SmackTalk 10.10.14: SmackDown Fifteenth Anniversay

If I could I’d start this post by making note of some of my favourite SmackDown memories from the past fifteen years. With it being an anniversary show it seems the appropriate thing to do. Unfortunately I can’t remember anything that wasn’t highlight by WWE during the show. That’s mostly due to SmackDown being the number two show for the majority of its life.

In fact the only thing I feel that’s worth mentioning here is that the first regular episode of SmackDown aired in the US on 26 August 1999. That means WWE are close to two months late with this fifteenth anniversary celebration. And, for the record, that wasn’t even the first episode of SmackDown. The first episode had been recorded and aired as a special in April ’99. I’d understand WWE ignoring that date in favour of the show’s debut as a weekly fixture, but I can’t say the same about this random October date.

But this isn’t the first time WWE have changed facts and figures for their own needs. It won’t be the last either. What was nice about the show was that WWE managed to capture the general pointlessness the programme has in 2014 and turn it into something worth celebrating. Truly they are masters of turning nothing into something (albeit something forgettable and entirely skippable).

The show kicked off with a video package filled with fast cuts between memorable SmackDown moments. Included were a generic Edge and Christian bit; some double posing from Triple H and Hulk Hogan; a face-off between Hogan and Brock Lesnar; Rock’s sliding People’s Elbow on The British Bulldog (it wasn’t clear that it was Bulldog, but it was); Schwarzenegger holding a replica title belt over his head and grinning; Rhino goring Chris Jericho through the stage set; Bischoff swerving the universe at the Billy and Chuck wedding by peeling off a fake face (which is particularly strange taken out of the wedding context as it was here); Cody throwing Sandow's briefcase into water and Sandow leaping in after it; Eddie Guerrero doing a frog splash off a cage (I can’t remember who took it, for which I can only apologise); Cena debuting opposite Kurt Angle; the Lesnar-Big Show ring explosion; Austin blowing up the DX Express; Rock making Coach dance the Charleston; and Undertaker parodying himself with the "Buckle up Teddy!" line. After that the video rattled through shots of Austin, Rock, Undertaker, DX, Jericho and others on SmackDown, presumably to remind us that the show was once pretty relevant.

Sadly there was no "Tag match, playa!" But we'd get to that. In fact we’d get back to many of the clips shown here. WWE replayed many of them later in the show in a series of celebratory reminders which, again, seemed designed to remind people that things used to happen on SmackDown.

In the arena it was Stephanie McMahon who got the show started. She was introduced not only as a principle owner but also the first ever SmackDown GM. As she strode to the ring Michael Cole informed us that when SmackDown first aired JBL was still wrestling and Tom Philips was ten years-old. Naturally he avoided revealing that when SmackDown first aired he was being humiliated by The Rock on a weekly basis.

Stephanie mentioned Rock coining the term SmackDown and losing to Triple H on the debut episode. Then she got interrupted by John Laurinaitis. The initial reaction to him was (understandably) uninspired but a nice “People power!” chant started up as soon as his music cut. Big Johnny said he'd been researching (though he didn't say what) on the WWE Network and had some matches he wanted to make. He didn't get to reveal them because Teddy Long came out, to a much louder reaction than Laurinaitis had received. JBL got up to dance and shake Teddy's hand. The crowd broke out in a “Teddy!” chant. Children wept with happiness. Women screamed out their love and adoration. Men shouted that they aspired to one day be as charismatic, powerful, and downright cool as Teddy Long. WWE were fools to release the man. He's money.

"Tag match, playa!"

Teddy and Johnny had a little back and forth (including Teddy nonsensically cramming in the line "The proof is in the playa") before Johnny announced a tag match. Teddy upped it to a six man tag match. Laurinaitis jumped it to a ten man tag. Teddy stacked it up further still, settling on a fifteen man tag match. It took him an age to run through the teams. I’m sure this as a joke at his expense, and that the segment was edited heavily.

Steph added the stip that the two men would captain the teams. The winning team would earn their captain the title of Best GM Ever. She put over the night’s Miz TV and then Adam Rose danced out to wish SmackDown a happy birthday and tell Stephanie to be a Rosebud. Stephanie booked him in a match with Kane. The three GMs danced into a break for some mid-2000s SmackDown surrealism.

The evening’s first glance to the past video played. It focused on the main event of the first episode, Triple H defending the WWF world championship against The Rock. It ended with guest referee super kicking ‘The Brahma Bull’ in the face, allowing his buddy to recover and hit a Pedigree for the win. I have never seen this match because Sky took a while to start airing SmackDown. I’ve seen enough Rock v Triple H matches to assume it was good.

After a break Kane came out. He was not wearing a vest, sadly. He listed some of the things he's not (a cheeseburger, a bunny, a lemon, a Rosebud) and said that what he is is a party pooper. Obviously he did this because those things were in Rise's entourage, but listing what he's not should be a new Kane gimmick. Basically, I want Kane to be made as peculiar and strange as possible. He no longer makes sense in any way as a character. WWE should embrace that.

‘The Big Red Machine’ won quickly with a choke slam. It was Rose’s first loss, pretty impressive when you consider how long he’s been on TV without a serious push behind him. He can now fulfil his destiny and become a jobber to the stars. After the match Kane punched, kicked and choke slammed a number of the Rosebuds. He nearly got his hands on the bunny, but it got away.

Blast from the past vid number two saw Kurt Angle issuing an open challenge to any young guy in the back wanting a shot at him. Because he was a big star in a big company back then, and a competitive match against him was a big deal. Cena lost the match, although WWE omitted that fact because these days Cena has to be shown as all powerful, not someone who’d lose to cleanly to a guy who no longer works for the company. Rikishi, Ron Simmons, and, most significantly, then-WWE champion Undertaker were booked to congratulate him afterwards. Ron said Cena would go far. He is wrestling’s Nostradamus.

Match two saw AJ Lee wrestle Alicia Fox. It was another short match. AJ won when she got picked up for a slam and countered into a Black Widow. Paige attacked after the match but AJ quickly dispatched her and skipped off.

