WrestleTalk Roundtable – WWE SmackDown Live – October 2, 2018

WWE Studios have produced some real bangers over the years.

The Marine. The Condemned. The Chaperone. Ahhmm… four more Marines? Other movies featuring the word “the”, followed by a description of the main character.

But all of those pale in comparison to the multiple fake award nominated short film, One Night in Milwaukee. (Not to be confused with the similarly titled home film starring Paris Hilton… although Aiden’s video threatened to follow a similar plot line had it gone any longer.) But I digress.

Nobody was more excited about this angle than I was coming out of last week. What sordid detail was Aiden holding over Lana’s head? What scandalous secret was he threatening to reveal? A double cross? Was Lana plotting against Rusev? Could she have masterminded Aiden’s betrayal of the ‘Bulgarian Brute’? Or perhaps a confession that she wanted to pursue her own title aspirations?

Nope, it was just a hastily edited video that made Lana look like an adulteress.

WWE has been all about nostalgia in recent weeks and this felt like a storyline ripped straight from darkest parts of the Attitude Era. It was the laziest of revelations: not only lacking in imagination, but also truly regressive in its portrayal of Lana. I get it, she’s easy – just like the Rock warned us back in 2016. Or when Lita’s affair with Edge was turned into a TV segment. Or Trish Stratus became Mr McMahon’s mistress for a few months. How’s that women’s evolution thing going, WWE?

It’s a PG show, everyone…

Besides, to paraphrase the great Rod Blagojevich – I’ve got this thing…and it’s freakin’ golden.#OneNightInMilwaukee

— Matthew Rehwoldt (@DramaKingMatt) October 3, 2018

That said, it’s clear that there’s more to this story. The clip abruptly (and purposefully) ended right after Lana uttered “I want you”, leaving crucial context open-ended. Aiden promised to reveal more next week, so hope is not lost. This angle can still be salvaged, and I really hope it is – and not in a ‘Lana’s just sleeping with someone else’ way.

But what else happened during last night’s episode of SmackDown Live? Join the WrestleTalk Roundtable as we cover the best and worst that the show had to offer. Then, all things considered, we share our overall rating for the episode.

Spoiler alert: Becky Lynch should be the face of WWE. On to the good!

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