WrestleTalk Roundtable – WWE SmackDown Live – October 2, 2018

How would you rate SmackDown overall? (From best to worst: SmackDamn, SmackTastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, Ellsworthy and A Smack in the Face)

Brian Farrell

Smack Bang in the Middle. This was all fine. New Day and the Bar was good, Becky and Charlotte was good, I enjoyed AJ’s promo, have mixed feelings about the Rusev Day storyline, and the Carmella/ R Truth stuff was okay. I really am optimistic about Dillinger being reborn by Orton… allegedly. Nothing stood out to me though. An average show that didn’t hurt anything, but not great for a go-home show.

Dylan Kapisky

Smack Bang in the Middle. This episode was a bit disappointing considering the roll SmackDown has been on lately. There were good bits, like Tye Dillinger and Randy Orton having a brawl, Becky Lynch’s show closing promo, and The Miz handing Shelton Benjamin a win against rival Daniel Bryan.

However, there were also a few low points. AJ’s home promo was horrendous, the mixed tag had a questionable outcome, and Samoa Joe didn’t even appear. Finally, a scrape in the armor of WWE‘s new A-show.

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Nate Craver

I’m giving this a Smack Bang in the Middle. Was this a go-home show? Is Super Show-Down a pay-per-view or mega house show.  The matches tell us it’s a big show with big stakes. No DQ world title match. Women’s title match. Tag team title match. Number one Contender’s match and a blood feud. Raw also busts out with an Attitude Era reunion.

SmackDown was good tonight, but it just didn’t feel quite like the go-home show.  We had a decent match between Bryan and Benjamin. Asuka and Royce didn’t suck. Becky cut a great promo. It feels like there should be one more week to bring home the show-down. Still, not bad. SmackDown is doing something Raw isn’t really accomplishing: they are making irrelevant guys more relevant in a believable way. However, how do you not have a US Title program for Nakamura or even one on the horizon? It will be interesting to see where SmackDown goes after the visit to Australia this weekend.

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Nicholas Holicki

This didn’t just end SmackDown‘s run of consecutive good shows, it shattered the glass floor in my opinion. AJ’s acting dial is permanently set to melodrama, none of the matches were particularly good and the Bryan / Miz feud is really just spinning its wheels at this point. In fact, apart from the Becky Lynch segment, I really struggled to find an enjoyable moment in this dud of a show. And it was a go-home episode!

For that reason, last night’s SmackDown Live was… and I can’t believe I’m saying this… a low Ellsworthy.

How would you rate last night’s SmackDown Live? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, on Twitter or through our Discord server.

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