July 13, 2019 - Evan Luebbe

SD Superior Quality

July 14, 2019July 13, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

SmackDown Live has been producing shows of better quality over the last few months. My theory is that Vince McMahon had a somewhat difficult time trusting different people to orchestrate the show after the Road Dogg got frustrated with all the last-minute script changes and left the position. He still teaches character development to up-and-comers at the WWE PC (Performance Center). The names that are featured on the show may not be quite as big, but they are giving a quality performance each and every week. This may change now that Paul Heyman is officially running Monday Night Raw, but Eric Bischoff may be able to give him a run for his money because he is a great wrestling mind as well.

This week the show began with Kevin Owens going on an angry verbal rampage regarding Shane McMahon, seemingly officially turning babyface which could very well launch the best run of KO’S career.

WWE should not, however, make an attempt to turn Kevin Owens into the next Stone Cold Steve Austin, despite the fact that he uses a stunner to finish matches. Most all of what he said was true, because Shane is taking valuable TV time from superstars like Buddy Murphy, Apollo Crews, and Ali. Ali is coming with a character reboot and will likely get a sizable push. Timing is everything considering WWE was planning something very similar for him up until he sustained an unexpected injury. This happened right before Elimination Chamber and he was replaced by Kofi Kingston. We all know how that turned out. Nonetheless, this was not the correct way for Kevin Owens to expel his grievances, according to storyline obviously.

I’m not sure what end this will lead to because, while Kevin Owens does have plenty of history with Shane, he is not currently involved in a feud with McMahon. All this could easily be turned into a SummerSlam match without major changes. He may interfere in the match at Extreme Rules involving The Undertaker and Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre, because he currently does not have a match at Extreme Rules that is immediately coming to mind. Hopefully he would abandon the alliance with Sami Zayn (at least for now) as it would benefit both stars.

One points that desperately needs to be made regarding Roman Reigns is this:How can the WWE creative team expect any intelligent member of the WWE universe to legitimately accept someone like Roman Reigns as the babyface against an opponent like Dolph Ziggler? Reigns outweighs him by a minimum of 45 Ibs. This is one old-school element of wrestling that still absolutely works – bigger guys make for excellent heels and appeal well to crowds from a psychology standpoint.

Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura having a match at Extreme Rules is a fantastic idea because:

These two have a long history in Japan, so WWE can capitalize on their storied history, and
This is a great avenue for Nakamura to get his career back on track after some time away, facing Balor for the first time in three years since their NXT days.

Nakamura has not been relevant in a little over a year since he had the WWE Championship rivalry with AJ Styles. And let’s face it, no one remembers very well (or cares) that much about the tag team with Rusev which did not work.

Nikki Cross has the “it” factor that is so coveted in professional wrestling/sports entertainment. She will go on to be a very successful champion and a potential cornerstone of the women’s division for years to come. Partial credit goes to Alexa Bliss for providing significant assistance in getting her over with the WWE universe.

Meanwhile, I’m ready to yawn at The Undertaker. He is reportedly scheduled to have a SummerSlam match with Baron Corbin to avoid ringrust in preparation for WrestleMania. The reason he is still around is reportedly because WWE offered him a contract for so much money that he could not refuse it. We (fans) simply cannot get rid of him. He was great back in his day and there will probably never be another superstar quite like him. All that said, he, and the company, cannot seem to accept the fact that his era has passed

Slide Note:Otis may do the New Day’s hip thrust better than they do, if that’s possible. It’s awesome though. You shouldn’t take your eyes off Shelton Benjamin either. I can’t say for certain what’s going on with him, but it will probably turn into something great. Also, be on the lookout for Bray Wyatt to appear on Raw or SmackDown after Extreme Rules as there have been subtle hints the past couple weeks.

Extreme Rules Countdown

July 14, 2019July 13, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

It can’t be just me. Is anyone else looking more forward to the United States Championship match at Extreme Rules than the Universal/Raw Women’s Championship match? Also, when I first heard that Extreme Rules was going to air from Philadelphia (Paul Heyman has plenty of history in that location from his ECW days), a wrestling fan cannot help but think of the disastrous reaction Roman Reigns received at the Royal Rumble 2015, the year he won the whole thing.

Overall, this was a solid episode of Monday Night Raw, with a healthy dose of controlled chaos to start the show. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch took on Andrade and Zelina Veg in a mixed tag team match, immediately followed by an attack on Seth and Becky from Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans.

It only seems to be a matter of time before the Viking Raiders win the Raw Tag Team Championships and go on to dominate the Raw tag team division for an extended period. Fans seem to be sick of The Revival (that is not an insult to them). Personally, I think they have been very good for WWE, but it is a palpable feeling that the WWE universe is ready for something different.

Karl Anderson seems to stand out to me more than Luke Gallows, despite the fact that Gallows got the spotlight on Raw this week with a match against Ricochet (maybe this is a sign that Paul Heyman favors him over Anderson).

Who would’ve ever thought that Drake Maverick, R-Truth and the 24/7 Championship would be one of the top two or three stories in WWE? Quite a few fans, including me, thought it might turn out to be the laughing stock of WWE and quickly be done away with, but credit has to be given where credit is due.

Who would have ever guessed that within just a couple months of the title’s inception that it would at least temporarily have more significance than Roman Reigns? Roman currently seems to be in a state of creative limbo (this is likely to change after Extreme Rules, as he will likely be put in a championship match for SummerSlam, watch should be awesome.) One would assume he might be placed in a WWE Championship match at SummerSlam, but brand doesn’t seem to matter that much anymore with the Wild Card Rule being implemented in May and effectively ending the poignant split.

Side Note:How awesome is it that the WWE universe will still chant CM Punk’s name when they get bored during shows? Even 5 ½ years after his departure, he still leaves an indelible mark in the minds of hard-core WWE fans (sorry Bayley). And, I really don’t know what’s up with Cedric Alexander being portrayed on Raw as Gary Garbutt.

KO Face Turn

July 14, 2019July 13, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

Kevin Owens may have turned babyface yet again. He has undergone a few character changes since WrestleMania, primarily because of Daniel Bryan. When Bryan was sidelined right after ‘Mania with an injury, Kevin Owens abruptly turned heel right before Money in the Bank in order to provide Kofi Kingston with a legitimate opponent, This did not make much sense considering the WWE universe was loving the fact that he was replacing Big E in The New Day as Big O.

Now he may be turning face again as he criticized Dolph Ziggler for complaining about how he should be WWE Champion. I am absolutely not worried, however, because of Owens’ versatility as a performer. He has not played the role of a face in WWE; however, he has been a face numerous times outside of WWE.

Owens is undoubtedly one of the most well-rounded performers in the company. He has the ability to resonate with the WWE universe at a very deep level on the mic, so I’m not worried about him in the slightest.

Appeal to Young Males

July 14, 2019July 13, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

WWE is reportedly producing an edgier product. By edgier, I mean the use of cuss words and the middle finger gesture. Bischoff and Heyman surely had something to do with this in an attempt to appeal to the younger male demographic, specifically teenagers.

The company seems to be reverting back to the strategy that worked brilliantly during the Attitude Era, because 18 – 34-year-old males were the primary demographic to which the company appealed. This strategy I imagine will work very successfully in the coming months. It will be exciting to watch it play out.