5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (August 3)
2. WWE Presents A Legitimately Excellent Show
…presented by WWE!
SmackDown was great this week. Great. The more cynical quarters of WhatCulture want to enjoy the WWE product. Our job is to reflect it, though, which makes that difficult - so much so that, when we can do so without shielding our eyes, we must frame it as the insane development it is.
We complain when awful heel dominate programming because it’s all so pointless. There is either no catharsis of a good match, nor any catharsis at all.
But when great heels dominate?
Samoa Joe built anticipation for his upcoming challenge of AJ Styles’ WWE Heavyweight Championship with a totally believable and totally vicious promo in which he denounced his opponent’s devotion to his children. This was almost the antithesis of WWE’s usual broad comedy approach and obviously brilliant as a result. Joe delivered this eerily menacing and formidably loud promo with the impeccable dynamics of a Pixies banger. He is the best.
Also very good was Randy Orton. He is more interesting now than he has been in years. In a segment boasting great physical storytelling, such a welcome deviation from the verbose norm, he brutalised Jeff Hardy and removed his face paint, his mask of security.
WWE in a rare hat-trick drove a believable and emotional wedge between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, one which promises to boil over at the top of the card. WWE did bury its Champion via two clean defeats in the process, but f*ck it. It’s only Carmella.
The in-ring action was strong and purposeful. Characters developed. This was WWE promoting a d*mn good pro wrestling show.