The Age of Alexander

The Enzo Amore situation and the the rebirth of 205 Live under the reign of new onscreen GM Drake Maverick has proven to be one of the WWE's most fascinating bouts of creative tap dancing in recent memory. A show that was teetering on the edge of being irrelevant or even downright offensive to the diehard grappling fan, 205 Live was allowed one final hard restart when Enzo Amore's past legal troubles came back to haunt him and the show was forced to vacate the relatively new Cruiserweight title and refocus its creative energies.

The cries from fandom against what Amore had been doing on 205 Live were deafening. He took the place of any number of more deserving contenders, added to the head-scratching creative decisions that led Neville and Austen Aries to leave, and cheapened what was supposed to be the "pure wrestling" show with the same gimmicky arsenal that got him to Raw from NXT as part of a tag team with Big Cass. In September 2018, both Enzo and Big Cass turned out to be failed experiments as singles attractions and their roles within the WWE canon were quickly snapped up by more talented and well-rounded performers. Heck, if there's one area the 'E isn't hurting in these days, it's talent.

Enzo's disgraceful exit lead to a title reign that sort of inspired this new series of posts here on Work/Shoot, focusing on the current WWE titles and their relevancy. Cedric Alexander would be the next champ on the purple brand, and he would elevate every ship near the Cruiserweight shore like an undeniable tide. When he fist made his way up the card in 2016 and 2017, the main complaint against him as a title contender was his lack of personality and charisma. Awkward angles with Alicia Fox and Noam Dar didn't help endear him to the audience the way the bookers would have liked. By stripping the Total Divas plot-driven stuff away and focusing on his bell-to-bell abilities, he was able to get over in a Daniel Bryan kind of way. I wouldn't say Alexander has achieved that level of connection yet, but he's proven able to wake up a sleepy Smackdown taping crowd on more than one occasion. (Yeah, it sucks for the cruiserweights; that they have their matches buried so deep into an already bloated live show.) I tend to take note of that, especially since knowing how to work in tandem with one's place on the card seems to be a forgotten subject when evaluating or "reviewing" matches.

The stripping away of the chuffah seems to have worked in the eyes of 205 Live's management, since they've applied that technique to several other cruiserweights now and over the course of the last several months have been able to line up several strong challengers for Cedric's belt. Mustafa Ali, Hideo Itami, and Drew Gulak all feel like brand new characters, reviatlized by being allowed to just be wrestlers. The fueds and ensuing storylines on 205 Live now stem from issues of respect, honor, and competition. Buddy Murphy went from hanging around NXT waiting to work a dark match (I assume) to challenging for the title on 205 Live and finding a niche as the brand's "juggernaut", the typical cruiserweight heel who skirts just around the weight limit, the biggest fish in the pond. His title match with Cedric and his matches with Ali were instant classics, on par with anything on Ring of Honor or NXT.
 
The self-proclaimed Age of Alexander has been highlighted by a fighting champion, incredible workrate, and story lines that advance in the ring, as opposed to angles shot for social media or backstage shenanigans. 205 Live finally feels like the show it should have been from the beginning, and it's extremely fitting to have one of the workhorses who's been there since the show's debut after the Cruiserweight Classic way back in 2016 as the brand's champion. It gives me the same, weird indy fan catharsis that seeing Daniel Bryan and C.M. Punk climb to the top a few years ago did.
Unlike the ascension of Punk or Bryan though, I think Alexander has more credible opponents lined up and his spotlight isn't so large that the big guys in WWE will want to intrude. As thrilling as it has been to to see Alexander win the title and be the face of the show, it has been even more exciting to see him defend it against a string of credible challengers with varying styles in lengthy, physical matches. Buddy Murphy, Hideo Itami, and Drew Gulak all seem capable of taking the strap off of Alexander with little more than a well-placed submission, and each title match doesn't seem like a foregone conclusion. Sometimes Raw and Smackdown title matches are pretty poorly telegraphed as being an "Act 1" or "Act 2" of a larger story line meant to carry a fued from one tent pole pay-per-view to the next.

The future looks good for Cedric's reign and the Age of Alexander, however long it may last. A returning Noam Dar seems to be rebuilding his character, shedding the same soap opera antics that plagued the champ over a year ago. Lio Rush has impressed me personally as an obnoxious heel with lightning-fast trickster-style offense. Tony Neese and his current work-out buddy and previous title contender Buddy Murphy both seem poised to challenge Cedric on a purely competitive level and force yet another layer of character to emerge from the champion. Guest stars from NXT and the new UK brand have precedent to show up, so the title could even be a prop to build up someone like Mark Andrews or Flash Morgan Webster.

