WWE SmackDown takes place in Austin, Texas, as John Cena’s illustrious career comes to an end. In the main event, Gunther earned the honor of facing off against “Never Seen 17” in The Last Dance. The former world champion has to work for it, providing a final contender for Match of the Year.
👑 Uncrowned Night Gem👑
What a great week it has been for the Los Angeles Cavaliers. I mean, seriously.
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No one ever expected the “Superstar” to win the entire John Cena Retirement Championship, let alone make it to the finals. His victory over Jey Uso on Monday Night “Raw” was an acknowledged sensation and surprise, but his match with Gunther on “SmackDown” may have been the best match of his WWE career. Even though he lost, the guy came out looking like a reborn wrestler.
The two worked better together than I expected, which was arguably an error in judgment on my part. We’ve seen Knight have great matches against bigger, faster workers like Bron Breakker. There are big differences between Breakker and Gunther, but still. The style pairing we saw on Friday night was even better.
Midway through the game, Knight hit an AA and then a Burning Hammer, which would have been the end of it for just about anyone, no doubt. AA wasn’t the cleanest, but considering the circumstances, it was a nice endorsement. I don’t care that it’s Gunther though. They are two of the most over-the-top finishers of all time, and it would be crazy not to have this combination win a game.
Still, this was probably my biggest complaint after the game, which was much smaller. Gunther hammered away with a bow tie instead of his patented rear naked choke, and Knight countered with a BFT, nearly putting Gunther on the ropes. Knight struggled in the tie for a long time after injuring his neck. It’s a really nice touch and makes him look very powerful, but letting him out would maximize the power he’s already gained.
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Knight kicked out a double splash and a powerbomb along the way, and while I was picky about the finishing element, the overall match was great. Even if that fails, hopefully it’s time to properly get Knight into the main event scene and have him put on more classics like this. He worked hard for this opportunity and proved he could make it happen.
As for Gunther, he’ll definitely move on to retiring Cena. Michael Cole mentioned that the former world champion did the same thing to Gunther, which should The run that led to Gunther “The Legend Killer” – ended with Randy Orton. Since WWE isn’t throwing in fresh new talent alongside one of the greatest of all time, make it interesting and move in that direction.
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loss of creativity
WWE is reaching unprecedented levels of absurdity. The refusal to reorganize the roster and piece together a new story is extremely frustrating.
WarGames seemed to be forgotten on this “SmackDown” as Cody Rhodes was furious with Drew McIntyre for attacking him before last Saturday’s Survivor Series. If that didn’t mean anything at all, it made even less sense when Roode took his frustration into the ring. Despite remaining undefeated in his most recent match against McIntyre, the champion still required otherwhile asking “SmackDown” General Manager Nick Aldis to lift his suspension.
Why? Why is there any reason to care about this feud?
One of Rod’s consistent personality traits was being overly emotional and making these stupid personal demands. McIntyre have The rewards come from winning championships. Otherwise, it’s just a slow burial for a Scot who no one should take seriously after so many talented titles.
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at Senna’s request
What’s even weirder is that WWE went a super fresh route later in the show. Despite Rhodes’ nonsense on “SmackDown,” he was met backstage by NXT Champion Ricky Saints and Oba Femi. A title match between the two will take place at NXT Deadline, with the winner facing Rhodes in next Saturday’s Saturday Night Main Event.
Talk about a great opportunity to start a new direction with these talented mainstay wrestlers. Apparently, the history between the Saints and Rhodes is the one that tends to create the most bad blood. On the other hand, given that Fermi was a monster, he had no need for history. Push him to the moon. This should be the easiest win-win situation WWE has ever seen, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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reason for loss
Someone needs to explain why Jed Cargill competes in squash as a world champion.
The Women’s WWE Champion defeated Alba Fyre and won with Jaded. Meanwhile, things got worse when Julia and Kiana James walked out to attack United States Champion Chelsea Green.
No, man. No. Unless this somehow puts Julia at odds with Cargill, it all comes together in the worst possible way. Get Julia away from the United States Championship – a scene she shouldn’t be in – and start doing something real with Cargill.
Instead, she stuck with the embattled U.S. title challenger from the past. Cargill encountered B-Fab (who she had already crushed) and Mitchin backstage, seemingly engaging in a competition with the latter. It’s all a waste of time.
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You know what to expect. We haven’t seen Tiffany Stratton since she lost the title. She’s been given a break, don’t get me wrong. But when she returns, she’ll attack Cargill and restart the never-ending cycle the Women’s WWE Championship has been in since WrestleMania 41. Wait and watch, folks.
👍Friday Night Fire👍
1. Ilja Dragunov successfully defended the United States Championship by defeating Carmelo Hayes with a H-bomb after interference from Tommaso Ciampa. Look, any matchup between these two would be exciting, and revisiting their pairings is always welcome. However, this interference made Hayes look like a fool and robbed the game of its potential as a crown jewel.
The Ciampa fight is inevitable for Dragunov and hopefully it will be treated like a big deal. They will wrestle on the next episode of “SmackDown.”
2. Solo Sikoa delivered a very solid promo for Wyatt Sicks. I’m from Sikoa, but I’m not interested in this project at all. Except for Sikoa’s match with Uncle Howdy. But realistically, in terms of numbers, Sikoa’s MFT team should be able to handle the Wyatts.
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Eventually, the promo turned into a brawl and a meaty showdown between Erick Rowan and Tara Tonga. This is also very interesting. So there are some elements that come into play here. Overall, though, don’t let it go on too long.
3. Bayley vs. Sol Ruca was added to Saturday night’s main event. Before Ruka appears on the screen, I say her name as if she were Jo Hundley. Yes, yes, yes and more yes. That match will definitely be a close match, even more so than the one in Rhode Island, and Ruka needs to win and make it to “SmackDown.” The announcement came the night after her victory. Made it yesterday.
🤷♂️It happened 🤷♂️
Alexa Bliss defeated Kairi Sane with a Sister Abigail DDT against the In-Sane Elbow. If this sounds ridiculous, it is. The game went very smoothly until the end. Everything felt like it was going to be in slow motion after Bliss delivered the first Abigail DDT – a finisher that needed to be dethroned. At least the slow version. The fight where Bliss won was good because it was quick, unlike most times where she gives her opponents seconds to escape, which they never do.
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Then, Nia Jax and the Thrash Legend stood up and attacked everyone – just because, of course.
👎 Frustration and depression 👎
Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley randomly reunite to face Aleister Black and Zelina on next week’s episode of “SmackDown.” At this point, I don’t know when Priest and Black’s feud will end, but it’s way overdue – as is anything Ripley and Priest do together.
👑 Watch this “SmackDown” purely for its five-star main event, which basically earns the show all its points. My rating for this drama is: 5.5/10. 👑
