The SmackDown Files: And The Miz Participation Award Goes To...Michael Gregory Mizanin (1-10-2017)

By: Keila Cash 

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dean Ambrose crushed The Miz’s hopes and dreams by winning the Intercontinental Championship last week. Miz had an epic meltdown on Talking Smack and one can only assume that his anguish will spill over into tonight’s show.

Meanwhile, John Cena is fending off the “Has Been” label bestowed upon him by AJ Styles and Baron Corbin. Did Cena prove the naysayers wrong or did the chumps still have something to chirp about? That answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of SD Live in no particular order.

·        The Ambrose Asylum featuring new Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose, The Miz, and Maryse was very entertaining. Miz wanted Ambrose to relinquish the IC Title before filing a lawsuit alleging that the referee was coerced into ejecting Maryse from the match instead of ending the bout via disqualification last week.

·        Instead, Miz was re-gifted the same Participation Award he gave to Ambrose last month. It was a great callback which made sense because Miz got a dose of his own medicine.

·        It appeared that Miz appreciated the rib, but he tossed the award in Ambrose’s face and proceeded to beat him up. Miz held Ambrose up so Maryse could slap him, but The Lunatic Fringe ducked out of the way causing her to slap her husband instead.

·        Ambrose kicked Miz in the groin and nailed him with Dirty Deeds for good measure. To show how gracious he was, Ambrose gave Maryse the Participation Award before leaving the ring. Maryse smashed the award against the canvas and tended to Miz as the opening segment came to an end.

·        This was a hilarious way to start the show. The continuity was spot on as the Participation Award came into play for all the right reasons.

·        Also, both men announced that they were entering the Royal Rumble Match. The Rumble is shaping up to be a stacked show with superstars galore. Expect the feud between Miz-Ambrose to continue heading into WrestleMania season as well.

·        Natalya vs. Nikki Bella never got underway because Nikki took the fight to her former best friend when she laid her out with a Spear. This was in retaliation to Natalya attacking Nikki backstage prior to their match.

·        They brawled for a bit until a group of referees came out to break things up. They couldn’t stop Natalya from delivering a chop block to Nikki’s leg which allowed her to lock in the Sharpshooter on the floor to add insult to injury.

·        Postponing this match was a good idea. There is no need to waste television time if they are going to trade wins back and forth leading up to their inevitable rematch at the Rumble. The crowd was receptive to their impromptu fight which speaks well for their bout when it takes place in an official capacity. This bubbling blood feud has the potential to be very good if everything is executed properly.

·        The Downward Spiral of Dolph Ziggler continued as he suffered another loss at the hands of Kalisto. The Luchador pinned The Showoff with a Crucifix which caused Ziggler to snap. He attacked Kalisto as the hardcore male contingent cheered him on.

·        He grabbed a steel chair from the timekeeper’s area and whacked Kalisto in the back with it. Apollo Crews came out to defend his friend, but Ziggler quickly gained the advantage and attacked him with several chair shots to the back as well. He gave Kalisto a parting shot in the literal sense as the segment came to an end.

·        Ziggler showed great aggression, but he didn’t get the desired reaction because half the crowd cheered him. Ziggler needs that career defining promo to push his heel turn over the top. Otherwise, fans will continue to celebrate his liberation as a babyface when they should be booing him out of the building instead.

·        American Alpha successfully defended the SmackDown Tag Team Titles when Chad Gable knocked Randy Orton into Luke Harper which caused Harper to fall off the ring apron. This allowed Gable to pin Orton with the O’Connor Roll for the win.

·        The match between American Alpha vs. The Wyatt Family was good, but the heel/face dynamic was off-kilter because Orton is perceived as a face in a heel faction while Alpha is seen as the opposition whenever they attack him. It almost killed their heat, but their skillset kept the jeers to a minimum for the most part.