As far as being well-booked, I'd have to put the Cruiserweight title up with the NXT Women's Title and the WWE World Title as one of the best. It's a silly purple belt that doesn't really call to mind the era of rasslin' the talent of 205 Live are trying to evoke, but it matters to performers, it matters to the bookers and writers, and in time it will matter to the fans if they keep things consistent.

Sanity, survival, and superkicks - WWE stuff for the week of 10/13/16

Photo crafted by J Gaming on Youtube

Another week of fine WWE programming has come and gone, beginning with the No Mercy PPV on Sunday and ending with last night's NXT. (Apologies to the hard working men and women of Superstars and Main Event, but a man can only watch so much!) Dolph Ziggler put his career on the line against The Miz, Paul Heyman called out Goldberg on behalf of Brock Lesnar, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic raged on, and the King of Strong Style returned to get his revenge on Samoa Joe. Here's my obligatory two cents on a few of this week's stand-out moments and matches:

No Mercy was an odd PPV. Medical complications kept Smackdown Women's champ Becky Lynch from defending her title, and the card seemed to be shuffled around at the last minute because of this. In a ballsy move, the triple threat title match between WWE champ AJ Styles, John Cena, and Dean Ambrose went on first, kicking off the show with a bang. This was a solid match that built to a bit of an awkward finish. Two of the clunkier spots stick out in my mind-- 1) When all three men bounded off the ropes and tried to clothesline each other, it came across as one of the softest bumps I'd ever seen. I wonder if it's that new camera angle they've been using suring the brand split? It makes some moves look very strange, especially since I'm used to seeing the same three or four camera angles for most of my wrestling watching life. It's great that they're trying new things from a production standpoint, but that new "over the turnbuckle" cam really exposes some moves. 2) The double submission spot, with both Cena and Ambrose applying holds to Styles may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but looking back at the match a few days later, I don't think it was really necessary. Aside from those two fumbles, it was a good match and the right guy won in Styles.

As happy as I was to see Luke Harper return during the main event between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton, the match itself didn't seem to generate much hype. Since they had a non-starter at Backlash, perhaps the creative team felt this would be a hotly anticipated match, but it just didn't deliver, at least as a big main event. (I've had my reservations about this feud since it started, see my earlier posts about Smackdown for more . . .) The far superior Ziggler/Miz match probably should have gone on last, especially since the stakes were much higher and the build over the last few weeks has been great. Miz equating Ziggler to Daniel Bryan in his promos was a great heel move, and Ziggler's passionate promos never really felt corny or forced. His real-life frustrations seemed to be showing through his mic work. The match itself saw Ziggler sell his ass off, especially while locked in The Miz's Figure Four submission. (Woooo!) Ziggler won the match, saved his career, and put on what could easily have been a great main event.

The involvement of Ziggler's former teammates from the Spirit Squad bled into this week's Smackdown, culminating in a handicap match where Ziggler got to look strong. He's a fighting champ. Where does this leave Miz? Perhaps he could take on another "internet darling" in AJ Styles while Cena and Ambrose branch off into their own feud? Other Smackdown highlights include the return of everyone's favorite jobber James Ellsworth and the announcement of a Smackdown vs. Raw 5 on 5 Survivor Series match. (I love 5 on 5 elimination matches and the roster is so stacked right now I can't wait to see what both brands cook up for teams, should be fun.)

Oh yeah, there's that other show too . . . Monday Night Raw. The Kevin Owens Show continued this week with a triple threat between Owens, Rollins, and Jericho being teased. The Owens/Jericho tandem is so good, I don't want the split to happen yet, but something tells me K.O. is going to get . . . . . "it" sooner than later. Raw's next big show is Hell In A Cell, hitting at the end of the month, and then I *assume* both brands are going to merge for Survivor Series, since that's traditionally been considered one of the "big four" PPVs, along with Mania, the Rumble, and Summerslam. Charlotte and Sasha blowing off their feud in a Cell match is an exciting prospect, but it bugs me from a storyline perspective to see Foley encouraging it. Of all people, he should be cautioning against them having a Cell match, since it took years off his life. But hey, the ladies main evented Raw the previous week and they'll have a Hell in a Cell match soon, so at least they're making history.

