It’s good to remember what pro wrestling is, and where it came from, when considering Vince McMahon’s appearance on this show. There are a lot of people speculating about the exact cause of his appearance Friday night smackdown This week and what was the ultimate goal of his appearance. I’ve seen people mention he was saying goodbye, I’ve seen others say he was ignoring an investigation into his behavior by the WWE Board of Directors, I’ve seen recent that he was just trying to make clear what he said he meant to the company by getting the pop he knew he would.
Maybe one of those things is true, maybe not. It doesn’t really matter, because any or all of them will achieve the same thing, the central goal at the root of everything they do in WWE.
This was done to take advantage of something that could get them better ratings. It’s that easy.
He didn’t say anything because of course he didn’t say anything. What would he say? nothing! But that doesn’t matter. All he had to do was show up, so they could promote him in the show, and the world would tune in to see what would happen.
Nothing hardly matters.
It’s negligent work, guys.
Riddle showed up early in the evening, and his work in general over the past months no matter how many months past, has made a wonderful impact on Randy Orton. Not that Orton needed help or anything, but I’d be damned if Randy didn’t get this (I can’t say that name without thinking about Riddle and how he says it anymore, damn him) like he’s crazy.
All because Riddle loves and misses his friend.
Really intimate stuff.
Later, he had his match with Roman Reigns, where he challenged for the WWE Universal Championship on the condition that he doesn’t get another crack as long as Roman is the champ if he loses, and he loses of course. We knew he was going to lose, and there was no doubt about much, but I found it helpful that Reigns gave him so much throughout that time. Riddle wasn’t treated like he was under Reigns – he was treated equally.
He may have lost the match, but in the end it was a victory for Riddle when considering the long run.
Now let’s get to the other big thing that happened on this show – the return of Brock Lesnar.
Love me some Brock Lesnar.
Even all this time later, even after watching all those matches that don’t differ much in content but captivate me nonetheless, I still have all of them anytime I see it on my screen. I can at least understand why there aren’t many others, and I can totally sympathize with anyone who hates the idea of WWE getting back into the well and having another match between Reigns vs. Lesnar.
I just don’t stay on that side of the fence. I love when these two fight, and I honestly don’t mind seeing them fight forever. Two big, fat guys just vying for the highest title in the land is what this whole thing is supposed to be.
I’m ready for more.
Also, just think: We might get more Lesnar and Zayn together again!
Yes please!
all the rest
- Madcap Moss got the “last laugh” on Happy Corbin by defeating him in their last singles match. It was a dominant victory, a clear and final victory that ended the feud between the two. Moss went 3-0 against Corbin. Next, grab a microphone and laugh at Happy. After a commercial break, Corbin hadn’t left yet and decided he wanted to confront Pat McAfee about all the trash he was talking about. Remember the “Bum Ass Corbin” things? Pat Mack, who responded by holding up the microphone and leading the entire arena threatened to laughing Corbyn in the back. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, you’re disgusting,” McAfee shouted. It was a fun time. Even the new day came out and laughed at him as they walked! it was amazing. I wouldn’t hate if this led to McAfee vs.Corbin at summerslam.
- Skyscrapin’ Shanky and Jinder Mahal were making their way in a match against The New Day when Xavier Woods got creative and broke the trombone. Shanky couldn’t help but break into the dance, and it cost them a match. Stupid but fun.
- Sheamus and Drew McIntyre are added to their Money in the Bank men’s ladder match in a funny clip. Adam Pearce said he reviewed the footage and announced that Sheamus was present. So he talked about the trash, and McIntyre hit him, then Pierce, who was trying to separate them, stopped him by saying that he would announce that McIntyre was also there. It must be fun!
- Raquel Rodriguez defeated Shayna Pazler to advance to the Women’s Bank Financial Ladder Match. There wasn’t much to the match and what we’ve seen of Rodriguez on the main roster so far doesn’t sound terribly interesting, but there is hope that things will improve.
- Max Dupree was supposed to show his clients on this show, but he refused because Pierce didn’t give him the exact lighting he wanted. The artist formerly known as LA Knight somehow gets this damn thing working through these behind-the-scenes parts with Pearce as the ever-loving hell invades his personal space. It’s hilariously stupid.
- I liked what they did on this show where some people showed up but only in the form of a quick interview or a backstage promotion. We don’t need everyone to be on TV every week – a simple promo in the back works just fine. In this case, Natalya put the Sharpshooter ahead of Ronda Rousey’s arm and Ludwig Kaiser claimed GUNTHER would be the Intercontinental Champion forever. Simple yet effective promotion.
I enjoyed the show, especially everything in the main event.
Grade: B +
Your turn.
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