WWE SmackDown – November 29, 2019 (Review)

WWE SmackDown – November 29, 2019 (Review)

How much can change in a week. Seven days ago I was warm, Corey Graves was generally popular and SmackDown was fairly horrific. Now I’m bloody freezing, Corey is… well, who knows… and I’m feeling relatively optimistic about the future of the blue brand.

It’s no real secret that SmackDown has faced troubles since its explosive debut on FOX a couple of months ago (remember when KO ended Shane’s career in a ladder match?). Issues related to the tedious WWE Draft, illogical whodunnit murder attempts and a general lack of star power have hampered the show, slowly draining it of all direction.

But even then, it hasn’t been helped by its scheduling in the week. Perhaps I’m alone on this issue, but Fridays don’t feel like ideal wrestling days. My grappling calendar can, at best, only accommodate three weekly slots of programming. And traditionally, the earlier in the week, the better.

So when SmackDown announced its move to Friday nights, my first thought – selfishly – was “how am I going to fit this into my life?” The answer it turns out – again, to the total disregard of everyone else – is “with a fair amount of resentment“. Because, after a long week, my enthusiasm for WWE’s particular brand of programming tends to wane a bit. I barely get through Raw some weeks.

But last night was different. After a frankly excellent Raw on Monday, I was rather looking forward to what SmackDown would bring. Especially with the brand-hopping nonsense of Survivor Series now behind us, this was an opportunity for WWE’s blue half to re-establish itself through solid wrestling, compelling mid-card storylines, and the introduction of a new challenger to The Fiend’s WWE Title.

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Speaking of The Fiend and introductions (segue!), Bray Wyatt was set to unveil a new addition to his Firefly Funhouse. Who (or what) could it be? Rumours abound that we could see Liv Morgan make her long-anticipated return in some capacity. But, given Bray’s track record, it’s possible that the addition could be something else entirely. ‘Randy’ Andy Datson even suggested this mystery character could be Tamina!

I mean, he’s obviously wrong. But then again, he usually is. Let’s get to the review!


The Best of SmackDown

The Celtic Warrior Returns

Sheamus announced his return to SmackDown by way of a video package, in which he claimed that Friday nights had grown “soft” in his absence. The blue brand’s roster was made up of Big Dogs, Kings, and Shorty Gs… whatever those are, he chimed.

The content was fine, but not the real story here. For all his limitations, it’s always a relief to see a wrestler return from a prolonged absence. And it’s no different with big ol’ Sheamus!

Cruiserweight Challenge Comes to Friday Night

Mustafa Ali took on Drew Gulak in what was, in fairness, an entertaining match. There really isn’t much to say here, other than both guys were given a couple of minutes to showcase their abilities. It was nice to see Gulak doing something other than his powerpoint presentations and getting crushed by Braun Strowman.

Ali hit a tornado DDT, followed by the 450, to win.

SmackDown Finds a New Babyface

Bayley and Sasha Banks addressed their respective failures at Survivor Series this past Sunday. Banks claimed that she wasn’t in charge of picking the SmackDown lineup for the elimination match – which again only begged the question as to the merit of having a captain for these matches. What do they even do, if not select the team?

Bayley and Sasha continued that they had been let down by the rest of the SmackDown women’s locker room. If it was up to them, SmackDown would’ve won outright on Sunday. But it was clear to them that Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke and Lacey Evans weren’t up to the challenge.

This brought out Lacey Evans, who initially stumbled in her promo before finding her stride. She turned on Banks and Bayley, saying that they weren’t “fit to run the chicken dance at a garden party“. WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN? It certainly sounded insulting.

Banks squared up to Evans, but was soon dropped by the Woman’s Right.

There were shaky moments during this segment, but I overall enjoyed Bayley and Banks’ delivery. And Lacey’s babyface turn – assuming it wasn’t just empty pandering to a southern crowd – brings with it some promise. Evans’ backstory, if not her demeanour, has always lent itself better to a babyface character in my opinion. Hopefully this shift brings some new momentum for her. Judging by the “Lacey Evans” chants which rang through the arena towards the end of this standoff, SmackDown may just have found something here.

The Muscleman Remix

In the second Firefly Funhouse of the evening, Huskus was in dire straights, having overindulged at his Thanksgiving feast. The only thing that could save him was if Daniel Bryan came to play again.

Bray Wyatt then showed up to perform a remixed version of his Muscleman Dance, alongside Huskus. The purpose was again to tempt Daniel Bryan, who was watching on a monitor backstage, to a rematch.