·        The Tag Team Champions should not be window dressing to get over another feud despite how compelling the implosion of The Wyatt Family is. Hopefully, Chad Gable and Jason Jordan can move on to big and better things which allow them to get over as a hot babyface team. A feud with The Usos might do the trick, but they’ve had several matches already that felt more conclusive than open-ended. Let’s hope the creative team can revive their feud in the same vein as Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton.

·        Tensions between Orton and Harper boiled over when Harper was knocked off the ring apron when Orton slung Gable in position for the Draping DDT through the middle rope. Orton was about to nail Gable with an RKO, but Harper got on the apron to confront Orton which led to the finish.

·        After the match was over, Orton and Harper got into a shoving match. Bray Wyatt tried to calm his boys down but he suffered an inadvertent kick to the stomach by Harper. Wyatt whispered something to both men before they exited the ring.

·        The Wyatt Family falling apart at the seams is one of the best aspects of SD Live. Orton is tearing the family apart from within and it’s only a matter of time until he shows his true colors. Harper sees The Viper for who he truly is, but Wyatt is still wearing blinders. Or is he? We shall find out soon enough. In any event, their impending doom needs to take place in its own universe where they are not chasing championship gold silver which waters down the babyface pop of their opponents.

·        Daniel Bryan announced that Alexa Bliss will defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch inside a steel cage next week. According to Bryan, La Luchadora will not be able to interfere. With all due respect to the SD Live General Manager, he is an idiot. Has Bryan seen steel cage matches throughout WWE history? There is bound to be outside interference. La Luchadora can scale the cage, enter through the door if it’s unsecured, and hide under the ring before the cage is lowered. Despite his reasoning being seriously flawed, Lynch and Bliss have the potential to have a good match inside the cage. Their championship bouts have not been barn burners, but I expect both ladies to show up and show out next Tuesday.

·        Carmella vs. CJ Lunde was rough in spots. James Ellsworth grabbed Lunde’s foot on a couple of occasions which allowed Carmella to lock in the Code of Silence for the win. The transition leading up to her finisher was ugly, but the storyline of Carmella using Ellsworth in order to pick up cheap wins against enhancement talent is a fun secondary storyline.

·        AJ Styles owned the commentary team when he told them that Baron Corbin dropped Cena with a Sidewalk Slam instead of The Deep Six.  I knew my eyes weren’t deceiving me. 50 points are awarded to the House of Styles for getting them together even though I have a soft spot for Mauro Ranallo.

·        John Cena made an example out of Baron Corbin as he dropped him with an AA for the win. It was a solid match, but it was nothing special in the grand scheme of things. After Corbin’s stellar month, he suffered a setback by losing to Cena. If WWE is trying to build him up as a main eventer, this is not the way to do it.

·        AJ Styles could have gotten involved to make sure the match ended via Disqualification to keep Corbin’s heel heat. Instead, Cena beat The Lone Wolf clean as a sheet to build momentum heading into the WWE Championship match against Styles at the Royal Rumble. Corbin had moments to shine during the match, but eating the pin did more harm than good in terms of his current push. Perhaps he can track down Kalisto and attack him backstage next week because that is the only person he can beat decisively. He might have to get in line behind Dolph Ziggler, but I digress…

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live was decent. It wasn’t a great show from an in-ring standpoint, but several storylines were forwarded in a meaningful way. The creative team has shown great restraint when it comes to milking feuds leading up to major PPVs. There are a handful of rematches that take place from time to time, but it is never monotonous in nature.

·        Despite Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss facing off for the fourth time, the outcome has never been definitive and their feud still feels fresh. However, it probably needs to come to an end soon because Lynch is starting to lose a little steam based on crowd reactions as of late. Bliss’ heel character is clicking, but her in-ring game needs more refinement. Next week’s steel cage match is going to be a good test for her. Let’s hope she passes with flying colors.

·        With two more live shows until the Royal Rumble, expect more SD Live wrestlers to announce their entry into the Rumble match. Throw in the drama with Nikki Bella vs. Natalya, The Wyatt Family vs. Randy Orton, Ambrose vs. The Miz, Ziggler vs. The World, and Cena vs. Styles; the main event scene is firing on all cylinders at the moment. If the Tag Team Division can join in on the party, the blue brand will be red hot heading into WrestleMania season.  Fingers crossed!

