't handle the character properly and his inclusion in the Summer Rae storyline doesn't make me any more interested in it than I was before, but it was an impressive first night for Breeze. A decent portion of the audience knew who he was (which never hurts) and he was able to get one over on Dolph Ziggler. I don't know if Summer will add anything to his act because she feels like damaged goods as a manager, but it might have potential and only time will tell. Is is possible he accepts John Cena's U.S. Open at Hell in a Cell?


Sheamus and King Barrett def. The Lucha Dragons

I love the idea of a Sheamus and Barrett tag team as well as an alliance with Rusev. The foreign forces gel together very well and that was evident during this match. Besides, it's not like any of them have anything else going for them at the moment (which is weird to say considering one is Mr. Money in the Bank and another is the 2015 King of the Ring). The Lucha Dragons were the perfect opponents for the duo as it made for a cool clash of styles. Barrett and Sheamus scoring the win was a wise move with the heels continuing to build strong momentum.


Ryback def. Bo Dallas

Obviously, this wasn't much more than a glorified squash match for The Big Guy. It was an effective way of having Ryback rebound from his loss to Seth Rollins on Raw in addition to being short and sweet, so at least it served a purpose in that respect. Kevin Owen's post-match backstage promo provided solid final hype for the Intercontinental Championship match at Hell in a Cell and I like how they've built it up to this point.


Roman Regins and Dean Ambrose def. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Non-title)

I guess this was one way of furthering two feuds with one match, but neither team needed to lose, so it was a strange dynamic. Reigns is feuding with The Wyatt Family, New Day are feuding with The Dudley Boyz and Ambrose isn't even on the pay-per-view card. Granted, The Dudley Boyz forced New Day to return to the ring and ultimately cost them the win, but I wasn't a fan of them losing via pinfall. From an in-ring standpoint, however, this was an above-average main event that saw Reigns emerge as the last man standing (along with Ambrose, of course) going into his pending Hell in a Cell match with Bray Wyatt.


Overall Show

This go-home show didn't do much to add or take away from my excitement for Hell in a Cell, but it was a decent episode on the whole. The opener was entertaining, the main event was solid and Tyler Breeze's main roster debut was noteworthy, so I guess it wouldn't be right to call this anything less than a passable episode. Feel free to seek out those segments and skip over the rest.

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