The third recap focused on big stunts. Included was footage of Eddie Guerrero leaping off a cage (again); Jeff vaulting from one ladder over another ladder and going through a table; Rey Mysterio's debut jumping off a cage onto the UnAmericans; Kane jumping off a turnbuckle onto the New Age Outlaws during an inferno match; Mark Henry breaking into a cage; Mark Henry awkwardly jumping off the second rope through a table (probably edited to fool people not paying attention into thinking Henners did a top of the cage splash through a table); The Shield triple power bombing The Undertaker through a table; Stephanie slapping Linda; Rhino Goring Jericho through the set (again); and Lesnar superplexing Big Show to collapse the ring (again).

Kofi's face equals pain.

That was followed by Seth Rollins v Kofi Kingston. Rollins had Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble with him at ringside. Which gives me a chance to talk about their status as the New Stooges. Basically, I’m all for this. Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco received a sort of second career when they became Vince McMahon’s stooges in 1998, and it’s arguably what they’re most remembered for now. I like the idea of Triple H having a similar relationship with Noble and Mercury, two guys who were always competent but never especially over during their runs as active wrestlers.

Rollins versus Kingston was not the first match you'd probably expect. Rollins controlled the bulk of the encounter and kept the pace slow. Early foray to ringside and brief Kofi comeback aside there was nothing much to see. Rollins won with a buckle bomb and a Curb Stomp.

That was followed by a Wyatt Family video. It focused on Luke Harper having been fixed and getting sent out into the world. I think splitting the trio is a mistake. You can read a lengthy explanation here, but basically Harper and Rowan are more likely to be booked, and booked relatively prominently, if they remain affiliated, even loosely, with Bray.  

Another recap followed that. The topic was Money in the Bank cash-ins. It was an odd choice as there were only two to show. The first was Edge’s World Heavyweight title win over ‘Taker, one night after he’d defeated original Money in the Bank contract holder Mr Kennedy for the briefcase. The second saw Jack Swagger cashing in on Jericho to win his one and only world title.

Everybody taps.

Ziggler v Rusev was preceded by the obligatory replay of The Rock's surprise appearance on RAW. The match was, by the standards of Rusev's TV appearances, a competitive affair. Ziggler sold for a while before making a comeback with a corner splash and a Fameasser. Rusev weathered those, blocked a super kick, then hit a super kick of his own and applied The Accolade for the tap out victory.

Afterwards Lana laid into Philadelphia (hey, you gotta get that cheap heat) and The Rock. Rusev said Rock would pay for what he'd done and also challenged Big Show to face him on RAW, promising to crush him. I expect that will be more angle than match. The natural place for that bout is Hell in a Cell (the show, not the gimmick).

A reminder that Steve Austin and Booker T once brawled around a supermarket came next. I hated this segment at the time. It was a funny enough premise but it dragged. I’m sure the unedited version lasts around five minutes, which is a painful amount of time to watch two men hit each other with groceries.

The Rock, Triple H and Stephanie were shown meeting up backstage after RAW. It started with awkward, unamusing smalltalk. They reminisced about the first SmackDown main event. Rock brought up how amazing it would be for them to have one more match at a WrestleMania. Both thought they'd win, obvs. The segment ended with Triple H telling Stephanie Rock was cheap for never picking up a cheque. It took a while to get going but it ended up being pretty enjoyable.

For the record I think WWE could do worse than a Triple H versus Rock match at WrestleMania 31 or 32. The most interesting thing about the idea, to me, is that even though they feuded on and off for years they never had a singles match at a WrestleMania. In fact, the only match they had at a 'Mania was a four-way elimination including Mick Foley and Big Show which saw ‘The Great One’ and ‘The Game’ as the final two. Promoted as their final ever confrontation, with videos put together to remind us that their feud was a constant as they progressed from the middle to the top of the roster and included dozens of TV and pay-per-view confrontations, I think it could be a big nostalgia attraction. That said, I think it would be better to have both men facing younger guys.

Back in the arena Michael Cole showed a (sloppily made) cake with the SmackDown logo on it. JBL chucked it over Tom Phillips and everyone had a good laugh. Well, Cole and Layfield did. The audience chuckled humourlessly. I rolled my eyes. The eye-rolling stopped when Booker T was introduced as a guest commentator for the main event. His first sentence on the headsets included the words “shucky ducky quack quack”. I’d be completely fine if JBL were only on RAW and Booker was left to handle SmackDown again.

The final flashback video showed highlights of the episode of SmackDown where Austin psyched out the McMahon-Helmsley faction. They went out the ring to call him out, foolishly leaving their tour bus unattended. ‘Stone Cold’ took that opportunity to hijack a crane and blow the bus up. Natch.

Match-wise Team Teddy versus Team Johnny was the main event. Teddy team was comprised of Sheamus, Mark Henry, Jack Swagger, the Usos, Los Matadores, and El Torito. Big Johnny’s was comprised of Cesaro, Bo Dallas, Stardust, Goldust, Damien Mizdow, Slater Gator, and Mini Gator.

It was the longest match of the night by a wide margin. It had time to be good but there were too many guys involved for it to accomplish that. Everyone seemed to settle on making it inoffensive and they managed it. And if that doesn’t perfectly sum up fifteen years of SmackDown I don’t know what does.

Dives are always good for a pop.

Jimmy Uso was kept in the ring to play babyface in peril for a while. During this time there was a loud “We want Mizdow!” chant and extended cheers when he tagged in. When Jimmy finally managed to make the tag it was to Sheamus. He blasted through the majority of his opposition and a sequence of Big Spots™ kicked off. Shaymo lined up Cesaro, Stardust and Slater to give them all his ten punch spot. The babyface tag teams hit some dives. Henry went to hit a World’s Strongest Slam on Bo but found himself sent tumbling over the top rope. Bo then power bombed El Torito onto a gaggle of guys hanging around at ringside. The ending saw Mizdow tag in and try an SCF on ‘Great White’, only to be rammed into the turnbuckle, slump to the mat, and take the match-wnning top rope splash from an Uso. Let's say it was Jey.

After another Wyatt video, this one focusing on Erick Rowan (described as a big child) it was time for the main event promo segment. Before introducing his guests Miz announced that the Ambrose v Cena match at Hell in Cell will not just be for a Cell match with Rollins. It will also be a contract on a pole match. Maybe Russo, free of the constraints of working for TNA, has returned to WWE to book pole matches. But probably not.