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The SmackDown Files. I hope you enjoyed it and I will back next week with a brand new installment of The Raw Exposé. See you later, boys and girls! 

The SmackDown Files: The Wild Card Jamboree Hootenanny Finals Spectacular (12-27-2016)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to the final installment of The SmackDown Files for 2016. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. WWE completed their two-night stand in the Windy City as they treated fans to SD Live’s Wild Card Finals. Three Championship Matches were on tap including The Four Corners Elimination Match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship featuring The Wyatt Family vs. The Usos vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. American Alpha; Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch for the SD Women’s Championship, and AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship.

Did we crown new champions or will everything remain the status quo heading into 2017? What role did John Cena play during the Finals extravaganza? The answer to these questions can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of SD Live in no particular order.

·        John Cena is the WWE equivalent of Geppetto minus the AARP street cred. The Chicago crowd can be brutal, but he turned those jeers into cheers and even sparked tension between the Cubs and White Sox fans which worked in his favor as well.

·        He previewed tonight’s Championship Spectacular and even did an impromptu poll on who will walk out WWE Champion. The fans were unanimously behind AJ Styles which played into Cena’s announcement.

·        The winner of the Triple Threat Match will go on to face Cena at the Royal Rumble. The crowd was not pleased with this news, but Cena noted that he can do it because his name is John Cena. And with that, he dropped the mic to wrap up the opening segment.

·        This was a hot way to kick off the final SD Live of 2016. With Cena back in the main event fold, business is about to pick up to quote Good Ol’ JR.

·        That was a rough spill for Heath Slater as he got dropped with a Superkick by Jimmy Uso as he and Rhyno were eliminated from the Four Corners Elimination Tag Team Championship match.

·        In a stunning upset, American Alpha defeated The Wyatt Family to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions. The ending caught everyone off guard when Orton accidently knocked Luke Harper off the ring apron which played into the finish.

·        Jason Jordan did a running charge into the corner to wear down Orton before setting up Grand Amplitude for the win. Orton and Harper bickered in the ring while American Alpha celebrated on the main stage.

·        American Alpha vs. The Wyatt Family was good, but it didn’t feel like it was the right time to for a title change.

·        Chad Gable did a great job playing the babyface in peril as Harper and Orton worked over his lower back until he made the hot tag to Jordan. The fans were clamoring for Orton to hit an RKO out of nowhere, but their wish was never granted. This probably explains their somewhat muted response when American Alpha won the Tag Team Titles.

·        The reaction was nice, but it wasn’t a cathartic moment like Alpha’s win against The Revival at NXT Takeover: Dallas earlier this year. American Alpha will bring some much-needed credibility to the Tag Team Division, but it will take time as fans are still warming up to their act. Their in-ring prowess will win them over if they are given the right opponents to face.

·        It appears that The Usos will fill that spot after The Wyatt Family exercise their rematch clause.

·        The tension between Harper and Orton has reared its ugly head after their skirmish. Whether it was intentional or not, Harper is still leery of Orton because he thinks The Viper is wearing sheep’s clothing in his quest to destroy The Wyatt Family from within.

·        It’s a plausible theory and it should be interesting to see if Orton plans to smooth things over with his new found brothers. If he does, it might be another ploy to lull them into a false sense of security. This cat and mouse game has done a complete 180 since their jump the shark moment a couple of months ago. It’s a testament to the writers and talent for righting the ship and making this the most intriguing storyline on SD Live.

·        Alexa Bliss successfully defended her SmackDown’s Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch thanks to an assist from La Luchadora II. The masked lady came down to the ring and distracted Lynch when Bliss dislocated her shoulder. It was a gnarly visual that allowed La Luchadora to ram Lynch’s head into the second turnbuckle behind the referee’s back. Bliss snapped her shoulder back in place and nailed Lynch with a DDT for the win.