Other Raw highlights include the massive Braun Strowman using a dropkick (!) and Brian Kendrick on commentary during TJ Perkins' match.

Finally, NXT was a lot of fun this week, with Eric Young's new stable, "Sanity", debuting and beating up on poor Mr. Ten Tye Dillinger after Bobby Roode left him to rot. This bit surprised me, as I thought the "Glorious Ten" team would stick for at leasta  few matches before the inevitable betrayal. Roode's backstage comments and cowardice cemented him as my heel of the week, denying any wrong-doing and trying to hide his own fearful response to Sanity's appearance. TM-61 also advanced in the tournament after knocking off a team of newbies. One of the new guys, former NFL player Tino Sabbatelli, really impressed me with his demeanor and offense. Nothing mind-blowing, just great working punches and stiff shoulder blocks. Caught me by surprise.

Back to Sanity for a sec: this stable could kick some serious ass. You have E.Y. in the lead role, two brutes whose names I don't remember as their tag team representatives and the brutish Nikki Cross as their female member. They've got a rep in each division of NXT and I'm all for seeing a faction like thise take over the show for a while, as long as they can get it done in the ring.

Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy (remember these guys?) tried to settle their differences in the ring, only to be interrupted by Samoa Joe, who continued his crusade to attack anyone he feels like until William Regal caves in to his demands. Instead of the NXT General Manager, he got the champ himself, Shinsuke Nakamura. This was a fun brawl, even if the "security guards" were a tad awkward. Shades of Steve Austin when Nakamura started taking out security, by the way. The crowd popped hard for that. Their next match will surely be a barn-burner (duh), but I'm anxious to see where we go from here. Will Joe be moved up to the main roster in time for the Rumble or Mania? Will Shinsuke have Roode, Young, or even a recently turned Andrade Almas as challengers? I wonder who he'll face next, honestly. They aren't in quite as dire straights as the NXT Women's divison though. Asuka has almost no one to really grapple with, aside from Ember Moon. (Yeah, I don't see her dropping the title to Billie Kay or Peyton Royce anytime soon.)

What do you see in NXT's future? Let me know in the comments or hunt me down on Twitter (@ChrisBComics). Thanks for reading!

No debate here - Raw and Smackdown delivered the goods this week

Raw and Smackdown have wrapped for the week. I'm not going to go segment by segment this week, but here are some highlights from both shows:

Raw was up against the Presidential Debate, so the show had a strange pace to it. Two big rematches from the previous night's Clash of Champions took place at the start of the show. Roman Reigns and Rusev fought over the US title again to start. Snore. Their match in Corpus from a month or so ago was great, but every subsequent segment between the two has floundered. This match in particular was a very plodding power vs. power match that lacked anything truly interesting. And I think this feud will continue . . . yeesh.

The New Day scored another win over Gallows and Anderson on their 400th day as tag champs. This was a step up from their match at Clash, and was given a little more time as well. (Man, I'd be a tad peeved at these PPV rematches if the WWE Network wasn't such a good value. But if I was paying old PPV prices, I'd be very turned off.)

Bolstering the Raw tag division was the addition of a new team: Sheamus and Cesaro. I like the idea of these two developing as a begrudging duo if the creative team has a long term plan. I don't think it quite makes up for the non-ending to their Best of Seven series, however. Still, the booking here is keeping me on my toes and I expect (based on fan reaction) they'll be the ones to dethrone New Day. File this one under "We'll see what happens next."

Cruiserweight champ T.J. Perkins took on Tony Nese in a ten minute match. Nese is pretty good and he's walking proof that not every Cruiserweight needs to be a circus acrobat. I'd like to see more of him in the future or even as a mid-boss kind of guy on NXT or something. Perkins and Brian Kendrick also exchanged words backstage, and T.J. promised to pay him back for the headbutt he received the previous night following their title match. Perkins will face Kendrick at least one more time and it'll be awesome, count on it! 

Seth Rollins will be nursing some bruised ribs for a few weeks at least, so Chris Jericho and Universal champ Kevin Owens resumed their placeholder feud with Enzo Amore and Big Cass. I'm cool with this - it moves them up on the card temporarily and they get to work with two of the best in the business, which can do nothing but good things for their development as wrestlers. Enzo and Cass are both solid on the mic and Enzo plays a great babyface-in-peril, but they're going to need a few more arrows in their quiver if they're going to make it long-term. If you're in the ring with Y2J and K.O., you can't help but pick up a few tricks. We all know the betrayal from Jericho is coming, which will probably lead to a triple threat, it's just a matter of when . . .