But when Kayla Braxton asked Bryan whether he would indeed face Wyatt again, Daniel remained stoically silent.

The Miz Pleads his Case to Bryan

The Miz cut perhaps one of the most understatedly excellent promos of the year in a conversation with Daniel Bryan in the locker room. I don’t expect this to be remembered as one of the highlights of the year, but I hope people appreciate just how great it was.

Miz found Bryan contemplating whether to accept Wyatt’s invitation for a rematch. He was there to discourage Daniel from getting back in the ring with the The Fiend. All Bryan had to do was look at what matches with the WWE Champion had done to his previous opponents. Both Finn Bálor and Seth Rollins had changed… for the worse.

Bryan was the leader of the SmackDown locker room, and the brand needed him. Its wrestlers needed him. Moreover, Bryan needed to consider his family and kid. At that last mention, Bryan whipped around angrily, causing The Miz to retreat. This was subdued, yet brilliant.

Elias is in the Building

Backstage again and Drake Maverick, armed with some mistletoe, was trying to steal a kiss off Dana Brooke. Good luck besting Dave Batista, Drake.

Naturally she turned him down. Drake is married after all, despite the relationship being – by his own admission – complicated.

Just then we heard a familiar strumming of a guitar and Elias showed up! Dana was super excited to see him. Why?

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Apparently it’s because he’s a babyface again. Elias revealed that he had undergone a spiritual change before seamlessly transitioning into a song at Maverick’s expense… while Brooke danced way too hard. As underwhelming of a return as this undeniably was, Elias is one of those people whose presence one doesn’t necessarily appreciate until they’re gone. The hope is that he can revitalise SmackDown’s inconsistent mid-card.

The New Day Issue an Open Challenge

The New Day issued an open challenge to anyone looking to take on the SmackDown Tag Team Champions.

Cue Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura… and Sami Zayn. God, I love him. He decried the evils of Black Friday and the corporate greed that drives it. In Zayn’s view, it was time for the tag team belts to be in the hands of a respectable, ethical team. And to that end, Cesaro and Nakamura would take the straps off the New Day.

What followed was a solid ten minute encounter. I don’t think anyone ever honestly expected Cesaro and Nakamura would pick up the win, but there were moments in which they did enough to create a flicker of doubt.

Ultimately though, Zayn proved to be his team’s undoing. Cesaro was distracted when the referee booted Sami from ringside, allowing Kofi to land the Trouble in Paradise for the win.

Bryan Gives his Answer

Daniel Bryan trotted to the ring, inspiring his token ‘Yes’ chant. He said that he had received a lot of unsolicited advice, from the likes of The Miz, as to whether he should face The Fiend once more.

Those people had pointed out that matches with The Fiend leave wrestlers forever altered. And Bryan admitted that there came a point in his match on Sunday where he indeed felt changed. But it wasn’t The Fiend who changed him, it was the audience. Their passion, their voice and their energy that helped him realise the person he should’ve been this whole time. What a babyface!

Bryan proclaimed that the fans may have brought the ‘Yes movement’ back to life. So, on that note, he posed the question whether he should accept The Fiend’s challenge – and a chorus of “Yes!” echoed around the arena.

Bray Wyatt again emerged in the Funhouse. He appreciated that he had helped change Bryan, because it was Bryan who had helped Wyatt build the Funhouse. This was another allusion to the pair’s shared history.

But Wyatt had promised that we would see a new face last night, and he is a man of his word. Then the lights began to shut off. With the ring illuminated in that vile red shroud, The Fiend burst out through the canvass and dragged Bryan under the ring. He then started ripping out fistfuls of what appeared to be human hair and placing them neatly on the canvass. So apparently that “new face” we were promised was Daniel Bryan sans beard and/or hair.

I’m not sure how I feel about this major non-reveal (as we’ll only get to see Bryan again next week). But I suppose this was intended to play into the motif that feuds with The Fiend bring about changes to his opponent, both psychologically and in this case physically. I’ll reserve judgement until we see the end result.


The Worst of SmackDown

A Feud Fit For a King… Corbin

Roman Reigns cut a rather bizarre promo about Thanksgiving. Not that it was bad by any means – we’re all grateful to have Roman back happy and in good health. It was just strange tonally.

Even more dissonant was his assertion that SmackDown “kicked some ass” at Survivor Series this past Sunday. When the audience rightfully reminded the ‘Big Dog’ that NXT were the decisive victors on the night, Reigns somehow intimated that the 5-on-5-on-5 Men’s elimination tag match was really all that mattered. Which just happened to be one of the two matches the blue brand won on the night.