·        Prior to the outside interference, Bliss and Lynch had a solid match. However, it lacked fluidity and crispness which disrupted the flow of the match at times. Their feud is not stale yet, but their series of championship bouts have not lived up to expectations. Both ladies need a signature match to push things over the top from a wrestling and storytelling standpoint. Until that happens, they will stay in the neutral zone which is disappointing considering the potential Bliss has shown in recent months.

·        Bliss’ best moment came during the Six Pack Challenge at Backlash to crown the first SmackDown Women’s Champion. Here’s hoping that she taps into that well again because she is capable of being a great heel who can back it up on the mic and in the ring.

·        As for Lynch, she has to be the ring general who doesn’t overcomplicate things inside the squared circle. She showed nice aggression tonight, but that needs to be on full display if she is going to hold up her end of the bargain. Ultimately, it boils down to how the match is booked which will allow both ladies to shine. It’s not too late, but the clock is ticking.

·        The mystery surrounding La Luchadora II is an interesting one. We can safely say that it’s not Sasha Banks or Nia Jax. I guess we shall find who’s under the mask soon enough.

·        The Triple Threat WWE Championship Match featuring AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler, and Baron Corbin was outstanding. Corbin had a star-making performance which should help his cause heading into 2017. He held his own and the double team spots featuring all three men was awesome. The leg drop/elbow drop combo by Styles and Ziggler as they drove Corbin through the announce table was especially great.

·        Ziggler and Styles had a great back and forth exchange that featured sick counters and great near falls as Ziggler almost had Styles beat with a Superkick.

·        Corbin made his way back into the ring as he dropped Ziggler with the Deep Six followed by the awesome End of Days/Zig Zag combo with Styles eating the former while Corbin took Ziggler’s finisher for a near fall.  That was a tremendous spot.

·        Corbin eventually dropped Ziggler with End of Days, but he couldn’t make the pin because Styles drilled him with The Phenomenal Forearm and covered Ziggler for the 1-2-3.

·        After the match was over, John Cena ran down to the ring to shake Styles’ hand. Styles was reluctant at first, but he eventually shook Cena’s hand. Both men exchanged words as SD Live went off the air with Styles celebrating in the ring while Cena mouthed a fair warning to his Royal Rumble opponent from the main stage.

·        Styles turned in another great performance, but Ziggler and Corbin deserve credit for bringing their A-Game as well. This was an emphatic way to end the year and I tip my cap to all three men for a job well done. 

·        Styles and Cena will face off for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. The promos leading up to the title bout should be great and the actual match ought to be spectacular as well. This is a stone cold lock for match of the night if everything goes according to plan.

·        The Rumble is shaping up to be stacked show with the blue brand delivering the goods on the main event front. This was a fitting way to end the calendar year for WWE with SD Live firing on all cylinders heading into WrestleMania season. Here’s hoping their red counterpart will get their shit together heading into the New Year as well. Fingers crossed!

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live was very good. The Wild Card Finals exceeded expectations as all three championship matches held the show together from start to finish.

·        Secondary storylines were forwarded backstage as Carmella continued her romantic pursuit of James Ellsworth (I am not making this up), Dean Ambrose attacked The Miz during his interview with Renee Young, and Nikki Bella defended herself after Natalya showed her true colors last week. These plotlines will continue to unravel as we head into the first week of 2017. 

·        Plus, Miz and Ambrose will face off for the Intercontinental Championship next week as SD Live emanates from Jacksonville, Florida. Here’s hoping they have a better outing than the one they had a few weeks ago.

·        SD Live is staving off the Winter Blues by turning in several good shows in recent weeks. They are keeping things fresh which gives fans a reason to tune in on Tuesday nights. With five weeks to go until the Royal Rumble, expect things to get even hotter as we get closer to the first major PPV of the year. Let the games begin!

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The SmackDown Files. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back next week with a brand installment of The Raw Exposé to kick off 2017. Happy New Year, boys and girls!