On Smackdown, the Miz continued to be one of, if not the, best heels in the company right now, gloating about his accomplishments in a "homecoming" segment since Smackdown was in Cleveland this week. Dolph Ziggler interrupted him and after a pretty great exchange of promos from both men, put his career on the line for another shot at Miz's title. That's right, at No Mercy, Miz and Ziggler will go one on one in a title vs. career match. I expect Dolph to finally cinch this one out, but even if he loses, don't fret. I lost count of all the times John Cena was "fired" in various storylines over the years. 

Bray Wyatt led Randy Orton on a sheep masked-themed wild goose chase for the extent of Smackdown. This was a pretty goofy series of backstage skits, but I think a younger me (who was a HUGE Undertaker mark) would have eaten them up. I'm not sure if I've warmed to this feud yet, and their non-starter at Backlash was a pretty "meh" affair. At least Eric Rowan got to do something this week.

The main event saw Dean Ambrose get his rematch against A.J. Styles for the WWE title. This was a fantastic match with John Cena at ringside providing commentary and getting involved a bit at the end. "Big Match" John is looking to win his 16th world title, and following the match (in which Styles won) he stood tall, nailing both Ambrose and Styles with an Attitude Adjustment. The three men will meet in a triple threat at Smackdown's next exclusive event, No Mercy. I'd have to review both Styles/Ambrose matches again to be sure, but I think this one fell just short of their encounter at Backlash, although from the crowd's reaction throughout, you can tell there was some continuity. I like when subsequent matches between performers build up over time. Tanahashi and Okada did that very well in New Japan at Wrestle Kingdom 9 and 10.

I gotta mention NJPW once per post, I just gotta.

Those were the stand-out bits for me. What jumped out at you from WWE this week? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @ChrisBComics. Thanks for reading!

You got a friend in me - WWE Clash of Champions results and nitpicking

Raw's first brand-exclusive PPV/special, Clash of Champions, took place last night in Indianapolis. Here's a brief recap and some fanboy nitpicking to start your week!

Big E and Kofi Kingston started the show, defending their tag titles against the former Bullet Clubbers, Gallows and Anderson. This match was fast-paced and a had a few good character moments from members of both teams, but was too short to stand out as anything substantial. The takeaway here for me was how dominant Gallows looked. He seemed to tap into his New Japan self for a bit there. Woods clocked Anderson with the trombone, paving the way for Big E and Kofi's team finisher. The New Day retained, and as of last night, passed the 400 day mark as champions. This was a "meh" match that continued what has been (surprisingly) a "meh" feud.

Next, cruiserweight champion T.J. Perkins faced Brian Kendrick. I'm glad Kendrick got called up to the Raw roster and it's fitting to see him as the first challenger for Perkins' title, as his story on the CWC was one of the most endearing, even though he played the villain role in most of his matches. This was a ten minute match with the usual impressive feats from both men, although they seemed to have slowed down a notch from their CWC performances. This doesn't surprise me, as being on the road and working a much harder schedule means those cruiserweight barn burners we saw on the CWC will be a rarity. Kendrick tapped out to a knee bar submission, and Perkins' reign as the top dog in the cruiserweight division continues. Kendrick kept it classy by headbutting Perkins during the post-match interview. Salty.

The Best of Seven series between Cesaro and Sheamus reached a conclusion in match seven. Well, sort of . . . Both men battered one another so severely that the match resulted in a double count-out. This one got a little more time than the first two matches, and I really like how the wear and tear on both men has been emphasized during the series, resulting in a very stiff, desperate conclusion here that reeked Japanese strong style. Cesaro nearly killed himself during the match performing a Tope Suicida through the ropes to Sheamus at ringside. He landed on his head and it looked pretty nasty. This series has been up and down, but the non-ending here is a real disappointment. As good ol' J.R. likes to say on his podcast, "Fifty/fifty booking isn't gonna help anybody." This could have been a special match, but the ending nuked that.

A grudge match between Sami Zayn and Chris Jericho was the next encounter. Another fifteen minute affair with some really great action from two of WWE's best wrestlers. Sami's swinging DDT through the ropes move didn't connect as smoothly as it usually does, but other than that, these two seem to have great chemistry in the ring. Jericho won the match with a Codebreaker to the back of Zayn, which he surprisingly did not kick out of. Both of these men are waiting in the wings for K.O. to dismiss Rollins. Zayn is his eternal rival and Jericho has the built-in storyline of turning on his "best friend" Owens. Good but not great match last night, but great stuff in the future from both men, I'm sure.

Charlotte defended the Raw Women's Championship against both Bayley and Sasha in the next match. This match went for what felt like about 12-15 minutes as well, and was as great as you'd expect, given who was involved. After being booked to look very strong since her debut, Bayley ends up getting beaten by a simple kick. Something about that felt off to me. Good drama throughout the match with Dana Brooke intervening on Charlotte's behalf as least once and the champ managing the ring well by constantly keeping one of her two opponents out on the floor. Charlotte retained. Good match, but I feel like I got my fill of these particular match-ups on NXT. For viewers who didn't see NXT, this must be pretty thrilling, but by this point I feel like I'm watching all of 2014's best on a 2016 Raw stage.

U.S. Champ Rusev and his opponent Roman Reigns had the crowd restless during their match, resulting in more than one baffling "CM Punk" chant. This was an okay match, but their main event from Raw a month ago was much more exciting. I'm thankful for this feud only because it's kept Roman out of the main event scene for a bit and hopefully will continue to do so. That sounds harsh, but it's only because I'd like Roman to simmer in the undercard for a while; maybe build up a win streak like Goldberg or find something organic about his persona that catches on with people. They want him to be The Rock, but right now he's still Rocky Maivia. Roman won. Rusev was mad. Lana was mad. This felt like the longest match so far.

A commercial aired for Hell In A Cell, which will be the next Raw exclusive special. I wonder if Smackdown will get TLC?

And finally, the main event! Seth Rollins tried to take the Universal title from Kevin Owens in what would have been a really great match, if not for some clumsy interference and overbooking toward the end. They won the crowd over with some high spots and Jericho's intervention set the stage for a triple threat match down the line. Jericho hampered Rollins, resulting in K.O. nailing a Pop-Up Powerbomb to retain the title. Seth seems to be getting over as a babyface, which is good. K.O. continues to be a chameleon that can play any role given, which is outstanding. And now Jericho is involved. The brief bit of action between the three of them at the end has me thinking this will make a good three way match for either a Raw main event or Hell in a Cell.

If I did number grades for show reviews, this would be a solid 6/10. There was some great action here, a very concise card, and the right people went over (except Jericho, but hey). The issues here are the non-ending to the Sheamus/Cesaro match and the decision to have both major title matches end with outside interference. It was a slightly overbooked transitional show, and I feel like the 'E is holding their cards for later shows like Hell in a Cell. Or maybe they plan to save some special moments for Raw, as football season heats up. Anyhoo, thanks for reading. Follow me on Twitter @ChrisBComics for more blog posts and whatnot.

Fast forward to the end - Catching up with a week's worth of WWE

It was quite a week for WWE programming. We saw the crowning of a cruiserweight champion, the announcement of a triple threat match for AJ's title on Smackdown, and a certain Bulgarian Brute returning to (literally) kick Roman Reigns out of the main event. Due to a work-related injury to my right hand, I wasn't able to chronicle things as they occurred this week, so today I'm playing catch up.

The Kevin Owens show chugged along on Raw, with the challenger Seth Rollins getting physical with his opponent before their inevitable match at Clash of Champions, which will be the Raw brand's first exclusive special. I think Rollins as a babyface is working well enough, and if anyone can draw some heat, it's K.O. Meanwhile, the New Day/Gallows and Anderson tag title feud dragged on and Rusev returned from his honeymoon to knock Roman Reigns down a peg. This is good: keep Roman at the U.S. title level for a while and rebuild his character during the fall so he can move up in time for mania next spring. Nia Jax and Bo Dallas continued to dominate in their roles as well, with the latter utilizing a new finisher and bringing a harder edge to his character.

Charlotte's relationship with her "student" Dana Brooke crumbled last Monday night as well. I don't know if Dana being on her own is going to help or hurt her, and I still think she needs a little more seasoning on NXT. (Also, the NXT women's roster needs all the help it can get right now. Asuka alone does not a good division make.)

