WWE SmackDown – October 25, 2019 (Review)

SmackDown faced a tough task this week: trying to create excitement for a pay-per-view that had none going in.

The blue brand’s contribution to the second of WWE’s biannual Saudi showcases really boiled down to five matches. But with neither Seth Rollins nor Tyson Fury in attendance, that number shrunk to three.

To that end, last night’s show was built around the final confrontation between Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar, a face-to-face meeting of Team Hogan and Team Flair (or at least those members contracted to SmackDown) and an obligatory acknowledgement of the entirely arbitrary tag team turmoil / World Cup match.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4DcZ0Il0a2/

Starting with the first of those three, the feud between Lesnar and Velasquez has been on a slow burn since the initial explosive introduction. Cain’s debut was naturally a shocking moment, purposely held back for SmackDown’s FOX debut. But in the weeks since, the two men haven’t been in the same ring together or had any interaction to speak of. In fact, Brock has barely appeared on TV and Cain was around just long enough to unconvincingly beat up Shelton Benjamin.

So that rivalry really needed a spark.

By contrast, Team Hogan vs. Team Flair has to some extent felt like the primary event heading into Crown Jewel. And I suppose, given the Kingdom’s penchant for legends, in many ways it is. Both Hogan and Flair have appeared several times across both brands in an effort to create buzz. So much so that this really feels like a contest between the two Hall of Famers, despite the fact that neither will actually be competing on Thursday.

And lastly, there was the world’s largest tag team turmoil match to promote. But let’s be honest, nothing in the world could possibly generate excitement for that.

So, in a familiar spot with their backs firmly against the wall and time running out, WWE would be forced to try to create something out of nothing. But would they succeed? Let’s find out in the review.

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The Best of SmackDown

The Magic of Film

WWE’s editing team deserve some kind of medal. Or, given the upcoming pay-per-view’s history, some sort of comedically oversized trophy and belt.

They produced an incredible two-minute video package simultaneously recapping the events so far between Tyson Fury and Braun Strowman, while also doing a much better job at hyping the pending match than either of the burly giants have up to this point.

Is the Yes Movement Back?

That was the very simple question Michael Cole put to Daniel Bryan in light of his seeming character shift back to the side of good.

Before he could answer though, Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn interrupted proceedings. They were there to introduce a video package from last November in which Daniel Bryan renounced his ‘fan favourite’ status and embraced the ‘New’ Daniel Bryan. Sami Zayn claimed that the ‘New’ Daniel Bryan was the real Bryan, and that he – much like Zayn and Nakamura – was an artist.

So is that a YES! or NO!, @WWEDanielBryan? #SmackDown @SamiZayn @ShinsukeN pic.twitter.com/F0QVL99I8E

— WWE (@WWE) October 26, 2019

Sami invited Bryan to move on from his past and join him and Nakamura in moving forward. It was a remarkably well-delivered, almost convincing promo from Zayn, who was in top form here.

But as Zayn extended a hand to Bryan, the ‘Planet’s Champion’ simply walked away, conflicted. So, not yet an out-and-out babyface, but still the most intriguing aspect of the blue brand.

Crown Jewel Come Early

The night’s main event saw three members of Team Hogan take on two members of Team Flair, with Cesaro. This was effectively a slightly pared down version of what we can expect at the pay-per-view, but that’s not necessarily a complaint.

The bout started off quick, with Shorty G (looking like an extra from the Space Jam reboot) showcasing his amazing athleticism. But soon the heels took control, isolating Ali and gradually wearing him down.

GO SHORTY G GO! #SmackDown #WWECrownJewel @WWEGable pic.twitter.com/ECJ4iOEvGT

— WWE (@WWE) October 26, 2019

Eventually though, he was able to make the tag to Gable, who proceeded to take out everyone, seamlessly transitioning from one move to the next. He’s unbelievably good.

Nakamura desperately broke up an Ankle Lock, allowing Corbin to regain the upper hand. But Gable fought back to tag in Reigns for his first action of the match. The ‘Big Dog’ went for a spear but ran into an uppercut. This exchange turned into a superman punch though, before Reigns hit the Spear on Cesaro.

He then tagged in Ali, who put the finishing touches on the contest with the 450 Splash.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4EHBbzhX-8/

This was BY FAR the best action of the night, and left me excited to see an even larger – and more chaotic – version of the match next week.

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The Worst of SmackDown

Team Flair vs. Team Hogan

SmackDown went live to air with Team Hogan and Team Flair already in the ring. I say both teams, but really it was only those members who also happened to be on the blue brand. The Raw contingent, which accounted for half of the respective teams’ makeup, was noticeably absent.

Miz performed the introductions, which – respectfully – did little to get me excited. I like The Miz, but he just carries that unmistakeable midcard stench, making everything he’s associated with feel distinctly average.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4D5XJiB8ca/

Every member of either team got their allotted 30 seconds to speak. Starting with Ric Flair, who claimed that this five-on-five would be just as good as Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan having one more go. That’s right, watching Baron Corbin take on Rusev in Saudi Arabia will be JUST LIKE seeing Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair in their primes.