Ambrose kicked things off by saying he attacked Cena on RAW to show that it doesn't matter who he is or what he’s accomplished: nobody crosses Dean Ambrose. Anyone that crosses him gets hunted down. He also made it clear that he wants Rollins inside the Hell in a Cell because Rollins crossed him. Which was a good move: it would have been all too easy for the focus of the segment to be Cena and Ambrose's match, when it should have been about the hatred both have for Rollins and their reasons for wanting him. Which is what ended up happening, unfortunately. But hey, Ambrose tried.

Cena immediately did his best to undercut Ambrose by being patronising, telling him he was impressed. Apparently he listens to the reactions everyone gets and watches every segment of every show. Which is probably true, but it could make him sound a little paranoid about the safety of his spot. He said Ambrose has "it", that mythical, undefinable quality that separates the massively successful wrestlers from their peers? No. A pair of baseballs, which Cena pulled from his pocket. Presumably they were there to represent testicles, a shorthand for tenacity and determination in wrestling.

How else was WWE going to close their fifteenth anniversary SmackDown show?

Cena yammered a bit more putting himself over and saying he likes his chances at Hell in a Cell. Miz asked Ambrose if he likes his chances against Cena. Ambrose’s response: "Yep." Cena said he'd see Ambrose at HIAC. Miz stopped him and tried to stir things up between them. The faces gave Miz a beating. Cena quickly hoisted 'The Awesome One' up for an AA but decided to put him down and let Ambrose hit the double arm DDT instead... after which Ambrose took an AA.

As a wrestling show, this episode of SmackDown was subpar. Only one segment did anything for the next pay-per-view and only one match lasted more than five minutes, and it wasn’t very good. But as a celebration of SmackDown’s fifteen year history it worked. Teddy Long, John Laurinaitis and Booker T were all used effectively and everything about the self-contained story of the episode (the battle of the former GMs) screamed inconsequential filler. And if that’s not SmackDown for most of the past fifteen years, I don’t know what is.

NXTweet 28.08.14

A new episode of NXT with a new general manager announced. Tweets about that, plus more, here!

The Ascension v Two random guys who weren’t named

Tweet 1: SmackDown? No. NXT? Yes. Now.

Tweet 2: It feels like The Ascension only ever wrestle in openers these days.
Tweet 3: nWo T-shirt in the crowd there. There's always one...
Tweet 4: Didn't catch the name of these guys The Ascension are demolishing. It doesn't matter.
Tweet 5: The one who has a bit of a Justin Lee Collins look to him has a nice singlet though.
Tweet 6: And... that's that. Didn't last long.
Tweet 7: Viktor's got a microphone. Yikes!
Tweet 8: I remember Konnor talked about having a rat face on the original NXT format. Del Rio was still about then too. #goodtimes

Two grown men roaring.

William Regal is announced as the new NXT GM

Tweet 9: Mild pop and a chant for Regal being announced as the new NXT GM. The building would've fallen apart if that had been announced in Britain.

Tweet 10: If Alexander Rusev and Antonio Cesaro are anything to go by Vince is going to be denying Adrian Neville his first name at some point.
Tweet 11: "Nobody would get their ass kicked by a man called Adrian, dammit!"
Tweet 12: Tyson Kidd wearing his confusing hoodie there.
Tweet 13: Tyson Kidd has a slight lisp. Never noticed it before. It's adorable.

Tyson wears the same clothes every week. Like a tramp.

Tweet 14: "Every single person deserves a title shot ahead of him, including his wife" - Tyler Breeze on Tyson Kidd. I loled.
Tweet 15: Love Neville being the only guy in a suit and everyone else being in their wrestling gear.
Tweet 16: There we are. That was a long way of announcing a main event match. Breeze and Regal having a chat afterwards was the highlight.

William Regal reveals the episode’s main event to Devin Taylor

Tweet 17: Regal doing a backstage interview where he acts like having a tag match involving four-way opponents is a new thing.

Tweet 18:  Teddy Long was pulling that trick years ago. And it was old hat then.

Sasha Banks v Bayley

Tweet 19: What is Sasha Banks's character without the BFFs?

Tweet 20: "Bayley knows she belongs to be here" - Tensai Bloom, talking nonsense
Tweet 21: Whenever Alex Riley is referred to just by his surname I think of Riley Finn from Buffy.
Tweet 22: Renee Young. *swoons*
Tweet 23: What did we learn from that speech? That Bayley is a cat hanging in there.

So, this story's going to end with an accepting handshake before Charlkotte goes all main roster, right?

Tweet 24: Charlotte's woooooo was limp. So was her attempt at using her dad's trick of shouting at the crowd.
Tweet 25: "I don't even WANT hug!" - Bayley
Tweet 26: What did we learn from Charlotte's appearance? Nothing. We already knew she was trying and failing to be her dad.

Angelo Dawkins v Bull Dempsey

Tweet 27: Angelo's energetic dancing is not deemed good enough to be prioritised on TV. Bull promos are more important.

Tweet 28: Bull Dempsey apparently grew up watching the guys like Murdoch. Trevor?
Tweet 29: That was a match.

The Legionnaires talk to Devin Taylor

Tweet 30: Sylvester Lefort rocking a Razor Ramon look there.

Tweet 31: #French

Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn v Tyson Kidd and Tyler Breeze

Tweet 32: Regal set this tag match up earlier in the show. Who starts a one hour wrestling show without a main event prepared. Poor planning.

Tweet 33: Why doesn't Tyler Breeze have a move called Blue Steel?
Tweet 34: Maybe Nev was wearing a suit so he could avoid wandering about in trunks and a T-shirt. That's Randy Orton's look.

Tyson Kidd doing a kick. Fun stuff.

Tweet 35: Disappointment in Zayn's career? No. Not even in kayfabe terms.
Tweet 36: Cena level spot calling from Nev on that Breeze super kick.
Tweet 37: Can't wait till Sting signs with WWE and joins NXT.
Tweet 38: Alex Riley just called the Michinoku driver a big slam. Get him off the commentary team.
Tweet 39: In fact, just fire him altogether. He offers nothing.
Tweet 40: Breeze dodging that Helluva kick was slick.
Tweet 41: Tyson Kidd pinning the NXT champion makes me think he won't win the title at Takeover 2.
Tweet 42: That was always going to be a good match considering who was involved. Solid final three minutes.
Tweet 43: Zayn staring at the belt like it's not ugly. That takes talent.

NXTweet 14.08.14

Comments from Twitter on the most recent episode of NXT, collated here for your ease and-or enjoyment. Please enjoy at your leisure.

Intro

Tweet 1: Gonna tweet some NXT, innit...

