WWE SmackDown Live – May 14, 2019 (Review)

Overall Rating for the Show (From best to worst: SmackDamn, SmackTastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, SmackDowner and A Smack in the Face)

I came away from last night’s show feeling like I had just watched a fairly decent edition of SmackDown Live. But upon reflection, I realised that the show as a whole really only contained one good match and perhaps two intriguing angles. Everything else felt largely derivative, unimportant and overbooked.

Shane McMahon, in particular, once again felt rather lacklustre. He seems to exercise his power entirely arbitrarily – booking matches in his favour one second, only to shoot himself in the foot with silly stipulations the next. It’s also entirely unclear how a handicap match against Roman Reigns and the Usos is intended to build towards his encounter with The Miz on Sunday. Or why Bryan and Rowan suddenly find themselves roped into this feud, like Bobby Lashley was the night before.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxd9hjcoAX7/

And the women’s tag scene isn’t any better, with mediocre matches and ill-advised rebranding. Was last night’s match supposed to be the start of a push for The Kabuki Warriors, or the next instalment in the breakup of Fire & Desire? What sort of a name is The Kabuki Warriors?!

The video package for Becky and Charlotte, and the fatal four-way were so good that I’m tempted to overlook all of SmackDown’s faults. WWE have an incredible talent of getting me invested in a feud with just five minutes of video. It truly was incredible. And the fatal four-way was an excellent showcase for the MITB contenders.

But ultimately, I just can’t shake the disappointment of last night’s show. Or how poorly it handled its middle hour. So, on that basis, this week’s SmackDown is Smack Bang in the Middle.

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