Smackdown saw the continued evolution of the Usos as heels, as well as the next chapter in the Ziggler/Miz feud. The tag division on this show is very strong, but the midcard/IC title-level stuff is hurting. Baron Corbin is waiting in the wings, Jack Swagger is there, and Apollo Crews is catching on the way I imagine they thought he would.

John Cena made his return and showed the usual fire in his promo exchange with the new WWE champion AJ Styles. Not to be outdone, Dean Ambrose inserted himself, which led to Cena ripping on him as well. These three men have no love for one another and their triple threat match at No Mercy could blow the roof off the place. Both Cena vs. Styles and Ambrose vs. Styles were great matches, so I'm banking on a combination of the two resulting in something even better. Great main events on both brands.

Alexa Bliss became Becky Lynch's first challenger after slithering her way to a victory in a five woman #1 contender match. This is light work for Lynch; a placeholder opponent until the next challenger (Carmella) finishes her current feud. Like I said last week, I think Becky being away from Charlotte, Sasha, and Bayley is helping her character shine similar to Dean Ambrose being away from his former Shield brethren. Bliss is a work in progress, but after watching her on Talking Smack, I think there's potential for her to play a great opportunistic heel. It's going to take time though . . .

NXT wasn't half bad this week. Samoa Joe challenged Shinsuke Nakamura to a rematch, then attacked him in as brutal a fashion as possible without any bloodletting. As good as their first encounter was, it felt like the first match of a series, with both men holding just a little back. Shinsuke's probable next opponent, the equally flamboyant Bobby Roode, scored a decisive win over Andrade "Cien" Almas in the main event, cementing himself as the next man to watch in NXT's main event scene. His GLORIOUS theme music has been stuck in my head for several days. The music department at WWE deserves major kudos for that piece.

The best thing to happen this week was the conclusion of the CWC. This two hour special saw the final four men finish out the bracket to crown the inaugural Cruiserweight champion, as well as a tag match to keep the crowd warm and give the finalists a chance to rest for a few minutes. Maybe it's the I've we've been following this tournament week in and week out for the last couple of monthes, or maybe it's the alternative look of the program, but this felt more important than Backlash last Sunday or even the recent SummerSlam show. There were no harsh words or corny storylines here, just great in-ring action by some of the most diverse group of competitors on the planet.

The results of the CWC also surprised me, as I was sure either Zack Sabre Jr. or Kota Ibushi would be taking the title to Raw next Monday. ZSJ was eliminated by Gran Metalik in a fun encounter, but the match of the night had to go to Ibushi and TJ Perkins. The slow burn of this match, with Perkins blocking Ibushi's kicks and both men wrestling like they've been watching a lot of tape, was an example of how the matches near the end of a tournament bracket should go. I'd easily put this semifinal match in my top three next Dean Ambrose vs. Triple H from Roadbloack and Shinsuke vs. Sami Zayn from two Takeovers ago.

The finals saw Gran Metalik and TJ Perkins put on quite a show, but that Ibushi match overshadowed it for me. Perkins won the match, the tourney, and the title, to close out the show. (The title belt design needs a little work IMO, but hey.) This has been my favorite weekly wrestling show for it's entire run, eclipsing even NXT. The real test will be seeing how the cruiserweights are handled on Raw going forward. I don't want to see them fed to Rusev or Sheamus. I'd like them to stay within their own division, at least for a little while. Anyhoo, it was a great week of wrestling and this is the first year in a while I think the 'E could have a serious shot at taking on the NFL for ratings, as along as they remember what made NXT and the CWC so successful and apply that to their two main shows.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) and be on the lookout for other content generated by yours truly, including my comic book blog, Back Issue Diving!

The new face that runs the place - Styles triumphs at WWE Backlash

WWE Backlash was not only the first Smackdown exclusive special following the brand split, but it also saw one of the two main shows adopt the NXT philosophy of "a smaller card is a better card". Despite Randy Orton not being able to compete against Bray Wyatt, the show delivered on all of its promised matches and set things up for the fall season quite nicely I'd say. Let's break it all down and see where the roster stands after last night's show.

Baron Corbin defeated Apollo Crews on the pre-show. This makes sense, since Corbin is on the rise as a monster heel destined to blow through Kane on his way to Ambrose, while Crews is in a rut right now, waiting for that right little something to kick-start his character. I'm not sure what they should do with Crews at this point, since there are two many active heels right now to turn him and he's already exhausted his feud with The Miz. More intensity, more something.

