3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.’s weekly assessment of “WWE SmackDown,” the present the place a beloved babyface tag staff unexpectedly turns heel because the payoff to a long-running angle — no, not that one, the opposite one. Coming off Survivor Series: WarGames, WWE is heading full pace forward towards Saturday’s Night Main Event and the tip of 2024, carry again an previous standby at a time of chaotic new progress for each the corporate and the business at giant. All round us, issues are altering — new titles are being fought for, wrestlers are probably getting traded from model to model, and as beforehand talked about, tag groups are turning sooner than The Big Show in a centrifuge. We’re speaking about all that right here, and extra, as we comb over Friday’s blue model providing and inform you what we thought.

Remember, these are the totally subjective opinions of the WINC employees. If you need goal info, take a look at the present’s outcomes web page. If you wish to know which matches and segments we loved and which we did not, you are in the fitting place. Here are three issues we hated and three issues we liked in regards to the 12/6/24 episode of “WWE SmackDown.”

For so lengthy now, I’ve felt just like the WWE model cut up had been shallow at finest and at worst one of many largest recurring plot holes within the canon. But the place others would argue for eliminating the idea totally, I nonetheless felt prefer it’s higher than not having one — supplied it is carried out proper. Now, that is not say it ever has been carried out actually successfully for the reason that early 2000s (or arguably 2016) and it actually turns into a damaged mechanic when “Raw” and “SmackDown” unique expertise seem on the opposite present both with no rationalization or one that’s so weak there may as effectively haven’t been one. But Friday night time noticed a constructive transfer in that vein, exhibiting that there’s an consciousness that the idea could possibly be fleshed out additional.

Chad Gable appeared throughout “SmackDown” regardless of being a “Raw” star to problem WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, which I used to be greater than able to abhor as one other ignoring of the very concept of a model cut up. But I used to be very happy to be incorrect, as Michael Cole defined that Gable and American Made have been there to speak with General Manager Nick Aldis pending the brand new WWE Transfer Window, a interval forward of the Netflix premiere of “Raw” the place every model’s respective General Manager — Adam Pearce for “Raw,” Aldis for “SmackDown,” and Ava for “NXT” — might be discussing potential expertise trades. As a lifelong soccer fan, I’ve lengthy wished for this concept to be explored in WWE as a connective tissue for refreshing every competitor pool when the time requires it, in addition to a possible subplot to drive dwelling the worth of a expertise making the transfer. Of course, all we all know proper now could be that that is an concept being carried out, and it is but to be clear the way it will manifest. For now, not less than, it is a enjoyable little addition to the product and the broader lore of WWE. Only time can inform the way it will go.

Written by Max Everett

You could be forgiven for assuming that Elektra Lopez was going to do subsequent to nothing to contribute to Friday’s Women’s United States Championship event match. After all, when she’s performing subsequent to Naomi, a veritable icon within the girls’s wrestling world, and Tiffany Stratton, who’s the way forward for WWE’s girls’s division, it’s extremely straightforward for somebody like Lopez to fall by way of the cracks of the match. The excellent news: Lopez completely blew out any preconceived notions of her inexperience out of the water along with her efficiency in Friday’s triple menace. The dangerous information: Lopez proved, in a single match, that she is being given fewer alternatives than she deserves.

Lopez’s reserving woes will be traced again to her “NXT” days, the place she primarily served as a reasonably face on WWE’s developmental present. She actually began to indicate her inside wrestling fireplace when she turned embroiled in a intense (albeit short-lived) feud with former ally Lola Vice in direction of the tip of her “NXT” run. Unfortunately, Lopez took the loss in that feud and moved to the principle roster to change into the full-time valet for Santos Escobar and Legado Del Fantasma. Ever since, she has been little greater than, once more, a reasonably face.

Not this week.

Am I saying Lopez is the very best wrestler on the roster? No; there have been some timing points that actually prevented her from delivering an immaculate product. However, I’m saying that Friday’s in-ring efficiency and her historical past of reserving do not add up. It is obvious that she has improved so much within the ring since her “NXT” days, and but she continues to be lowered to a, frankly, ineffective valet for a decrease mid-card faction. She was completely explosive within the early goings of Friday’s match, stunning Minneapolis when she pulled out a modified model of the Blue Thunder Bomb to sprint each Naomi and Stratton’s Women’s US Championship desires (and she or he would’ve received if it weren’t for a pin break-up). Lopez has so much to study, sure, however she held her personal with a wrestling veteran and one of many hottest younger stars WWE has had shortly. Why is she not being put within the ring?