Tweet 2: Recap of that Zayn v Breeze match from Takeover. Even with the iffy finish it was great.
Tweet 3: Plus, y'know, Regal's commentary.
Tweet 4: Instead of releasing Teddy Long they should've made him a referee in NXT. Only officiating tag matches, naturally.

Mojo Rawley and Bull Dempsey v The Vaudevillains

Tweet 5: Bull Dempsey: yes. Mojo Rawley: no.

Tweet 6: Nojo Rawley.
Tweet 7: I love that The Vaudevillains are so over.

NXT doesn't get much better than this.

Tweet 8: Bull Dempsey is "the last of the old warriors"? That's got to get a lol.
Tweet 9: Renee Young likes everything Bull stands for. Get a room, Renee.
Tweet 10: It couldn't have been more obvious that Bull was going to turn on Mojo there. Still funny though.
Tweet 11: Crowd chanting "Thank you, Bull!"
Tweet 12: What we've learned from this match is that The Vaudevillains are massively over and nobody likes Mojo Rawley. Both good things.

Sasha Banks and Bayley backstage

Tweet 13: "What you should do is go back to Lala Land" - Sasha Banks to Bayley. I mention this as I think Bayley should be announced from Lala Land

Tweet 14: That Slam City advert. Cena keeps the WWE title in a draw and The Rock sounds nothing like The Rock. Tremendous.

Bayley v Sasha Banks

Tweet 15: Bayley is like Emma before she went all thiefy.

Tweet 16: That "Bayley's gonna hug you!" chant.
Tweet 17: That was the slickest mat wrestling pin exchange I can remember seeing in WWE for a long time. Slick stuff yo.
Tweet 18: Suggestion to the WWE seamstress team: make Bayley's tights busier.

If Breeze and Neville hadn't headlined this probs would've been match of the night.

Tweet 19: Tom Phillips calling Sasha cold blooded has made me think of Matt Hardy. That's definitely not your job, Tom.
Tweet 20: I'd enjoy it a lot if WWE re-signed Matt and made him restart in NXT. I'd enjoy him becoming an NXT trainer a lot less.
Tweet 21: Not that I think either's on the cards.
Tweet 22: What was the point of that 'Cold Blooded' nickname he was pushing? If it was to do anything but make people laugh it was a fail.
Tweet 23: Sasha's backstabber into a crossface was beautiful. Nice counter pin finish too. I liked that match a lot.
Tweet 24: Wouldn't be surprised if Bayley won the women's championship to free Charlotte up for a move to the main roster.
Tweet 25: They want something for Flair to do. Managing his daughter is good an idea as any.

Sin Cara and Kalisto v Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake

Tweet 26: Sin Cara and Kalisto's team name should be Carlisto.

Tweet 27: Kalisto standing on the rope pumping his arms like a madman makes him look like El Torito. Maybe get a minis division going so they can feud.
Tweet 28: Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy. Me neither...
Tweet 29: Murphy looks like a short, young Undertaker. Their tights have a Rockers feel.
Tweet 30: Sin Cara mentoring Kalisto. Because Cara's had so much success and should definitely be mentoring guys. #kayfabe
Tweet 31: Sin Cara just botched a clothesline. Doesn't matter who's under the mask, the character always botches. Just go full JT Smith with it.
Tweet 32: What had Blake and Murphy done to get into that tournament? Guess we'll never know.

Team Carlisto.

The Legionnaires speak at Devin Taylor

Tweet 33: Meanwhile The Legionnaires are pushing a rivalry with Enzo and Big Cass.

Tweet 34: And speaking with French accents that wouldn't be out of place in 'Allo, 'Allo, natch.

NXT championship: Adrian Neville (c) v Tyler Breeze

Tweet 35: Can Mike Dalton become the NXT champion?

Tweet 36: I'm surprised, and pleased, that WWE haven't recycled John Morrison's old parkour gimmick for Adrian Neville.
Tweet 37: #seasonalresidence
Tweet 38: Nobody's ever going to have a seasonal residence in Newcastle.
Tweet 39: Tyson Kidd standing on the desk, there. Because why not, I guess?
Tweet 40: As usual Tyson is plastered in makeup. Not a good-looking man, clearly.
Tweet 41: Pretty sure Kidd is wearing a non-merch hoodie. If so I approve.
Tweet 42: Maybe Nev should invest in some slightly larger trunks. #justsaying

Standing shooting star press from Nev, there.

Tweet 43: "The land of no return!" - Byron Saxton on the top rope
Tweet 44: That tornado DDT and the way Nev sold it is one of the best things I've seen this year.
Tweet 45: Tyson's hoodie has his name written on it so I assume it is merch. Pity.
Tweet 46: Storyline-wise Nev totally brought on that Tyson interference. He super kicked the guy for no reason. Perhaps he didn't have a ticket...
Tweet 47: Kidd, Nev and Breeze having a three-way ruck is "chaos" apparently.
Tweet 48: Zayn makes the save. If this were a SmackDown episode from a few years back Teddy Long would be making a tag match about now.

SmackTalk 18.01.13

How many times can WWE present the same bunch of situations in more or less the same way? That seems to be what the promotion's writing team are trying to discover with SmackDown. It's becoming a thoroughly predictable show.
 
Case in point: this week's episode featured a six man tag team match putting tag team champions Team Hell No and Randy "I've got a beard and I'm not afraid to use it" Orton against Wade Barrett and The Rhodes Scholars. We've seen variations on this bout for well over a month now, with the Scholars, Kane and Bryan providing the regular backbone of the bouts. Wade Barrett’s joined them at least once before. It makes for dull programming.

The reason WWE’s booking these six man tags is sound enough. It’s to keep the feud between Team Hell No and the Rhodes Scholars bubbling away. It’s not a bad way of keeping things going it’s not a particularly good way either.

More variety with the singles guys could help but what would be even better would be for the two tag teams to be booked in in-ring promo segments. All four are perfectly good enough to make such a segment work. With RAW still chugging away with its bloated three hour run time it’s not as though there’s no place to fit something like that into the schedule.

The same problem is occurring with hints at Randy Orton’s heel turn. This week’s SmackDown got two little additions to that upcoming event. The first was the group hug he endured after his six man tag win. The second was a verbal disagreement backstage with Sheamus.