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon opened the main show, hyping up the crowd and boasting about Smackdown's new titles and big match-ups. This wasn't really necessary, but it didn't drag on for too long either.

Becky Lynch, Natalya, Nicki Bella, Alexa Bliss, Naomi, and Carmella competed in an elimination style match for the new Smackdown Women's Championship. Putting this match on so early in the show kinda bugged me, especially since they did the same thing at SummerSlam, but once the action got going, I forgot all about it. There were okay entrances for the ladies, with Naomi's dazzling glow in the dark look being my favorite. Alexa Bliss went for what I think was a Harley Quinn look, but didn't commit enough to the cosplay to pull it off. While the action was a little awkward at times (which is often the case in any match with more than three people), each woman settled into a role and found a part to play. Alexa was the opportunist, Becky was the underdog hero, Natalya was the physically dominant heel, Naomi was the show stealer, Nicki Bella was the expected winner a la John Cena, and Carmella was the aggressive heel. The match came down to Becky and Carmella, the latter of whom tapped to Lynch's Disarmer submission. It's a good move to have Becky be the first Smackdown champ, and she's also the last one of NXT's "Four Horsewomen" to finally hold a title. Cool match.

Backstage, we saw Bray Wyatt attack Randy Orton. He slammed a door onto his leg several times. Nice character move for Wyatt, tough break for Orton.

The Usos changed their manner of dress and demeanor to fit their new heel personas. Their match against the Hype Bros. to advance in the tag title tournament saw then unveil a harder edged style, with slightly less acrobatics and more targeted offense. They haven't gone full "Revival" mode yet, but they did seem to stick to the mat a little more in this match. They beat the Hype Bros. to advance in a pretty good match. Mojo and Ryder have been a fun team on NXT and Smackdown, but I don't see this particular tandem (or at least this version of it) being champs anytime soon. They're babyface gatekeepers for any heel team on the climb.

The Miz and Dolph Ziggler had a great match for Miz's IC title. Miz might've taken some of Daniel Bryan's words to heart as he showed a little more recklessness than usual and even did some things I don't think I've ever seen him do. Ziggler was his usual badass self. Miz's wife Maryse nailed Ziggler with what looked like pepper spray, allowing Miz to finish off the challenger with a Skull-Crushing Finale and retain his title. Great mid-card match and I hope Miz keeps that belt for a looong time.

Bray Wyatt made his entrance for his match against Orton next. Ring announcer Greg Hamilton informed us that Orton would not be able to compete, but Wyatt would have to face Kane in a No Holds Barred match instead. I saw this whole segment as WWE trying to make the most of a lousy situation. The crowd wasn't wild about it, either. (Orton probably sells a lot of tickets, so him not wrestling no doubt irked more than a few fans.) Kane and Wyatt made good use of the no holds barred stipulation, battling all around the ring anf even bringing a chair into play for a sec. Orton did a run in (well, more of a hobble really) and surprised Wyatt with an RKO, allowing Kane to put Wyatt away. It sucks Wyatt had to lose to Kane, but they did announce him as the winner of the Orton match by forfeit, so there's always that, right?

The tag title tournament finals went down next, with Heath Slater and Rhyno taking on the Usos, who advanced earlier in the night. This was a showcase match for Slater in particular, and he proved his ability to draw sympathy from the crowd. There was actually a legit pop late in the match when Slater tagged himself in once Rhyno's own power meter had been depleted. I kept expecting American Alpha to run in and interfere with the Usos, but it never happened. This is good, because with all the interference in the IC title match and the previous Wyatt match, it would've seemed a bit much to have another match settled due to outside interference. Slater and Rhyno triumphed and celebrated int the ring together. Man, the rise of Heath Slater might be the best wrestling story line of 2016 once its all said and done.

The main event WWE title match between AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose was nothing short of incredible. We all know AJ is a monster in the ring by now, but Dean really seems to turn it up a notch for some of his title matches. This reminded me of his match against Triple H at Roadblock earlier in the year. Styles busted out some of his New Japan arsenal, giving the paying fans a little something extra for their coinage. Dean employed his usual bag of tricks, but really carried the acting side of things. While Ambrose might not be the technical wunderkind that Styles is, he has the face of a champion and can be really compelling in long, physical matches. Continuing the theme of nut shots, Styles nailed Dean with a sneaky low blow, allowing him to hit the Styles Clash and win the title. I thought for sure Dean would walk away champ from this one, and I was wrong. I like both guys so I'm okay with the outcome. I also liked how they teased the Styles Clash several times during the match and built to it. That reminds me of AJ's time in New Japan, where the Clash was considered a near-lethal move and put several wrestlers on the shelf (kayfabe). Protecting finishing moves is one area I wish the WWE would improve on.

