WWE SmackDown Review - September 10, 2015

Seth Rollins celebrates his win over Ryback.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Wyatt Family Addressed Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose

Bray Wyatt has always been a talented talker, but I found this to be one of his better promos because he wasn't all over the place like he tends to be at times. He directly addressed his Night of Champions opponents Reigns and Ambrose, his recent attack on Randy Orton, and their recruit of Jey Uso on this show, so it successfully hit all areas. I'd like to see SmackDown different from Raw by opening with a match instead of a promo, but this was a solid segment, so at least it served a purpose.


Cesaro def. The Miz

After Big Show interfered in their match on Monday, it was odd to not see or hear from him during this match. You would think it would be the other way around. Oh well, but hey, no Big Show? I can't complain! The match was decent while it lasted, but nothing too memorable. I'm not actually sure why these two are even feuding, but I'm hoping neither of them get lost in the shuffle, especially Cesaro given his recent rise in popularity.

---

Roman Reigns drops Big E with a Samoan Drop.

Paige vs. Sasha Banks Ended in a Double Disqualification

I've made my thoughts on the issues with the "Diva Revolution" quite clear as of late, but I'll give credit where credit is due: they're finally giving the women more stories to work with. Paige wanting to avenge her loss against Banks made this match meaningful and neither needed to lose, so it was wise to have it end the way it did instead of beating either woman or going with the tired disqualification or count-out finish. The brawl between the two felt like a breath of fresh air and hopefully the renewed aggression in Paige means she's turning heel sooner rather than later.


Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Jimmy Uso vs. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day Went to a No Contest

Similar to Reigns and Ambrose's match against The New Day last week, it was an entertaining effort, but The New Day was mostly overshadowed by the babyfaces. They were able to get in some offense, but they didn't come across as their equals. The non-finish of the match didn't help matters and it never ceases to bother me when they don't announce the ending to matches as it feels lazy. The attack on Uso was pretty predicable since you had to know he wouldn't be the mystery partner. The search continues for the former Shield members.


The Ascension def. The Lucha Dragons

WWE took a weird break from the Stardust-Ascension alliance this week on Raw as it wasn't even mentioned. Maybe it's a SmackDown-exclusive thing? The match was fine for what it was, but only a microcosm of what they're actually capable of. It gave The Ascension a win for the first time in forever while also effectively furthering the feud between Stardust and Neville, setting up an inevitable six-man tag tam match between the two trios.


WWE World Heavyweight Champion and United States Champion Seth Rollins def. Intercontinental Champion Ryback in a Lumberjack Match (Non-title)

I've always enjoyed the chemistry these two have together and this match was no different. It was given the perfect amount of time and it was entertaining from start to finish. Lumberjack matches tend to be more convoluted than they need to be with all the interference, and while it got out of hand toward the end (why wasn't Rollins disqualified when Stardust attacked Ryback right in front of the referee?), Kevin Owens costing Ryback the win made sense from a storyline standpoint while also allowing Rollins to get his win back from Raw.


Overall Show

For a show that featured three rematches from Raw, I liked it a lot more than I originally thought I would. The finishes to the Divas and six-man tag team matches were confusing, but the matches were above-average and the main event was better than usual. The only gripe I had with this episode was the lengthy Raw replay that aired before the start of the second hour. Could they really not find anything else to kill the time than that?

---