"Ow, my balls!" - A touch of Idiocracy on Smackdown Live

After a humdinger edition of Monday Night Raw, Smackdown came out of their corner swingin' with a couple of fun Dean Ambrose/AJ Styles confrontation, some new feuds teased, and the continuation of the Smackdown tag title tournament.

First off, the women's divison on Smackdown is starting to define itself through some great character tweaks. Naomi's new look and entrance is very "fire", as the kids say, and hopefully that will help her stand out from the pack. Also, I just like glow in the dark stuff. Carmella's heel turn seems to be working, as picking on Nicki Bella week after week is slowing turning her into a heat magnet. They have an uphill battle ahead of them, with fan favorites like Bayley and Sasha Banks on Raw, but protraying these women as fierce competitors rather than eye candy is a good start. I'll admit I was worried the Smackdown divison was going to be the more "Total Divas" of the two, but there's some good rasslin' in there bah gawd.

Ziggler called out Miz while he continued his ranting that started on last week's headline-worthy edition of Talking Smack. Miz played his part perfectly, portraying the hypocritical heel while I *think* people still want to love Ziggler after his brief title feud with Dean. The Dean/Ziggler match never lived up to the build, but this is a good spot for him right now since Miz talking trash about the beloved Daniel Bryan makes him a hated man in the eyes of fans, and Ziggler's style represents the opposite of the "cowardly" style Miz has been accused of employing.

A little bit of 90's Attitude entered the tag title tourney this week in the form of the returning Headbangers. This is a tag team I'd forgotten about almost completely, but once they got in the ring and mixed it up with Slater and Rhyno, I was immediately transported back to the good old days, when all I had to worry about was a spelling test and whether daddy would come home drunk or not. Slater and Rhyno went over (as they should) and Heath's quest to earn a Smackdown contract continues. I said it last week, but I like what they're doing with Slater.

Apollo Crews challenged AJ Styles and came up short after a backstage confrontation. Crews is wasted potential at this point and I think he'd be better served by a character change, as his smiling babyface persona lacks intensity and he's building a losing streak. The point of all this is really just to put over the fact that AJ Styles wants to remind us every chance he can get that he sent John Cena packing at SummerSlam a la Paul Heyman when Brock broke The Undertaker's streak. I like the story, but the crowd loves AJ too much to ever boo him, as least for the time being.

Kane beat a jobber calling himself The Milkman. I'm loving the use of jobbers on both shows; that's another throwback and it's better than burying guys on your regular roster. He had a little staredown with Baron Corbin as they crossed paths on the ramp. They did pretty much the exact same thing with Corbin while he was on NXT. He likes to hit his music before the other guys have cleared the arena. Expect alpha male shenanigans to ensue.

Corbin's match with the champ Dean Ambrose was a timid affair compared to Raw's main event last night, but both guys put in some work. Styles was at ringside for this match and his attempted interference at the end concluded with him getting crotched and Dean mocking him with a handshake. It was a funny ending to a so-so match. I think these two are going to knock it out of the park when they finally meet, but for now everything they do is going to rest in the shadow of Owens surprise victory on monday.

In conclusion . . .

Smackdown tried valiantly, but I'd say Raw put on the better show this week with that huge four way main event and the surprise turn with Hunter and K.O. at the end. Still, both brands are doing things that make me happy as a viewer and the emphasis on both brands has been on WRESTLING. It's a good time to be a fan and a hard time to be a hater.

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The dust settles . . .

SummerSlam was a baffling bit of wrestling programming. There were a couple of solid matches, a couple of truly great matches, and few segments that left me scratching my head. While I won't go into every occurrence from Sunday here, there are a few things I have to comment on.