This was a good show, aside from Orton not getting to wrestle. I would've put the women's title match on later, but in retrospect, it was a really good opener. The small card and the longer matches made this feel like an NXT special, which is perfect. Less filler, more wrestling, matches that matter; these are the things that will help both "brands" build a more trusting, enthralled fan base.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @ChrisBComics, where I plug all of my other stuff like Back Issue Diving and occasionally make a funny.

Smackdown flies solo - looking forward to Backlash

Tomorrow night, the first benchmark of WWE's New Era will be reached when Smackdown has its first brand-exclusive special on the WWE Network. (Or on pay-per-view. I guess maybe some people are still doing that.) It will be interesting to see if they take the NXT route and focus on the six listed matches or if they plan to pad out the show with additional segments or surprise matches. Maybe Baron Corbin could have another match with Kalisto or have his first run-in with Kane?

Last month's challenger Dolph Ziggler gets a shot at Miz's intercontinental title. Personally, I think Miz will be keeping that belt for a while longer, especially with the added heat he has after his savage interview on Talking Smack a few Tuesdays ago. Ziggler is striving for relevancy here, even though he has been on fire lately. The KFC stuff and the weak title match at SummerSlam hasn't done him any favors. He's already wrestled Corbin a few times and there's nothing between him and Apollo Crews, so there isn't much of a place for him to land on Smackdown. Meanwhile, Miz is a greet heel right now and Maryse makes him the full villain package. Let him cheat and scheme his way to a long title run, a la Honky Tonk Man.

Randy Orton takes on Bray Wyatt in a match that has had a so-so build thus far. Like I said on my Smackdown review the other day, I'd like to see how Orton's rematch against Lesnar plays into this feud before I can really call it interesting; there's been nothing but the usual posturing and gimmicky threats so far. If they carry this into the fall and up to Hell in a Cell or something, I imagine they're holding back the physical stuff for later. This isn't the normal formula, but I think Orton should get the first win here and spark something in Wyatt. (Also, what happened to Eric Rowan?)

The Usos big heel turn and their attack on Chad Gable Tuesday has resulted in a semi-final match against the Hype Bros. in the Smackdown tag title tournament. I think if the tourney comes down to the Hype Bros. vs. Heath Slater and Rhyno in the finals then things will really fizzle out, so I think the Usos will beat Ryder and Mojo pretty soundly. Maybe Jordon (or Gable if he's done selling his leg) will intervene during the finals of the tournament. Slater and Rhyno as tag champs while their potential challengers are busy sabotaging each other could be a fun story, but the Usos will most likely win, resulting in either a heel turn by Slater or Rhyno, or a follow up match on Smackdown where they have to fight for their contract in a rematch. I dunno, there's a few ways they could go and they all seem fresh compared to the New Day/Gallows and Anderson stuff on Raw.

Six women will compete for the new Smackdown Women's title at Backlash, and out of the pack, Becky Lynch or Natalya have the momentum to become the inaugural champion. Nikki Bella is helping get Carmella over right now, and Naomi and Alexa Bliss aren't quite there yet. Lynch and Natalya can resume their current feud as a title feud to give this new belt a kick in the pants. Lynch is a fan favorite on the rise who can finally shine since Charlotte, Sasha, and Bayley are all on Raw. I guess she's in a similar situation to Dean Ambrose, who is now a show away from Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

Speaking of Dean . . .

Ambrose will take on AJ Styles for the WWE title in the first main event of the first Smackdown brand special. Styles is the best performer in the company right now and the only flaw to his character is that the fans love him too much to hate him, no matter how much he flaunts about his victory over Cena. Much like Ziggler, AJ is a challenger for Dean that will force him to keep up. The build to this match has been an exchange of solid promos and nut shots, but the potential for this to be a great match is much higher than if it'd been on the SummerSlam card. This is also why I'm in favor of keeping the card small--this match could be a barn burner if they let it breathe. I'm expecting Ambrose to retain and for this feud to continue.

Just some quick predictions for Sunday's show as I'm looking forward to it quite a bit. Who do you think is going over? Let me know on Twitter @ChrisBComics. Thanks for reading!