Best and Worst of SmackDown Live: 16 May, 2017
The go-home episode for Backlash, wasn't really anything special.
Nothing in this show was really awful, truth be told. However, did it succeed in its objective to get us excited for Backlash, this weekend? No, it did not. Which makes it just another ho-hum episode of SmackDown Live.
After scoring the lowest ratings of the previous year, last week, we had assumed that SmackDown Live would pull out all the stops to make this episode a memorable one. Unfortunately, while they did try, this was not to be.
Let's go to the scene of the crime- Manchester, New Hampshire and analyse what worked and what didn’t, on this week’s blue brand showcase. Read on, guys.
#1 Worst: Where was Rusev?
What kind of potential Number 1 challenger is Rusev if he only keeps making empty threats to his boss- Shane McMahon?
In last week’s episode, he promised to return to SmackDown and confront Shane McMahon, demanding why his request to become Number 1 contender for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank was not being heeded by the commissioner? In many ways, this was the angle we were looking forward to the most.
Not only did Rusev not show up at the show, he ended up looking weak in the process...as a man who just makes empty promises and is not meant to be taken seriously at all.
#2 Best: Fresh blood to arrive soon
It is no secret that there's a serious lack of top-level Superstars on SmackDown Live. ‘The land of opportunity’ is an excuse for mid-card and lower-card Superstars to be elevated, to make up for the lack of depth, after the Superstar Shake-Up.
This is especially evident in the Women’s Division as well as the Tag Team Division, and we believe that The New Day and Lana can breathe some new life into both these divisions. We can’t wait for them to show up and spread the positivity.
#3 Worst: Questionable decisions
SmackDown Live rests on the shoulders of AJ Styles.
While Jinder Mahal may be booked in a more prominent role, for the time being, it is quite clear to everyone who the MVP of the brand is. It was distressing to see Jinder Mahal pin Styles in the middle of the ring, even if it was with interference.
The same can be said for Naomi, getting pinned by Carmella later during the night. Unless Carmella improves by leaps and bounds, she is not going to be a top player in the WWE Smackdown Live Women's Division. As a result, Carmella pinning the current champion, Naomi was a travesty really. And WWE wonders why no one is over anymore!
#4Best: Stacked card for the show
We have to give WWE credit for the fact that they tried their best.
With AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal, Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin as well as announcements for some big matches, WWE did take chances. Not everything came together as WWE would have liked, but props to the company for reacting to the sinking ratings with a strong card. Maybe Creative can take notice of this and come up with strong storylines.
#5 Worst: The Women's Division
The issue at hand, with the Women’s Division, is as follows. The three babyfaces- Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Naomi are the only three players of any consequence, because of how the remaining women have been booked on the show. Natalya can work matches but lacks the personality to become a top star in the division.
Carmella is an interesting character, but as we saw from her yawnfest of a match with Naomi, she is still pretty green in a lot of departments. Tamina Snuka was never the best talker or worker, and we assume that she has not improved during her time on the sidelines.
Also, unless there’s a major storyline swerve, any 6-woman tag match is not exciting. How far the mighty have fallen, since La Luchadora.
#6 Best: The Usos on the microphone
Like we saw last week, The Usos are gold on the microphone. This week, they cut another amazing promo on Breezango, and left the audience gasping in appreciation. It is criminal how little mic time they’ve got, considering just how good the two men are, at cutting promos. Hopefully, their title run lasts longer and we see more of this side of theirs.
#7 Worst: Factual inaccuracy
Jinder Mahal quoted Mahatma Gandhi in this week's episode, and said that his words were what the legendary humanitarian had said in ‘Punjabi’. To the best of our knowledge, Gandhi never spoke Punjabi and also the words of wisdom that Mahal attributed to him, come from an oft-repeated phrase in Hindi.
Moreover, the translation is closer to 'No pain, no gain', instead of 'To find yourself, you must first lose yourself'. 'Losing yourself' is not Gandhi, Jinder Mahal. That's Eminem.
Hey, it's WWE and there's no logic involved, one might say. However, we think that if the eventual purpose is to appeal to the Indian demographic, then such factual inaccuracies will not help.
Let's end with an image of James Ellsworth’s newest love interest- Becky Lynch.
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