First, the good. The tag team opener between Enzo & Cass and Jeri-K.O. (Love that team name) was a great bout, even if I don't think the heels really needed the win here. I think both Jericho and Owens are performers who can "bounce back" from any number of losses. The AJ Styles/John Cena match was incredible, with the Doctor of Thugganomics throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the Phenomenal One, only to come up short and ultimately lose clean, establishing the Smackdown brand's newest star. Same for the Balor/Rollins match. Strange new title belt aside, this was a fantastic display of wrestling featuring two guys the audience isn't burnt out on yet. (It also makes Finn's injury all the more deflating.)

There were a couple of matches that were pretty good, but fell into a strange place on the card. The Women's title match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks was as good as any of their NXT encounters, with the right woman coming out on top and a hot crowd behind it. It troubles me this match went on second, however, as this is supposed to be one of the most important belts the 'E has and there was a far inferior six woman tag match later on. (Yeah I know it was intended to be a "cool down" match, but Charlotte and Banks should not have gone on so early. Give them some prestige, for shucks sake.)

Roman and Rusev's encounter was more of an angle than a match. This and the Women's title match probably should have switched places. I like what they're doing with Roman and the US Title feud in general, but it shouldn't have gone on right before the main event.

And the main event between Orton and Lesnar . . . whoa. I didn't expect things to go quite that way. On one hand, I like Brock looking like a monster and having him attack Shane is a nice way to get him off of television for a bit, but on the other I feel like the bloody finish to the match sucked the air out of the building, and not in the hype-generating way his defeating The Undertaker in 2014 did. Brock's Suplex City gimmick is wearing thin, and I'm not sure what Orton is getting out of this other than a little babyface sympathy. It was an odd last match, and for whatever reason not as effective as Brock's previous SummerSlam massacre (John Cena).

It was an oddly paced show with some great wrestling. Shuffle the card around a bit and it could have been great. As for Raw . . .

Finn's injury forced their hand creatively, and the Raw brand responded with something rather predictable: a series of match designed to set up a fatal four way match for the Universal Title next week. Finn's speech was stirring, but knowing he'll be back in time for next year's Wrestlemania helped me keep my emotions in check. The crowd was chanting "You deserve it!" and rightfully so.

The four men who ended up winning their qualifying matches by the end of Monday night were Rollins, Owens, Big Cass, and Reigns. Unless they have a big ol' swerve planned for next Monday, the outcome for this isn't hard to predict. Both Owens and Big Cass have partners that will interfere on their behalves, a situation of two interested parties cancelling each other out. I fully expect Rusev to stomp down to the ring and take Roman out for the night, seeing as their feud is just starting to gain some steam. That leaves Seth Rollins in a very Edge-like role where he can pick the scraps and steal away with the title.

I'm fine with Rollins resuming his title reign, but the thought of Roman being bumped back up to feud with him again so soon bores me. I'd like to see Sami Zayn or even Big Cass in the number one contender spot. Zayn will add instant gravitas to their matches with his unmatched charm, not to mention the matches will be spectacular. Big Cass and Enzo are probably the two other biggest babyfaces right now, so I don't see the harm in penciling them in for a month or two. The matches won't be as strong as Rollins/Zayn would, but the promos would be pure fire.

Overall, it was a great weekend of wrestling, anchored by NXT Takeover (no surprise there) and the rise of several key new talents who are rapidly proving (to me, at least) that this really is a "new era". Thanks for reading! And you can hit me up on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com) for more rasslin' chatter.

Well, ain't that a kick in the teeth: Smackdown hits Austin, Tx

Raw was a pretty good show this week. Let's see if the blue brand can keep up the pace.

Heath Slater is working double duty again this week, getting up in Randy Orton's grill just like he did with Lesnar the previous night. I like what they're doing with Slater here. I hope it goes somewhere. The poor guy has suffered through some ridiculous angles during his time with the 'E. I'd like to see him get his shot at a midcard title. He's funnier as a lone wolf than as ringleader of a group like 3MB or the Social Outcasts.