A slow approach to someone turning heel is a good thing. I’m not complaining about WWE foreshadowing the turn and presenting compelling and logical reasons for ‘The Viper’ to go bad. What I am against, however, is every TV show they promote adding to the story. It feels forced.

It wasn’t all negative though. Alberto Del Rio did a great job working a more fan friendly style and encouraging fans to back him. The interaction between he and Dolph Ziggler in the tag team main event were particularly enjoyable too.

Intro video

Tweet 1: I'm going to watch SmackDown. Join me!

Tweet 2: Tonight on SmackDown.... The Rock. Again.
Tweet 3: And... Alberto Del Rio holding a belt. Can you bear the excitement? Can you?!

Fiesta Del Rio

Tweet 4: Fiesta Del Rio. Is that a car?

Tweet 5: SmackDown should start like this every week.
Tweet 6: Albertoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Delllllllllllllllllll Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooooooooo!!
Tweet 7: Something I've noticed about ADR: his hair never gets any longer or shorter. He's been on TV for two years and he's never had a haircut.
Tweet 8: Will Del Rio's Latin hero gimmick make him a heel in Canada? I hope so.

Ricardo is rocking that bow tie!

Tweet 9: Ziggler needs to take better care of that briefcase.
Tweet 10: Big Show's not wearing a hoodie. He's got a tent stapled to his head.
Tweet 11: Sheamus isn't walk in a straight line. I'm taking that as a sign that he's drunk.
Tweet 12: Del Rio's a face now so Sheamus has forgiven him for attempting to crush his skull with a car bonnet. #WWEbabyfacearmy
Tweet 13: I'm beginning to think Booker's have a match with Big Show sometime fairly soon. I can't imagine it will be pleasant.
Tweet 14: A tag team match being made by the SmackDown GM? #revolutionary
Tweet 15: That segment was excruciatingly bad.

Antonio Cesaro v Kofi Kingston

Tweet 16: Antonio Cesaro. Heeeey!!

Tweet 17: #flagheat
Tweet 18: Nice spot to get into the Neutralizer there. What's happened to Kofi's push?
Tweet 19: The most he can hope for right now is to be booked to do a handstand in the Rumble. Oh wait... that happened last year.

The Great Khali v Tensai

Tweet 20: Khali can't even walk convincingly!!

Tweet 21: What point did Big E prove, Josh? He proved he could beat a midget. He's a powerful man!
Tweet 22: How is Tensai v Khali like watching two Transformers fight?

Randy Orton and Team Hell No backstage

Tweet 23: Randy Orton is interested in pain. Lots of pain.

Tweet 24: Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton hugging? I don't think SmackDown can get much better than that.
Tweet 25: Daniel Bryan has the best entrance of the current WWE roster.

No?

Tweet 26: Josh has just claimed that the winner of the Royal Rumble match will "headline WrestleMania." That's not happened for years.
Tweet 27: That was a pretty quick six man. They could easily have done another five minutes. I suppose they need to make space for a Ryback squash.
Tweet 28: The group hug. Another step on the road to Randy Orton's heel turn.
Tweet 29: So when they said Rock would be on the show they actually meant they'd repeat his appearance from Monday's RAW? #cheap

The Miz v Primo (or Epico…)

Tweet 30: Forget what I said about Daniel Bryan's entrance. I think Rosa's is better.

Tweet 31: So who is Miz facing? Primo? I think Josh just said Primo.
Tweet 32: If they're going to push Miz as the new Flair he needs to be given championships. That's what will make the shtick stick.
Tweet 33: I think Primo just had a longer match than Orton, Bryan, Kane, Barrett and the Rhodes Scholars.
Tweet 34: And since when do people tap out to the figure four? Is this 1976?

Kaitlyn v Aksana

Tweet 35: Eve's left the company so there's no pay off to the months of storyline time devoted to her feud with Teddy Long.

Tweet 36: How do you get your new Divas champion over? Put her in the ring with a limited worker who wrestles once a month.
Tweet 37: And there we go. Kaitlyn wins. How thoroughly predictable. I'm looking forward to Layla's inevitable heel turn.
Tweet 38: Nice Hall of Fame video for Mick Foley.

The Shield video promo

Tweet 39: Remember when Dean Ambrose was going to get called up for a singles feud with Mick Foley? That idea’s been recycled into The Shield push.
Tweet 40: Why did The Shield leave their camera lying on the ground? It'll get stolen.

Big Show and Dolph Ziggler v Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio

Tweet 41: No televised entrance for Dolph. We know who the stars are...

Tweet 42: FELLAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
Tweet 43: Albertooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Dellllllllllllll Riiiiiiioooooo!!
Tweet 44: El champ is really embracing this Latin hero gimmick. I like the red, white and green gear. Nice touch.
Tweet 45: How do you know Del Rio is definitely a babyface? He's wearing white boots. #goodguyswearwhite
Tweet 46: I think ADR just did the most unconfident moonsault I've ever seen. I liked the backward roll recover though. Nicely done.
Tweet 47: Big Show is a stupid ring name. He should change it to Papa Rhino.

Papa Rhino

Tweet 48: Well... his boots are mostly white.
Tweet 49: Well... they have white on them.
Tweet 50: When is Papa Rhino going to buy new ring gear? He's had that camo singlet for years now. Change to something neon...
Tweet 51: To say Sheamus loves "being in the heat of battle" may be taking things a little far.
Tweet 52: Big Show jumping off the second rope reminds me of a Thwomp. Y'know, from the Mario games.
Tweet 53: ADR throws water over Big Show. WHY? And why did Ricardo have a bucket oover water at ringside?
Tweet 54: Papa Rhino walks out in disgust after having water thrown on him.
Tweet 55: The babyfaces win via count out. It is perhaps the stupidest match finish of all time.

Anti-Authority

Why is it that every wrestling promotion under the sun (well, the ones in North America at any rate) feels the need to clog up valuable minutes of air time with authority figures? WWE is the prime culprit. This year we've seen AJ Lee become the GM of RAW only to be fired a few months later for "inappropriate relations" with a talent, Booker T appointed as the new SmackDown boss with his assistants (Teddy Long and Eve) bickering and one-upping each other continually, and, of course, the entire John Laurinaitis saga. The latter was a holdover from one of last year's central stories.
 
