WWE SmackDown – May 1, 2020 (Review)

With Money in the Bank taking centre stage on SmackDown this week, I thought it might be appropriate to look back at recent winners, primarily with one question in mind. Does climbing the ladder (whether corporate or otherwise) and retrieving the branded briefcase actually matter? More to the point, is it the stepping stone to main event superstardom it’s made out to be?

I know it may seem like a trite proposition. I mean, of course it is! Right? Claiming the briefcase – and the valuable contract it contains – virtually guarantees the holder will become the company’s top titleholder. While perhaps that was true during the event’s early years, recent years prove that may no longer be the case.

TONIGHT on #SmackDown!@otiswwe @HEELZiggler #MITB pic.twitter.com/cbjGiOtuFC

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

To wit, let’s look at the winners of just the past five years. They are, in order: Sheamus, Dean Ambrose, Baron Corbin, Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar. Sure, four of them went on to hold Heavyweight gold following the event, but let’s delve a little deeper.

After his most recent World Title run, Sheamus soon languished, moved to the tag division and only recently re-established himself on SmackDown’s mid-card. Baron Corbin is the mid-level boss you beat on your way to facing the real antagonist. Dean Ambrose isn’t even with the company any more. And while both Strowman and Lesnar have tasted recent success, both came entirely independently of their MITB victories.

It’s still too early to reach a verdict on the efficacy of Money in the Bank as far as the women are concerned. But I will say this: is Carmella a force to be reckoned with on SmackDown?

For what it’s worth, I believe next week’s pay-per-view matches will be excellent, premised on the unique setup of holding them at WWE HQ (and simultaneously). But the point remains. Few, if any, of the people who have held the briefcase in the last five years can truly be labelled legitimate stars in 2020. It’s a troubling pattern – and one that can hopefully be reversed come next Sunday.

For now though, let’s get to the review!

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The Best of Smackdown

Golden Goddess Meets Silver Stairs

Kayla Braxton caught up with Otis and Mandy Rose backstage, ahead of their respective Money in the Bank qualifying matches. Both vowed to win and put their issues with Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville behind them. Mandy sealed the interview by kissing Otis on the cheek, sending both me and the chunky slab of beef into rapture. You go, you sweet, delightful, bowling ball-shaped man!

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰#SmackDown @otiswwe @WWE_MandyRose pic.twitter.com/kej3R8BvJa

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

Mandy and Carmella were having a fun match, when Sonya came out to cut another solid promo. With the match still continuing, Sonya reminded Mandy about how she gifted the ‘Golden Goddess’ her MITB spot last year and how, even with Deville’s backing, Rose still couldn’t win the match. This might’ve been even better had it not been for commentary drowning out the majority – and if it had just been 15 seconds shorter.

Eventually though, Rose fell for the distraction and Carmella was able to win after a superkick. With the match over, Sonya pounced, absolutely obliterating Rose. She capped off the attack with an awesome shining wizard, sending Mandy clattering into the steel steps. With doctors attending to Rose, an unrestrained Sonya swore that she would end Mandy. This was another incredible week for Deville, who finally seems to be realising all the untapped potential fans’ have spoken about for years.

.@SonyaDevilleWWE is LAYING WASTE to @WWE_MandyRose on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/07vdhXDPcF

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

Backstage, Mandy was getting looked at by the trainer, who seemed chiefly concerned about her legs. Aren’t we all, brother. Dolph came to check on her, but ran into Otis instead. Big Otis huffed and puffed and cut to a commercial break.

Parity in the Tag Division

The New Day took on The Forgotten Sons in a non-title contest, with Miz & Morrison joining commentary. This was a surprisingly enjoyable encounter, as the action spilled onto the apron and eventually the ringside area.

Moreover, Miz & Morrison were nice additions to the announce team, frequently interrupting with goofy jokes and non sequitors about their aversion to gluten and how to best coral small children. That actually sounds rather problematic on reflection. I do wish however that Michael Cole had stopped directing attention to them and their relationship, as it undoubtedly detracted from the match happening in the ring.

The #ForgottenSons pick up a HUGE win over The #NewDay on #SmackDown!

@TheWWEBlake @SteveCutlerWWE @JaxsonRykerWWE pic.twitter.com/noRPY4VCqP

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

Speaking of the contest, both teams executed plenty of double-team manoeuvres, keeping the pace impressively high. Big E fell to the outside and was driven into the post by Jaxson Ryker. With him out of the equation, Blake and Cutler hit Kofi with The Lost and The Damned to pick up the unlikely win.

The moment was rather undersold by Michael Cole though, who had clearly never seen The Forgotten Sons’ finisher before. In the result he seemed completely nonplussed by the move and frankly surprised that it led to a three-count. I hate to rag on Cole (not really), but it’s things like this that truly frustrate.

The Good Guy Finishes First

Otis dominated Dolph until falling victim to the trap that snags every big man… he launched himself into the ring post.

Dolph wasn’t able to sustain his ascendency however, and instead concentrated on staying out of the powerful grasp of the massive Otis. Using a bit of guile, Ziggler was eventually able to land the Zig-Zag, but only for a two-count. He went for a superkick to finish matters, but Otis instead tossed him across the ring. One tired-looking caterpillar later (it was a long match for poor Otis), the big, beefy boi pinned Dolph and secured his spot at Money in the Bank.

.@otiswwe is FIRIN' UP!#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/KxeDcgVLUC

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

This was a rather surprising outcome. Not because Otis isn’t capable, but because he won the pair’s encounter at WrestleMania 36 and we all know WWE loves their 50/50 splits. With that said, it’s great to see Otis receive a legitimate push, and he should add another layer of comedy to next Sunday’s spectacle. It’s so rare to see a babyface actually succeed these days.