He thanked three members of his team for their efforts, before highlighting the on “dummy” who almost ruined their chances. As soon as the word “dummy” escaped Reigns’ lips, I sighed. By the time he had thrown it out for the third time, I knew this would be a long, uphill slog of a segment.

Roman’s criticisms were of course directed at Baron Corbin, who dutifully came out for the confrontation. King Corbin stubbornly pointed out that he had eliminated two men before Reigns’ ego got in the way. He claimed that Roman didn’t want to share the spotlight, so he stabbed Corbin in the back.

Baron somehow turned this into a speech about how great Thanksgiving is for a king, which was just an enormously contrived way to draw heel heat from the Birmingham crowd. He then announced that Roman would have a match against Robert Roode.

Big Dog vs. Big Moustache

Reigns and Roode then had a relatively solid match, with a fair amount of shenanigans from Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin at ringside. There were several innovative near falls, but ultimately Roman won out following a spear.

After the bell, Ziggler jumped Reigns and the the three stooges went about beating up Roman. Roode placed Roman’s head on a chair and tried to crush it using Corbin’s sceptre. But the ‘Big Dog’ moved his dome out of the way just in time and turned the tables on his attackers, eventually spearing Roode through the barricade and clobbering Ziggler with the ring steps.

As mentioned, this match was good. But the continuation of this awful feud with Corbin, Ziggler and Roode is fast approaching its sell-by date. Many will already have lost hope in the mid-card heel stable, but none of this benefits Roman. In fact, the longer he remains locked his this vortex of mediocrity, the harder it will become to elevate him back into the main event.

The Funhouse of Rematches

Bray Wyatt appeared in his Firefly Funhouse to introduce a new championship belt for The Fiend and to announce that he wanted to face Daniel Bryan again.

Rematches have long been a plague of WWE booking. With so many talented performers on its books, there’s really no excuse for two wrestlers get locked in a never-ending series of contests. Especially when there’s no narrative justification for it. The Fiend decisively beat Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series. Why would he want to face Bryan again? Other than the generic reason that Bray “enjoyed” it.

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As for the new belt, it’s just dark piece of cloth with The Fiend’s face and the words “Heal” and “Hurt” painted on it.

Fire and Desire and Meaningless Filler

Sonya Deville and Nikki Cross had a match, which was apparently the result of some Twitter exchange. Starting feuds on social media is the telltale sign that WWE’s creative doesn’t care about this segment.

Making matters worse was that Mandy Rose grabbed a mic before the match. She started by saying that she’s doesn’t often make fun of the way people look, and I was like: “SINCE WHEN?” That’s literally her entire gimmick. Anyway, she just wanted to point out that Nikki Cross “looks like a cold plate of Thanksgiving leftovers“. Apparently the directive was to fit a Thanksgiving reference into every segment last night. And also for Mandy Rose to pick on people she considers less attractive than herself.

A minute later, Cross had beaten Deville by roll-up. Fire & Desire then attacked Cross after the bell, only for Alexa Bliss to run down to make the save. This was the definition of filler material. Although it is great to see Bliss back from injury.


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

SmackDown was a show of turns and returns last night. And yet, despite the promise of excitement,  few of them landed with much impact. In fact, only one returnee even made it to the ring.

Both Sheamus and his old haircut featured in a video package denouncing the state of the blue brand’s roster. Alexa Bliss saved Nikki Cross from Fire & Desire. And Elias played an original composition for Dana Brooke’s birthday (and Drake Maverick’s troubled marriage). We even got a sequel to the Muscleman Dance!

Adding to the confusion, it felt like half the roster turned babyface last night. Daniel Bryan completed his roundtrip back to Face-ville, while the Alexa Bliss character roulette appears to have led her to the same destination – at least for this week. Joining them too were Lacey Evans and Elias, who may fare well as faces but had very little narrative motivation for their sudden moral change.

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I may sound down on this edition of the blue brand, but in truth I actually rather enjoyed it. I appreciated the influx of fresh faces, the wrestling was generally held to a high standard and the conundrum that Daniel Bryan found himself in was quite compelling. In reality, it was only the Roman Reigns / King Corbin feud that continued to frustrate. I have no idea where it’s going, but the journey so far has been truly agonising.

So, on that evidence, SmackDown was a relatively successful affair. For those keeping score, that would make it a low Smacktastic.

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4 years ago by Nicholas Holicki

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