7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (April 11)
A fantastic season opener for WWE's shaken-up blue brand.
SmackDown hit the airwaves with much to accomplish last night. The Superstar Shake-Up had robbed the blue brand of some of their biggest stars, and left an already threadbare roster looking barren. Moreover, there was still the chance that SD's biggest star, AJ Styles, would jump ship to Monday nights, leaving the show without a recognisable franchise player, and destroying much of their appeal.
Fortunately, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan recovered everything they lost last night, and kicked-off SmackDown's latest reboot with one of their best shows in months. The Miz, Bray Wyatt, and Dean Ambrose are gone, but they've been replaced by the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and The New Day, and if this week's episode is another to go by, SD's new season is going to be a blast.
Along with the new faces, viewers were treated to a strong Triple Threat main event, and an excellent Tag Team Title bout. The women's division was revamped and reintroduced, the United States Title will soon fill the belt-shaped void left by Ambrose's departure, and Shinsuke Nakamura continues to feel like WWE's biggest rockstar. An eventful show from start to finish, with plenty of home runs, and only a couple of strikeouts...
Downs...
2. Pure Nonsense
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt is the most 'WrestleCrap' feud WWE have booked in years. It represents Bray Wyatt at this absolute worst, and from Orton's escapades on Sister Abigail's burial site to WrestleMania 33's maggots, the story has become too goofy and cartoonish to take seriously. It continued through 'The Viper' vs. Erick Rowan last night, and predictably, the results weren't pretty.
Rowan isn't a convincing singles wrestler, and Orton has a tendency to phone it in in such scenarios. They worked a pedestrian affair that barely got going before Bray cut the lights, appeared on the screen, and informed Randy he'd see him inside the 'House of Horrors'. This led to Rowan blasting Orton with the stairs for a DQ finish, then laying him out with a Full Nelson Slam in the ring.
SmackDown kept the WWE Title feud's offerings mercifully short this week, but it still felt like a waste of airtime. Bray's spooky nonsense has never been so tired, and aside from Rowan getting a little bit of shine, the story was exactly where it was at the start of the show. Fortunately, we only have to endure two more weeks before they settle their differences at Payback.