Dolph Ziggler made my night with that Super Kick OUTTA NOWHERE on Dean Ambrose during the MizTV segment. He's showing a lot of fire in this feud and Dean might have bitten off more than he can chew when it comes to going move for move with Mr. Ziggles. Also, Miz's role on Smackdown with Maryse by his side parallels what they're doing with Rusev and Lana on Raw. Midcard champs with sexy valets are back!

Apollo Creed came out to spoil Miz's fun during the commercial break. Oh shucks, did I say "Creed"? I'm not sure how I feel about them taking Daniel Bryan's little verbal slip-up from last week and running with it, but hey--that what they do in WWE. They make lemonade. I like Crews, but I don't know where he's headed right now. The rosters on both shows are pretty stacked; it might serve him better to lie low on NXT for a while . . .

The entire Smackdown tag division was split into heels and babyfaces for a six on six tag match. Fun stuff, even if its not that substantial. Just a chance for everyone to get their stuff in. It was almost like a live highlight reel for Smackdown's tag team potential. The good guys win thanks to American Alpha's team Perfectplex-type move. A lot of potentially great match-ups here. Expect Smackdown to get their own tag title belts sooner than later.

(Man, remember when The Ascension ran roughshod over NXT for nearly a year? Neither does the WWE, lol.)

Naomi has a cool new glow-in-the-dark bodysuit and entrance to match. Eva Marie was unable to compete due to being "stuck in traffic". I hope this gimmick of her working her way out of matches gets some heat, otherwise it could backfire. I like the angle, though.

Randy Orton got himself disqualified for beating on poor Slater a little too much. Then he mocked his Summerslam opponent Lesnar by suplexing Heath a few times and mocking his mannerisms. It's been a nice build up to their match, but the real star here is Slater. Like I said before, hopefully this leads to bigger things for him.

Dean Ambrose defeated Eric Rowan while Bray Wyatt looked on. Wyatt ditched him after his defeat, setting up a feud between the two. Just two weeks ago, I was expecting Wyatt to insert himself into the Ambrose/Ziggler title match, but it seems they have other plans for the Eater of Worlds. They've tried this kind of thing before with Rowan, but it didn't stick.

Beck Lynch and Carmella faced Natalya and Alexa Bliss. It was a decent tag match. Eva Marie tried to sneak in and pick up the scraps, but her would-be opponent Naomi ran back out to chase her off. It went all Looney Tunes for a minute like the tag exhibition earlier, but hey, at least everyone here has a part to play. Raw and NXT definitely have the stronger Women's divisions for the time being.

Baron Corbin is still picking on Kalisto backstage. What a bully. I feel like Corbin is another guy who was moved up from NXT a little too fast. I think they're trying to hide his somewhat limited in-ring work, but to what end? I still like his entrance with the red spotlights, so he's got that going for him.

The show ended with a nice main event between John Cena and Alberto Del Rio, with Cena's Summerslam opponent AJ Styles on commentary. (I forgot they were having a match this Sunday; man, there's too much going on in WWE right now.) It was a valiant effort by both guys, but I think Roman and Rusev put on more of a spectacle. AJ tried to sneak attack Cena and got AA'd through the announce table for his trouble. I take back what I said yesterday about Enzo & Cass vs. Owens & Jericho. THIS match will steal the show.

This was fun. Both Austin and Corpus got some great wrestling, and even with Summerslam less than a week away, it didn't feel like anybody was holding back. The WWE has been firing on all cylinders since the brand split, and I hope the hard work by all involved pays off in the form of some stronger TV ratings. This is NOT the 'E for 2010. There's plenty to enjoy, and you have to be trying pretty hard to be a hater right now.

(Garsh, maybe I'm just too optimistic for my own good?)

Thanks for reading! If you like, hit me up on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com).

It's a new era and I'm digging it.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Work/Shoot blog is back! Okay, I'm probably the only one that excited about it . . .

We're a few weeks into a new era for the WWE, thanks to the brand extension and roster split. In my opinion, both Raw and Smackdown have really put their best foot forward, establishing new feuds and storylines that will carry us on through the summer and into the fall, when the NFL emerges from the sea like a mighty kaiju to destroy the prime time sports-entertainment landscape for yet another season.

But who cares about football when you have Finn Balor and Seth Rollins main event-ing the Raw brand? With apologies to Kevin Owens and Cesaro, the two best workers in the 'E are going to square off later this month at Summerslam to crown a new champion with a new belt.

How does everyone feel about the "Universal Championship"? Is it too intergalactic for the WWE, or is it par for the course?

Silly new title names aside, this is going to be a barn burner, folks. No other way to phrase it. If you missed Balor's spectacular debut on Raw a few weeks ago or you haven't seen him do his thing on NXT, you've been missing out. With or without the demonic face paint, Balor is a demon in the ring, with a lithe form and a flashy style that will force Rollins into the strongman role. Even their promo exchanges, which were lackluster at first, have gradually gotten more heated, although I don't feel the tension brewing quite as thick as with the Dean Ambrose/Dolph Ziggler stuff over on Smackdown.

Raw viewers have also been gifted a great, if only slightly too-comedic tag team feud between Enzo Amore/Big Cass and Cheris Jericho/Kevin Owens. The Jericho/Owens team sees two of the best pure wrestling villains pairing up to give a hot new tag team the rub. Regardless of who goes over at Summerslam, this should be a good one.

I want to like the Charlotte/Sasha title feud, but the issues between them haven't reached that boiling point that really gets me excited yet. Their in-ring work is always incredible, as any viewer of their NXT matches can tell you, so the grappling will be the redeeming factor for this disappointing* feud.

Let's stay positive here: it's nice to see Roman Reigns in a new role, challenging Rusev for his United States title. I like the physicality between these two, and there's a great "hoss fight" to be had, but I wish Reigns (and the writing staff) would lay off the comedy bits. Roman should come out every week, destroy someone, cock an eyebrow to the crowd, smile at your girlfriend, and walk triumphantly to the back. If you're listening WWE, let's put the monster back in Roman Reigns. Remember when he was the muscle for The Shield? No one was laughing at that Roman.

The title matches are hot on both brands, but I feel like they will still play second fiddle to a pair of other big matchups I haven't mentioned yet: Cena vs. Styles and Orton vs. Lesnar.

AJ Style's issues with John Cena echo a lot of fan sentiment, but he's not as striking on the mic as C.M. Punk or Kevin Owens, both of whom filled the "outlier" role previously. Where AJ really shines, naturally, is in the ring. He can bounce off of beefy John like a ping pong ball, as well as force Cena to step up his game and keep the pace up. This match up interests me because normally the heel will try to slow the pace and isolate one of the other wrestler's limbs, but considering their styles, I think Cena might benefit from trying to keep AJ grounded. It'll be interesting to see unfold, and I can't wait to see how the crowd reacts, since John Cena matches are really about the audience reaction as this point.

Brock Lesnar is walking into Summerslam virtually unfazed by the UFC doping scandal, and Randy Orton is fresh off another injury, so the main draw here is we get two guys who not only don't wrestle a whole lot anymore, but also haven't been paired against one another. The back and forth surprise attacks on Smackdown, along with a little of that Paul Heyman magic, have made this the true main event of Summerslam, no matter where it falls on the card.

That's just a brief overview of the big stuff coming out of Raw and Smackdown as we head toward Summerslam and whatever lies beyond. There's a lot more to talk about, but I'll save it for the future. Look forward to future ramblings about NXT, the Cruiserweight Classic, Ring of Honor, and all kinds of grappling goodness. Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter if you like! (@ChrisBComics)

*I don't even know why I consider it "disappointing", it's just that something isn't clicking for me. Oh well, who cares--the match will kick ass and that's what matters.