WWE’s first Wrestlepalooza on ESPN continues to stack up ahead of the Sept. 20 show in Indianapolis. On Friday night’s “SmackDown” in Norfolk, Virginia, Cody Rhodes added his name to the lineup, as he’ll collide with Drew McIntyre.
Comeback Cody
The return of Rhodes was imminent, as WWE continues to stack the Wrestlepalooza deck. After McIntyre’s win against Randy Orton in this week’s “SmackDown” main event, the Universal WWE Champion emerged to save Orton and announce his match against McIntyre for next Saturday.
There wasn’t much to all of this, other than what was just mentioned. McIntyre vs. Orton was pretty solid and got the time it deserved. The finish was fairly wonky though, as it continued to play into the looming punt kick someone will eventually receive from Orton.
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After his frustrations built, Orton went for the punt — but was stopped by the referee, who became a distraction to allow the McIntyre Claymore Kick and pin. It wasn’t as bad as what happened earlier in the night — don’t worry, we’ll get to that — but I don’t know, it once again felt lazier than a smoothly transitioned counter.
Maybe, just maybe, this all builds toward John Cena taking the punt in his final match? Who knows.
😨 Wardrobe Malfunction of the Night
If you had your hopes up like I did regarding an explanation or some kind of story depth whatsoever between Brock Lesnar and John Cena on this “SmackDown,” you were let down as soon as the show started.
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Lesnar’s appearance was the cheapest of cheap pops, as R-Truth interrupted him before he could even speak. They went in circles about Truth coming to Cena’s defense as his “brother,” while Lesnar tried to identify him and asked why he was in the ring
They just did that until Lesnar hit an F5 and hilariously ripped his own pants. That was the best part of the segment, because otherwise it was nothing more than a waste of both Lesnar and Truth, the latter of whom has been brought back down to a nothing character since the initial pop of his rehiring.
🗑️ Volcanic Trash of the Night
As the Women’s WWE Championship title rematch between the champion Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill warmed up, I thought to myself, “There’s no way this ends clean.”
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What do you know? I was right. And the match’s finish was stunningly worse than the typical DQ. Congratulations, Triple H. You’ve outdone yourself on this momentous, historic day of WrestleMania 43’s announcement.
Stratton vs. Cargill 2 was excellent and went from zero to 100 as soon as it started. They wasted no time laying into each other, and Stratton’s drop kicks, in particular, were crashing into Cargill’s chest with serious force. WWE even showed off some of those fancy angles from “WWE Unreal,” which was a lovely touch to make the big match feel even bigger. This one could have gone down as a great memory in Stratton’s reign, or the start of Cargill’s; instead, it was entirely ruined by awful booking.
The end of the match was a little scary too, as Cargill avoided Stratton’s top-rope outside moonsault. It looked like the champ may have slammed her head hard into the ground, as she turned purple and was then speared through the barricade. And then the referee … immediately called off the match?
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What the hell is that? Seriously? Have we not seen that spot a thousand times without a match being stopped?
Part of me would’ve liked to think it was because Stratton was actually hurt. Not because I want to see her hurt, of course, but at least that would’ve justified such an absurdly stupid ending. However, all of this was entirely the plan, as Nia Jax attacked the wrestlers immediately as the match was called off.
The forcing of Jax into anything related to Stratton continues. I would say it’s mind-numbingly tone deaf, but it seems like the writers simply don’t care. There are options. Yet, this is the direction taken. (Again.)
👍 FRIDAY NIGHT FIRE 👍
Solo Sikoa had an awesome, serious vignette. This was great, as he called back to all he’s lost over the years. It was very different from the excellent, more comedic side of Sikoa we’ve seen, which can hopefully be paired together nicely. Regardless, the dude is showing his range big time.
👎 DOWN & OUT 👎
1. Thanks to the WrestleMania 43 news out in Las Vegas, the usual “SmackDown” commentary team was absent in Norfolk, which meant Booker T and Vic Joseph were in as replacements. Booker is unbearable and arguably the worst commentator in wrestling history. Sorry, not sorry.
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2. Giulia was supposed to have a match with B-Fab until her and Kiana James attacked B-Fab before the match even started. This was purely used to continue the Michin feud that no one needs — especially after she just lost. The Women’s U.S. title scene (and Giulia) remain horrendously lost.
👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑
Sami Zayn is officially on the work rate tour in WWE because he’s kicking back up the U.S. title open challenge, which continued Friday against Rey Fenix in an absolute banger. There was some brief fear of a Sikoa interference, as the match came right after his vignette, but thankfully, the former champ was nowhere to be seen.
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Zayn won clean with a Helluva Kick in a match that was loaded with seriously impressive counters. These guys meshed as well together as one would expect. There was one moment, in particular, when Fenix planted Zayn with a brutal DDT. Several great near-falls followed, making for an overall great time. Isn’t it weird how this concept of putting on good TV matches never fails?
Later in the night, Carmelo Hayes confronted Zayn to declare himself the next challenger. Banger on deck — as long as The Miz stays out of the finish.
👑 This show cruised by, which was good, considering the booking issues. I give this show a Crown score of: 6.5/10. 👑