And it only got worse from there. Sami Zayn called Chad Gable short. Ali said that Zayn’s breath smelled. Baron Corbin proclaimed himself a king. It was garbage.

Mouthguard: IN
The Fight: ON@WWECesaro will join forces with #ICChampion @ShinsukeN & King @BaronCorbinWWE to take on @WWERomanReigns @AliWWE & @WWEGable TONIGHT in the main event of #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/ZQsFxQRggy

— WWE (@WWE) October 26, 2019

The segment ended with the faces issuing a series of challenges, which the heels reneged on. Eventually, Hulk Hogan invited Sami Zayn to face Shorty G. Zayn, pointing to a neck tweak he recently suffered, instead brought out Cesaro as a replacement and a bit of a brawl broke out.

So, yep, the final selling point of this 10-man tag is a match featuring someone who isn’t event a part of the Crown Jewel encounter. Brilliant!

Tag Team Turmoil

The New Day took on Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode in a match designed to do little more than remind everyone that Crown Jewel will feature… *draws breath*… the Largest Tag Team Turmoil Match to Determine the World Cup for the Best Tag Team in the World.

As such, the match went about five minutes and ended with Dolph securing a rollup on Kofi Kingston. Remember when he was WWE Champion?

Ready for the weekend like.. #SmackDown @HEELZiggler pic.twitter.com/gwLippBJya

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 26, 2019

The Revival then ran out to beat up New Day, who they apparently face next week, followed closely by Heavy Machinery to even the odds. Both the post-match attack and the save were preempted by the teams’ entrance music for some reason. I don’t know how the production crew could possibly have known that The Revival and Heavy Machinery were planning to run out.

Cameras cut backstage to reveal the B-Team and Lucha House Party keeping a keen eye on proceedings. I assume only to remind you that those teams are also in the Largest Tag Team Turm – forget it, I’m not saying it twice.

Lacey Drops Down the Ladder

Scheduled to face local enhancement talent, Lacey Evans instead announced that she was above competing against such “nasties” and planned to walk back up the ramp. So, as she left the ring, the referee began his count.

At eight, the delighted jobber turned her back on Evans. Spotting her opportunity, Lacey sprinted back into the ring and clobbered her opponent with the Woman’s Right for the win.

Barely broke a sweat.

That was one quick and classy victory from the #SassySouthernBelle @LaceyEvansWWE! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/joV7nwHf2j

— WWE (@WWE) October 26, 2019

So, in essence, not only has Lacey gone from competing for the Raw Women’s Title to squaring off against enhancement talent. But she also needs to rely on blindside attacks to win them.

I still believe in the talent of ‘The Lady of WWE’ and I think she’s a truly effective talker. But it just feels like she’s slipping in the wrong direction at present.

Cross’s Interview

Nikki Cross stood backstage, having questions launched at her by Michael Cole seated at ringside. It was an awkward setup.

Even less inspiring was the dialogue the Number One Contender was asked to deliver in anticipation of her match against Mandy Rose later in the evening. Cross admitted that Rose was gorgeous, before pointing out that it wasn’t a beauty pageant… it was Friday Night SmackDown! Good Lord.

I realise that kind words often feel obligatory, but I’ve met Nikki Cross (briefly). She’s not only a talented wrestler, but an incredibly spirited, kind, naturally likeable person. I have no idea what the purpose of this interview was, but it couldn’t possibly have been to get Cross over with fans.

Firefly Fun House 2.0

Corey Graves announced that he had it on good authority that Bray Wyatt has spent the past two weeks reconstructing his Firefly Fun House.

Let’s analyse that statement for a bit, shall we?

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4DVktBlN4t/

What he’s suggesting is that Bray either grabbed his DIY kit and some plywood, and starting hammering together a new, mobile TV set. Or he got on the blower to hire some contractors to do the job under his careful supervision. Neither is consistent with the Wyatt character we’ve been presented in recent months.

Also, the quick rebuild effectively negates EVERYTHING that happened two weeks ago. Seth Rollins made a big deal of burning down the Fun House. Well, apparently it can be fairly easily reconstructed with some elbow grease and a couple of days off.

So what was really accomplished here?

HE'S ALIVE!!!!!! RAMBLIN RABBIT IS ALIVE!!!! #SmackDown @WWEBrayWyatt pic.twitter.com/FA06qW40Hm

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 26, 2019

This, of course, was a notion not lost on Bray himself. The Fun House centred around Rambling Rabbit’s memorial, who sadly perished in the fire. But, when Wyatt lifted his corpse in his gloved ‘Heal’ hand and gently planted a kiss atop the puppet’s forehead, it magically sprung back to life. Just like the Fun House itself.

Then Mercy the Buzzard promptly devoured it. The puppet, not the TV set.