While authority figure storylines are a WWE speciality they're not the only ones at it. Over the last few years TNA has become a pustule of unsightly continuity plots with match-making power tossed around seemingly at random between Sting, Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan and Dixie Carter. Not content to simply rotate established names through an existing job a new role was also created: GM of the Knockouts division. Designed exclusively as a way to get Brooke 'Hogan' Bollea onto television it's a move that hasn't improved Impact at all.
 
Even Ring of Honor, the company all about emphasising in-ring competition and downplaying frivolous stories (supposedly), has seen an above average amount of time dedicated to match-makers this year. Executive Producer Jim Cornette was the main rival of world champion Kevin Steen before being written off TV (because of his real life dismissal from the booking squad) to be replaced by Nigel McGuinness.
 
In 2012 there is no need for these figures to be featured so prominently. Yet they are. Their prominence is a holdover from the days of the Attitude Era, where the Mr McMahon character first gained notoriety and become a money draw. People had filled similar roles before, but never had they gotten over so well. Vince was so fantastically good at the heel owner shtick that the promotion’s writing team (which was installed during the Era’s latter years) became used to writing with such a character.

The man who started the trend

Authority figures have become a crutch to the WWE writers. They rely on them for easy storytelling and eliciting the desired reaction (usually boos or cheers) easily from fans. It’s a habit that needs to stop. Wrestling shows do not need weekly appearances from General Managers, Executive Producers, Managing Consultants, commissioners or any similar fictitious role.

That’s not to say that these roles should be done away with completely. There’s always a need for authority figures in wrestling. A GM, commissioner or owner is someone who can explain the storylines and book the matches on screen. It’s a good way of getting retired or limited performers (or over non-workers) onto television. They just shouldn’t be on every week talking for twenty minutes.

TNA, WWE and ROH are all just as guilty as one another when it comes to this. All three need to decrease the amount of time dedicated to these performers and start focusing on signing and pushing new acts whom they will be able to rely upon in the years to come. People won’t buy a pay-per-view to see matches being made. They’ll buy a pay-per-view to watch matches being wrestled.

SmackTalk 02.11.12

SmackDown is on a downswing. This week’s show didn’t feature Team Hell No. It didn’t feature the Rhodes Scholars. It didn’t feature Antonio Cesaro. It didn’t feature Ryback. It did feature lashings of Big Show and Sheamus though. So that’s… something.

Not every wrestling show is going to be great. I appreciate that. Sometimes there are duff episodes and sometimes you’ll get periods where there are creatively barren runs. Downswings and upswings are part of the nature of the business and always will be.

Just because a company (or show… or brand) is going through a rough patch creatively doesn’t mean those in charge have to make things worse for themselves. That’s what WWE did on Friday’s SmackDown. The company has booked itself into a corner with the Big Show v Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio v Randy Orton feuds. They are a contributing factor to the downswing. I’m not really enjoying either but I can tolerate them because I know that they are happening in part in order to kill time before bigger and better things kick off.

Where WWE are failing to help themselves is in omitting the talent mentioned at the top from shows. SmackDown, as I have written before, should be a show used to highlight and push men and women lower down the card. John Cena and CM Punk, the promotion’s top drawers, do not appear on the blue brand. That makes it the perfect place to give others time in the spotlight.

 

The Miz looks unhappy. Maybe the state of SmackDown is getting to him too

 

The Rhodes Scholars, Ryback and Antonio Cesaro have all benefitted from exposure on SmackDown this year. They are part of the reason I watch the show. When they are left off the show in favour of a match pitting babyface R-Truth against babyface Justin Gabriel something somewhere is clearly not right. Both Gabriel and Truth deserve TV time, but not necessarily against one another. Couldn’t that segment have seen the Rhodes Scholars or Three Man Band interrupt the match, igniting a tag team encounter?

Despite knocking the Show and Sheamus rivalry above I thought the tag team main event was a good idea. It kept their rivalry alive and mixed them up with another ongoing programme. I’m always a fan of that happening. I also thought it was good to get Kofi Kingston in such a high profile spot. If a downswing in creativity is what it takes for the writing team to push a man of his ability and charisma then perhaps we should hope for them more often.

Opening

Tweet 1: Soooooo... SmackTalk?

Tweet 2: This video package about Brad Maddox and the Cena and AJ nonsense is hilariously overdramatic.
Tweet 3: Big Show sounded aroused (sexually) in his Hell in a Cell backstage promo.
Tweet 4: Was John Cena wearing one of his own T-shirts in those shots of him eating dinner with AJ?

Miz TV, featuring Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Big Show

Tweet 5: Has Sheamus been drinking?

Tweet 6: The lighting monkeys are dropping the ball. Is it Kevin Dunn's night off?
Tweet 7: Big Show. The champ is here.
Tweet 8: Two faces and two heels are in the arena. If this segment doesn't end with Teddy Long making a tag match I'm going to be disappointed.
Tweet 9: Had Big Show walked to the ring he would have been winded. There's a reason he's never been in an Iron Man match...

Big Show and Booker T backstage

Tweet 10: Big Show appears to be unaware of the cameraman walking backwards in front of him...

Tweet 11: Does Booker wear glasses to look smart? Doesn't work.
Tweet 12: The tag match everyone knew was coming has been made. Teddy didn't make it though. Shame.

Darren Young v Sin Cara

Tweet 13: Darren Young v Sin Cara? Oh God... #botchheaven

Tweet 14: JBL saying that the PTPs have the potential to be the best tag team in the world is going to be the funniest comment of the night.
Tweet 15: Sin Cara just lost clean to Darren Young. Remember that push he got when he first arrived?
Tweet 16: I've never noticed Titus's eyes do that before. Weird stuff. Freaky-looking guy.

Are the Prime Time Players the best tag team in the world? JBL thinks they could be

Rey Mysterio v Titus O’Neil

Tweet 17: Sin Cara may have jobbed clean but Mysterio won't. He's actually worth something.

Tweet 18: 'The Big Deal' jobbed clean. That's more like it. Good work, writers. Keep it predictable.
Tweet 19: I hate Rey Mysterio anyway but I particularly hate him when he's in a tag team. It's all stupid hand signs and hugging.

Recaps of various RAW happenings

Tweet 20: They just showed that graphic of Cena and AJ at dinner. Cena was indeed wearing his Rise Above Cancer merch.

Tweet 21: Brad Maddox is confirmed for RAW! That'll get the ratings up! Lucky Birmingham.

Booker T, Teddy Long, David Otunga and Natalya backstage

Tweet 22: Teddy and Booker. Prepare for a tag match...