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The Worst of SmackDown

The Good, the Bad and the SmackDown Opening Segments

Daniel Bryan cut an impassioned promo, emphasising the importance of winning the Money in the Bank ladder match – just as he had nine years ago. He lamented that his coach and friend, Drew Gulak, wouldn’t be fighting alongside him this year, before calling out the man who eliminated him last week, Baron Corbin.

From the GROUND FLOOR to THE ROOF…@WWEDanielBryan can't wait to risk it all in the most unique #MITB Ladder Match ever! pic.twitter.com/ovHBRGGNtL

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

This brought out the pretend king, who introduced a wholly unnecessary video package recapping his victory over Gulak seven days prior. They exchanged some predictable barbs: Bryan called Baron a loser for failing to cash in his MITB opportunity. Corbin responded by intimating Bryan was past his prime. This was all standard fare.

The match which followed was similarly familiar. Baron Corbin was the big man bullying the smaller, quicker Bryan. D-Bry had spurts of energy, but Corbin took most of the action. I use the word “action” quite incorrectly here, as the pace was strictly pedestrian for the most part.

After 20 uninspired minutes, Corbin got himself disqualified by using the ladder at ringside. He tried to beat up Bryan after the bell, but Daniel thwarted that effort, wrapping Corbin in the LeBell Lock on top of a folded ladder. Because we all know things immediately become twice as painful when they’re performed on top of things. As they did last week, Nakamura and Cesaro ran to Corbin’s aid and laid out Bryan.

WAIT A MINUTE! #SmackDown @ShinsukeN pic.twitter.com/VYNT12Ta1H

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

While I appreciated the energy in Bryan’s promo, there was little meat on this particular bone. And the morsels that existed soon ran out once Baron Corbin delivered another generic SmackDown heel promo, conspired to put on a boring match and then gave us the same finish we saw last week.

The Tale of the Sheep and the Shepherd

Braun took to the ring to convince us that the past was the past. Two sentences in, he was interrupted by the Firefly Funhouse. And story time with Bray!

Wyatt told the tale of a hulking, muscular black sheep and a wise old shepherd – I wonder which one Braun is meant to be? In the tale, the black sheep abandoned the shepherd along with the rest of the animals, leaving the wise man completely alone.

#UniversalChampion @BraunStrowman did NOT care for @WWEBrayWyatt's 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘳 story ending… #SmackDown #FIreflyFunHouse pic.twitter.com/vTNyHYxL2R

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

But Bray wanted the story to end differently. He wanted the shepherd to reclaim the sheep and take it to the slaughterhouse. Braun demanded that Bray address him face-to-face. After a pause, Wyatt waved and disappeared.

While this segment was largely fine, there was something unsettling about Bray Wyatt suddenly alluding to slaughterhouses and dismemberment. And not in the good way. Wyatt built this character on duality – the cheeriness of the sweater-wearing children’s show host contrasted with the unrestrained maliciousness of The Fiend. This felt like a conflation of those two characters, leaving him feeling a lot less interesting.

Hardy Gets a Welcoming Committee

Sheamus did what he does best (habitually?) and easily beat a jobber on SmackDown. After the squash, Michael Cole transitioned to the final instalment of Jeff Hardy’s “Comeback” chronicle, with Sheamus looming over him threateningly.

"You gonna talk about your best mate @JEFFHARDYBRAND again, Cole?" – @WWESheamus #SmackDown 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/a1fktAHX5v

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

Although the mini-documentary has routinely touched on Hardy’s substance abuse issues, it all feels very… superficial. None of it is handled with any depth or sophistication, instead taking on a distinctly glossy “WWE feel”. It’s really just a way to heat up Jeff for his return, which we’re told is happening next week.

Once the insert was done, Sheamus announced that he would be there waiting to greet Hardy. I’m still not sure why the Irishman is so riled up by all of this.

Sasha Banks as the Voice of Unity

Tamina was in the middle of saying… something… to Kayla Braxton. I’m sure it was fine, it’s just that my brain has developed this unique quirk in which Tamina’s promos are automatically tuned out. So all I heard was white noise.

Sasha Banks intervened to share her admiration for Tamina, founded on how Tamina helped her when she first joined the company. This was all a ploy though to distract Tamina, allowing Bayley to attack from behind.

HERE WE GO!!#SmackDown @itsBayleyWWE @SashaBanksWWE @TaminaSnuka @LaceyEvansWWE pic.twitter.com/ei7QBaL8Dv

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020

For some reason, Bayley decided to give the game away by screaming seconds before she arrived. This gave Tamina the time to turn around and catch her by the throat. Sasha jumped her from behind and a brawl broke out, which grew once Lacey Evans joined the fray. Referees showed up. Everyone was screaming, pulling hair and swinging heels. And I quietly begged for this bootleg Springer nonsense to end.

Apparently Banks and Bayley are on the same page again. Whatever. I give it a week before the fractures resurface.

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

This edition of SmackDown was a marked improvement over the dreg we’ve been served in recent weeks. Particularly the second hour. Well, in all honesty, only the second hour.

While the first half of the show rather meandered on the back of another bland Baron Corbin segment and more stuttering build towards the showdown between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, the second half had a few gems lined up.

Fortunes turned around – as they so often have in recent months – once attention shifted to Mandy Rose and Otis. That treacherous Sonya Deville delivered an excellent promo and cost Rose her shot at MITB. The New Day and Forgotten Sons followed up with a strong tag encounter. And Otis and Dolph closed the night on another high.

So the show presented a real mixed bag last night. But it deserves some credit for ending better than it started. So, for that reason, this week’s SmackDown is a high Smack Bang in the Middle.

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• May 1 2020
• review
• Smackdown
• wwe

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