I believe Lopez’s efficiency Friday night time warrants a re-evaluation of her place inside WWE. She has supplied possible trigger — if not outright proof — that she deserves to be concerned in additional in-ring exercise, past her interfering methods as a heel valet. If something, she’s charmed me extra on this match than she ever has as a supervisor for Legado Del Fantasma. In a efficiency medium so dominated by males, there may be benefit to including simply one other feminine star to repeatedly scheduled programming. While I do not assume there’s a lot level in clumping her in with Nia Jax, as WWE is doing with Candice LeRae, I do assume {that a} separate feud involving her could be a terrific alternative so as to add extra variety to WWE’s programming. Elektra Lopez deserves greater than what she’s getting, with out query.

Written by Angeline Phu

Just just a few days in the past, a sure girls’s world champion claimed that girls’s wrestling was “lifeless and buried.” Bianca Belair, Piper Niven, and Chelsea Green heard that and uttered a collective “maintain my beer.”

Friday’s episode of “WWE SmackDown” noticed a spectacularly hard-hitting match between Belair and Niven (accompanied by Green). Even with Belair’s physique totally exhausted after an intense girls’s WarGames match not even every week within the rear view mirror, all three girls placed on a spectacle that had a crowd chanting “that is superior” — throughout a Niven match. What an absolute deal with to observe.

All the ladies carried out their jobs completely. Belair has been one in all WWE’s most dominant stars, and whereas her momentum was not squandered on this match, it was refreshing to see her wrestle in a match. I’ll be the primary to confess that I’m a Belair fangirl, however having her crumple in ache after a very nasty blow from Niven did absolute wonders for Niven’s credibility. It emphasised some extent that sure figures within the business will neglect: one in all wrestling’s core tenants is to make the individuals round you look good. Belair exemplified that advantage, and never solely did it give Niven a push even amidst a loss, nevertheless it made Belair’s comeback in direction of a match victory a lot extra satisfying.

Niven and Green did their jobs as heels splendidly, with Niven exhibiting the blue model why she ran “NXT UK” in its early days. Every time I watch her within the ring, I’m blown away. Don’t get me incorrect, her partnership with Green is extremely amusing, however she has the in-ring chops to be a critical singles star. We’ve heard commentary hype up matches between two extremely giant males earlier than, however the powerhouse vs. powerhouse match that Niven had with Belair was nothing wanting a spectacle of energy. Green was hilarious as all the time, and she or he is an unbelievable staff participant in relation to hyping up Niven. Again, the purpose of wrestling is to make the opposite get together look good — Green makes Niven seem like a thousand bucks each time they’re collectively.

I can not write about this match with out citing the unbelievable KOD end. Belair dragged Green, who was beforehand antagonizing her from the skin of the ring, into the ring, and laid her out. Then, she retrieved Niven and hoisted her up for a devastating KOD that took each Niven and Green out of motion. We’ve seen double KODs from Belair — her pre-Crown Jewel 2021 contract phase with Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks involves thoughts first — however they by no means get any much less spectacular. Everyone regarded like 100 bucks right here; Belair regarded like an absolute beast, Niven is simply as deadly as a friendly-fire weapon as she is as an in-ring competitor, and Green cemented herself in spot infamy a la her insane 2024 Money within the Bank fall.

Whoever dares to say that girls’s wrestling is “lifeless and buried” has no concept what they’re speaking about.

Written by Angeline Phu

“SmackDown” had two main issues popping out of Survivor Series: LA Knight surprisingly shedding his United States title to Shinsuke Nakamura, and the lads’s WarGames match unsurprisingly being received by a staff that included Roman Reigns and CM Punk. And whereas I perceive that we’re needing to maneuver proper into Saturday Night’s Main Event construct and take care of issues just like the DIY heel flip, it could have been good to get extra Survivor Series fallout, contemplating the TV following a PPV/PLE is historically known as “the fallout present.”

What fallout we did get was mainly crammed right into a single phase proper across the center of Friday’s program. Nakamura got here out to the ring to talk, however was instantly interrupted by Knight, who appears to assume his loss at Survivor Series was much more protected than it really was, and who wished a rematch proper then and there. Knight was interrupted by Andrade, nonetheless, who additionally has beef with Nakamura, after which all of them have been interrupted by the New Bloodline, down two members and steaming from their WarGames defeat. I kinda dug Nakamura not instantly backing down and doing the factor the place blood or no matter comes out of his mouth earlier than finally leaving the ring, however the scene as an entire did not appear to have many concepts for the US title division post-Nakamura win past “Knight needs a rematch and likewise Andrade is right here I suppose?”

After the Bloodline had cleared the ring of the simply dispatched would-be US Champions, Solo Sikoa reduce one other fairly good promo; he is been doing that so much these days. But once more, it simply did not really feel like sufficient. Reigns wasn’t there, Punk wasn’t there, Paul Heyman wasn’t there; it was simply Solo and his depleted crew taking a couple of minutes to try to enhance their egos again up earlier than we bought to the tag staff motion. It wasn’t dangerous, it simply additionally wasn’t a lot. Even the ladies’s division felt just a little depleted this week within the absence of Nia Jax and Bayley, they usually have been ranging from a tough place already provided that the ladies’s WarGames match was totally bored with any of the “SmackDown” storylines.