Tweet 23: David Otunga doesn't get anywhere near enough TV time.
Tweet 24: This new spit take gimmick could be easily dropped though. Why WWE feels the need to include weird stuff like that is beyond me.
Tweet 25: Natalya seems to be involved in said weird stuff fairly often. Perhaps she's into it...

Randy Orton v Wade Barrett

Tweet 26: BARRETT RING COAT ALERT!!

Tweet 27: I'm a BIG fan of the Barrett ring coat. And the rose. The whole gimmick package really.
Tweet 28: What's random about Josh's questions exactly?
Tweet 29: Del Rio jumps Orton. Whaddavillain!
Tweet 30: There's a girl in the front row having a fit because she touched Randy Orton. If it was the other way round there'd be a court case.
Tweet 31: JBL keeps referring to Michael Cole. I thought we were shot of that guy.
Tweet 32: Perfectly adequate second rope elbow by Barrett, there.
Tweet 33: Barrett gets a win from a rollup. He could at least have been allowed to hit the Souvenir from behind for a distraction win.
Tweet 34: I wonder if Josh will mention Show and Miz's time as tag team champions (ShowMiz). Probably not.
Tweet 35: JBL might though.

Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio have a brawl in catering

Tweet 36: "Randy Orton is not a biper" - Alberto Del Rio

Tweet 37: No! Not the catering area!
Tweet 38: This backstage food fight is ridiculous. The lack of commentary doesn't help. It's like they want us to think of it as very serious stuff.
Tweet 39: Randy Orton tries to walk through a table. #botchofthenight

David Otunga v Great Khali

Tweet 40: The Great Khali is back on SmackDown. Nobody noticed he'd gone. Nobody would have cared if they had.

Tweet 41: Khali's sabbaticals are never explained. I want to know what he gets up to when he's away from the ring.
Tweet 42: I like the idea of him tutoring underprivileged kids from rough neighbourhoods.
Tweet 43: What's David Otunga up to? Posing. Only posing.
Tweet 44: "Great Khali's hands are the size of laptops" - Josh Mathews
Tweet 45: Natalya is watching on a monitor She's happy. Because Otunga is getting beaten and he spat coffee on her earlier, you see.
Tweet 46: Yes, it's the beginning of the Otunga v Natalya feud we've all been waiting years for!

Justin Gabriel v R-Truth

Tweet 47: Gabriel versus Truth feels like an odd match. Presumably some heels will do a run-in. 3MB are my guess.

Tweet 48: Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Undertaker will return to start a rivalry with Gabriel. That'd draw.
Tweet 49: Truth won. No idea what the point of the match was. Literally none.
Tweet 50: No heel run-in. No heel turn. No good match. That was a textbook example of a wasted segment.

Truth and Gabriel adhere to the Code of Honor

Miz and Big Show have a natter backstage

Tweet 51: Big Show is top bunk.

Tweet 52: Miz beat Josh and JBL to a mention of ShowMiz. Probably for the best...
Tweet 53: WWE should have Del Rio and Orton face one another in a Boiler Room Brawl.
Tweet 54: SmackDown's live next week? Won't it be about two in the afternoon when the show's filmed in Birmingham?
Tweet 55: The answer you're looking for is yes.

Big Show and The Miz v Kofi Kingston and Sheamus

Tweet 56: Big Show is holding the belt over his head because it won't fit around his waist.

Tweet 57: I want Show to work this match without taking the hoodie off.
Tweet 58: Big Show mat wrestling and throwing out random woooooos is brilliant. I want him to do that in every match.
Tweet 59: Charles Robinson looks like a haggard woman of 83.
Tweet 60: "Irishmen love to fight!" - JBL with a massive generalisation
Tweet 61: The heels win, ending the show on a low note. That's why they did Gabriel v Truth. It was designed as a fan pleaser.

SmackTalk 19.10.12

Considering the disappointingly mediocre direction SmackDown has been heading in lately I’m pleased to say that I thought this week’s episode reversed the trend. I’d call it a return to form if the poor trend had been going for longer.

What I thought this week’s show did particularly well was create interest in already established feuds. Alberto Del Rio’s tedious dispute with Randy Orton has been gracing our screens for less than a month but it feels like it’s been trundling on for around six months. Not having the two interact physically on this week’s show was a good move as it heightened anticipation for their eventual tussle and allowed them to play to their individual strengths.

For ‘The Viper’ this meant working an enjoyable bout with The Miz, allowing his opponent to look competitive before defeating him. For ADR it meant cutting a promo on Orton, proclaiming himself to be incredibly tough while avoiding a physical confrontation.

Team Hell No’s programme with the Rhodes Scholars was advanced too. The heels attacked the bickering champions after their victory over Big Show and Dolph Ziggler, indicating that they will defeat Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara on Monday’s RAW (if the match even happens at all, what with Mysterio having the flu and all). Having heels attack faces only for the faces to seek retribution later in the show is a standard trick, but that’s not to say it’s bad.

 

There's no such thing as too many pictures of Daniel Bryan

 

The show even managed to make the Big Show and Sheamus programme seem momentarily interesting. Show stood at ringside during ‘The Celtic Warrior’s’ enjoyable match with Wade Barrett. That he didn’t interfere made it clear that he doesn’t feel the need to sneak attack the champ as he’s confident in his own abilities to beat him when his chance rolls around at Hell in a Cell.

On a side note I think it’s good that WWE are booking Barrett and Sheamus against one another regularly. It may not be the World Heavyweight title feud that the former Nexus leader should have returned to but it’s better than weekly squashes of jobbers. Barrett is natural opponent for ‘Great White’ and I hope the two men get to clash on pay-per-view at some point. Barrett has earned that spot.

After the match Dolph Ziggler made another attempt to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract. It met with failure after he was KOed by ‘The World’s Largest Athlete’. This developed the Show and Sheamus feud in an interesting fashion as it allows Show to claim that he saved the world title for ‘Great White’. Unfortunately this was overlooked by Show immediately taking a microphone and saying he’d definitely take the world title at HIAC.

I remain unconvinced of that.

Miz TV, featuring Kane, Daniel Bryan, Big Show and Dolph Ziggler

Tweet 1: Soooooo... let's watch SmackDown.