Braun Reintroduces Himself to Gulak

Drew Gulak was set to face Kalisto for absolutely no reason, but instead decided that the time was better spent continuing the 345-slide powerpoint presentation he started last week. This time though, the topic was “How Braun Strowman Could Lose to Tyson Fury”.

.@DrewGulak's PowerPoint Presentation is BACK, and we know what you're thinking… THANK YOU DREW! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/u6NoxcrSRY

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 26, 2019

As the second slide was about to be presented though, Kalisto’s patience wore out and he kicked Gulak. Thirty seconds later, Braun Strowman’s music hit. This proved enough of a distraction to Gulak that Kalisto hit the Salida Del Sol to pick up the win.

Then Braun Strowman powerslammed the former Cruiserweight Champion for giggles – twice. And cut a short promo promising to beat Tyson Fury on Thursday.

It feels like SmackDown’s sole focus is hyping the match between Tyson Fury and Braun Strowman. So much so that even entirely unaffiliated contests are being sacrificed in favour of that spectacle. Two weeks into his Friday night run and Gulak already feels entirely impotent. Moreover, because of all the shenanigans, Kalisto got nothing out of the win.

"At #WWECrownJewel, I'm gonna send your a** back to where you belong when you GET THESE HANDS!" – @BraunStrowman #SmackDown

You listening, @Tyson_Fury? pic.twitter.com/ydqwgnpu83

— WWE (@WWE) October 26, 2019

No stars were born this day.

Brawn Meets Beauty

Nikki Cross took on Mandy Rose, with SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bayley, and best friend Sasha Banks on commentary. All their presence accomplished was to successfully distract from what was a fairly bland encounter.

Not even Michael Cole or Corey Graves seemed remotely interested in what was going on in the ring, as they spent most of the match arguing with Bayley about whether she had changed or not. For some reason Bayley maintained that she was still the same person she had always been… despite an entire segment last week being devoted to her explanation of how she had changed due to the fans not being there for her. This was mind-numbing.

Call her DADDY. #SmackDown @SonyaDevilleWWE @NikkiCrossWWE @WWETheBump pic.twitter.com/G30bOiQo2X

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 26, 2019

Mercifully, Nikki Cross won about two minutes later and we could all move on from this inane pointlessness.

Brock Lesnar on the Warpath

Rey Mysterio accompanied Cain Velasquez to the ring to generate some momentum ahead of the latter’s clash with Brock Lesnar this Thursday.

Rey started off by cutting exactly the same promo he did several weeks ago, about the helplessness he felt when Brock was annihilating his son in front of him, and that Cain was going to exact revenge on his behalf.

😨😨😨😨😨#SmackDown #WWECrownJewel @BrockLesnar @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/me4abMHzXJ

— WWE (@WWE) October 26, 2019

Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar then appeared on the Titantron. Heyman also covered familiar ground, insisting that his client had no interest in going face-to-face with the man who scarred his face a decade ago.

He then revealed the battered body of Dominick Mysterio lying at Brock’s feet. Because apparently Rey has no idea where his son is most of the time.

When Rey and Cain went to the trainer’s room – who incomprehensibly kept yelling about “the space” he needed, despite there only being four people in the room – to check up on Dominick, Lesnar again struck. He clobbered Rey and Cain with a trash can, before F-5’ing Velasquez onto Dominick.

Pure CARNAGE. #SmackDown #WWECrownJewel @BrockLesnar @cainmma @reymysterio pic.twitter.com/yQFRm8QJPP

— WWE (@WWE) October 26, 2019

 

This last move in particular looked pretty cool. But it was far from the hot angle we needed heading into Crown Jewel.

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

As we’ve sadly become accustomed to in recent weeks, SmackDown was a hard slog again this week. Too often things just happened without any rhyme or reason.

Nikki Cross’s mundane backstage interview and resulting match against Mandy Rose, Lacey Evans’ encounter with an unnamed enhancement talent… none of it served any kind of purpose other than filling the runtime. And that’s never a compelling reason for a segment to exist.

Worse still, nothing was designed to get anyone over in a meaningful way or generate anticipation heading into Thursday’s pay-per-view. Drew Gulak got squashed by Braun Strowman again, apparently in service of the latter’s looming fight with Tyson Fury. Who wasn’t even there to see it. The brand’s tag teams got into a giant schmoz, thereby ensuring that all of them stayed in the same band with none standing out from the rest.

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Worst of all though was the unforgivable destruction of the Firefly Fun House. Two weeks ago, Seth Rollins was responsible for its physical razing. Last night sealed its figurative end, as WWE made it plain that it didn’t care about Bray’s creation in any real way.

Sure, there were some bright spots. Daniel Bryan remains the most captivating figure in the company and the main event was a ton of fun. But none of that was enough to elevate the go-home edition of SmackDown above a SmackDowner.

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• review
• Crown Jewel
• Smackdown
• wwe

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