This form of disconnect between the TV and the PLEs is among the issues that simply naturally will get exacerbated by five-match PLE playing cards, for the reason that angles that do not get PLE time have to be superior on TV. It would not all the time trouble me, however on this case it felt nearly like “SmackDown” was actively punishing any followers who had been drawn in by Survivor Series and change into invested in these particular characters.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

If you have been studying this column for the previous couple of weeks, you realize I’ve been advocating for a #DIY heel flip. Of course, there have been teases of yet one more flip between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, as Ciampa has been jealous of Gargano’s friendship with Motor City Machine Guns since their arrival. After Gargano mistakenly hit Ciampa within the No. 1 contender’s match and it will definitely value them the match, issues escalated. Ciampa has been erratic, and final week on “SmackDown,” he gave his associate an ultimatum: select the tag titles or MCMG.

On Friday’s present, the Street Profits have been lastly getting their title shot, however Adam Pearce was knowledgeable that Montez Ford had been taken out. Conveniently, Gargano was close by; he satisfied Pearce to allow them to have the match. During the bout, Ciampa continued to berate Gargano, slapping him within the chest to tag him in and demanding he take out Shelley. Eventually Gargano challenged his associate to “do one thing,” and because the two started exhibiting one another, it appeared Gargano was going to decide on MCMG. However, whereas the ref was distracted by Ciampa, Gargano low-blowed Sabin, permitting them to attach with Meeting within the Middle to get the win. The end result ends MCMG’s title reign at 43 days (not less than they bought a run that lasted longer than a moon cycle) and immediately cemented #DIY as heels.

As I’ve said earlier than, the story between #DIY, MCMG, and Street Profits wants #DIY to be the heels. The Street Profits have justified anger after being screwed out of a title shot a pair months in the past. They’ll be furious as soon as they notice that not solely did #DIY take their title shot, however then used that shot to change into champions. Obviously, MCMG are going to be mad about shedding their titles because of a low blow. Depending on how this all performs out (and what either side of The Bloodline are doing), we might find yourself with a triple menace match at WrestleMania.

“The Sicilian Psycho” is a wonderful heel, as we noticed in “NXT” when he turned on Gargano. Gargano, in distinction, wasn’t actually a plausible heel with The Way — he was too pure to be taken significantly. This time, he has Ciampa with him as an alternative of towards him.

Written by Samantha Schipman

I really feel like I have never been too important of WWE’s storytelling these days, however that ends with “SmackDown” tonight. While I ought to have recognized that Kevin Owens was going to indicate up on the finish since Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes was in the principle occasion, I had already began to dislike the truth that Owens and Rhodes hadn’t gone head-to-head to begin off the night time. That could be totally on me for being impatient, however I really feel like this story had been shedding numerous steam, and I hate that for each of those males, and I used to be already in a grumpy temper about it.

Instead of Owens popping out instantly to confront Rhodes, as he was booked for the present for a sit-down interview (that by no means really occurred) after weeks of not being allowed at “SmackDown,” we bought Chad Gable, who’s a “Raw” star. Gable mentioned he was there to speak to General Manager Nick Aldis in regards to the commerce portal and his contract, and got here out to problem Rhodes. At that time, having not heard something a couple of commerce/draft/no matter, I used to be already a bit irritated at a “Raw” star being on the blue model, particularly when he was mainly interrupting a narrative that wanted furthered forward of Saturday Night’s Main Event. Then Owens’ sit-down interview with Cole changed into an angle the place the “Prize Fighter” referred to as out the announcer to his automobile, however the social media promo Owens put out was way more fascinating than no matter went on with Cole when he really went exterior to search out Owens.

In probably the worst facet of this, nonetheless, it looks as if we’re getting a ridiculously related angle to what Rhodes and Owens have been doing forward of their match at Bash in Berlin. Then, Rhodes’ knee was kayfabe injured and he would not admit it, however Owens additionally wasn’t concentrating on it. This week, Rhodes’ ankle was injured by Gable, and Owens appeared following the match to additional beat down Rhodes. So whereas Owens is not less than going to focus on the harm this time, we’re nonetheless getting a match the place Rhodes goes in injured, but seemingly going to win anyway. Owens fortunately seems sturdy proper now, and I’m undecided how many individuals will keep in mind the Bash in Berlin angle, nevertheless it nonetheless appears fairly foolish to me. I do not assume Rhodes must be moving into to the match damage — once more — simply to return out wanting sturdy. Just give me ol’ customary slobberknocker between these two, with none of this humorous enterprise, and I’ll be completely happy.

Written by Daisy Ruth