Tweet 2: Nine nights from Hell in a Cell. I've never liked PPV countdowns. Dunno why.
Tweet 3: Miz TV is overplayed already.
Tweet 4: Kofi v Miz should be a Hell in a Cell match. For the laughs.
Tweet 5: Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Tweet 6: Miz is a fan of combined tag team entrances. Didn't he and JoMo used to enter separately? Am I making that up? Maybe...
Tweet 7: 'World's Toughest Vegan'. He's not actually a vegan anymore but who cares.
Tweet 8: Nice use of the Van Dam thumbs by Bryan there.
Tweet 9: Even with this ridiculous size difference Bryan could have a great match with Show. #mosttalentedmanontheroster
Tweet 10: Speaking of talented members of the roster... it's Dolph Ziggler!
Tweet 11: Here's Booker T, rocking a sweet sweater vest. He almost forgot his lines within seconds. That's some classic Book right there.
Tweet 12: Randy Orton will be jobbing out 'The Awesome One' tonight.
Tweet 13: WWE should be pleased that fans chanted "Feed me more" when waiting to find out who would face Miz. That shows Ryback's popularity.

Randy Orton v The Miz

Tweet 14: "Our first main event is next" - Josh Mathews, not understanding that the main event, whether it's big or not, is the show's final segment

Tweet 15: ADR getting the sky box gimmick there. It's a classic.
Tweet 16: Where did the Miz TV set go? Where did the four other people in the ring go? WWE needs to work on their continuity.
Tweet 17: I want to see stagehands walking up the ramp carrying couches. Is that too much to ask?
Tweet 18: Striker's attempt at selling his ribs was comical. Perhaps almost as comical as Josh ask for JBL's response to ADR's comments.
Tweet 19: Josh Mathews would fit in well on Newsround.
Tweet 20:  "Randy Orton going to the place where he hears voices in his head" - Josh Mathews, taking entrance music lyrics a little too far
Tweet 21: Wouldn't it be funny if Miz kicked out of the RKO? Yes. But it would never happen.
Tweet 22: Felt like Orton was celebrating for about five minutes there.

Teddy Long and Sheamus chat backstage

Tweet 23: Teddy Long just made a match. Someone needs to tell him he's not GM anymore.

Tweet 24: There's Eve standing in the background, looking seductively sinister... or sinisterly seductive.

Rhodes Scholars v Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd

Tweet 25: Rhodes Scholars v Gabriel and Kidd. This is a fine example of a wasted babyface tag team.

Tweet 26: I'm pleased JBL mentioned Cody's various tag team title reigns. Cole never bothered. Neither did Josh.

Booker T, Eve and Teddy Long backstage

Tweet 27: "If I didn't know any better I'd say Teddy was trying to take credit for my idea" - Eve Torres, delivering an unsubtle line unsubtly

Tweet 28: If Booker actually bothered to watch the show he's supposedly in charge of back to himself every week he'd know Eve's lying.
Tweet 29: Booker has a meeting. In the middle of SmackDown. The show he runs. Brilliant.

Big Show and Dolph Ziggler v Team Hell No

Tweet 30: Anyway... In the ring Dolph Ziggler is showboating and telling Big Show that's "his deal".

Tweet 31: Big Show is the world's largest athlete. You can see him from space.
Tweet 32: #nokicks
Tweet 33: Big Show and Dolph Ziggler should form a tag team called... wait for it... The Big Show Offs.
Tweet 34: Josh just said that Big Show is the offiicial challenger to the World Heavyweight championship. Is there an unofficial challenger?
Tweet 35: You don't see many back body drops these days.
Tweet 36: Ziggler loses again. Whaddashock! Good match though. Any time Bryan and Ziggler wrestle each other it's a good thing.
Tweet 37: The Rhodes Scholars jump Team Hell No. Guess we know who's winning the number one contenders final on Monday.
Tweet 38: Little recap of what happened between Show, Sheamus and Barrett on RAW, there. Needs more Tensai.

Antonio Cesaro v Ted DiBiase

Tweet 39: Antonio Cesaro... Heeeey!!

Tweet 40: Cesaro experiencing "Americana" is gold, Jerry! Gold!
Tweet 41: Ted Dibiase is still a babyface. Even worse he's a lazy babyface who relies on shouting "USA!" to gain support.
Tweet 42: "I know where I am" - Nigel McGuinness in response to "USA" chants

Heath Slater v Brodus Clay

Tweet 43: The Slater Freebirds getting themselves matching gear is the best career move they could have made.

Tweet 44: Drew McIntyre looks like Sean Waltman. But without a perm.
Tweet 45: Brodus Clay still gets a reaction. Astonishing.
Tweet 46: Somebody better call Heath Slater's momma...
Tweet 47: Apparently we've slipped into a parallel reality where Heath Slater can beat Brodus Clay.
Tweet 48: That's the Funkasaurus push over then.

Matt Striker interviews Wade Barrett

Tweet 49: BARRETT KLAXON!!

Tweet 50: Barrett should be wrestling Sheamus at Hell in a Cell. They have good matches and he's got more to offer WWE than Big Show.

Layla v Natalya

Tweet 51: Josh Mathews seems to know a lot about the Divas' locker room.

Tweet 52: Natalya or Layla? Who will win? It really doesn't matter...
Tweet 53: This just in: Teddy Long's middle name is Rufus!
Tweet 54: Layla wins. Natalya, one of the best female wrestlers on the roster, is not going anywhere fast.

Teddy Long accosts Kaitlyn backstage

Tweet 55: "Kailtyn, I've got something you need to see" - Teddy Long

Tweet 56: Teddy is showing Kaitlyn Eve's iPad and it's being shown on the Titantron. Wasn't Eve at ringside as that vignette started? She'd have seen.

Sheamus v Wade Barrett

Tweet 57: Lumberjack match = jobberfest

Tweet 58: BARRETT KLAXON (again)!!
Tweet 59: FELLAAAAAAAAAA!!
Tweet 60: It feels like the Attitude Era had a lot less facial hair than current WWE.
Tweet 61: Humorous name alert: Wade's dad was called Larry Barrett.
Tweet 62: I've just noticed that Sin Cara is a lumberjack. He doesn't have a clue what's going on.
Tweet 63: Chaotic little finishing sequence there. Good stuff. Better than the standard non-finish or babyface win.
Tweet 64: Show just saved the title for Sheamus. I doubt we'll get an explanation. Doesn't matter, it adds an interesting angle to Show v Sheamus.