10 Things We Learned From The Post-WrestleMania Smackdown Live!

WWE bids Orlando a fond farewell.

Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

It may have been given the poorer treatment in the build-up, but Smackdown Live! over-delivered with the limited treatment they were given at the bloated 'Show of Shows'.

The WrestleMania 33 card was littered with box office attractions that were all needlessly gifted to Monday Night Raw.

But blue brand Commissioner Shane McMahon set the standard for the evening alongside the company's finest talent AJ Styles in a scintillating opener, and despite landing in the show's death spot, the six women scrapping for Alexa Bliss' Women's Title performed admirably in the time available.

Alongside those, The Miz, Maryse, John Cena and Nikki Bella put on a trashy but crowd pleasing display that provided the anticipated marriage proposal, and an overwhelmingly positive appraisal of Miz from the company's core audience after an outstanding spell on Tuesday Nights.

More contentious was the experimental Bray Wyatt/Randy Orton WWE title match. Featuring Wyatt jiggery pokery as a misdirect for a match going absolutely nowhere, it then wrapped up abruptly with a single RKO securing the brand's top prize for 'The Viper'.

With the announcement of the 'superstar shake-up' in the minds of talents from both brands, how would the events of Smackdown Live! follow the 'Show of Shows' and a monumental edition of Monday Night Raw?

10. The Rematch

Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

After suffering a late bump to the pre-show of WrestleMania 33, Dean Ambrose and Baron Corbin worked the sort of subdued match that made the demotion a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Their Smackdown Live! rematch was far superior, and arguably should have been airlifted onto the 'Show of Shows' itself rather than saved for this Tuesday follow-up.

Highlights included a wicked scuffle in the crowd and Ambrose elbowing Corbin through a table before the finish, which gave the live crowd one final blockbuster match the tepid tag team main event had no chance of topping.

The intent was clear, with Corbin picking up the victory to lead to another gimmick match down the line where 'The Lone Wolf' scores his first title in the company. Heavy use of a strap in the match implied that may be the ultimate direction, which would likely be another impressive outing if the two can employ the intensity shown in this brawl.

Thanks to The Miz' reigns, the Intercontinental Title is back on the slow road to recovery, and Ambrose has been a worthy follow-up in these midcard bouts. Corbin seems destined to be the next to continue the re-elevation.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett