SmackDown In A Nutshell: Blue Brand Jet Lagged In Wichita

blue brand jet lagged
source: custom, wwe twitter screenshot

It’s time for another SmackDown in a Nutshell! This week, the blue brand gets to be jet lagged in Wichita.

Jet lagged, of course, because a significant chunk of the roster was just in Riyadh for Thursday’s Crown Jewel.

The distance from Saudi Arabia to Wichita is not short, hence why the blue rand would be jet lagged.

So, it ought to be an interesting SmackDown in a Nutshell, for sure.

What can we expect out of the blue brand?

Well, based on how things went down, I’d bet we might see a rather ticked off Brock Lesnar.

There’s also the little detail of the fact that the RAW Women’s Champion is now on SmackDown…and vice versa.

Speaking of that little issue…now that Crown Jewel has come and gone…the draft results are officially in place.

That means all of the new picks for the blue brand, from Hit Row to Aliyah and beyond…are all now expected to appear.

So, it should be a good night, even if the blue brand is jet lagged.

So, let’s dive in to it!

SmackDown In A Nutshell: Blue Brand Jet Lagged In Wichita

Let’s crack open this Nutshell and see just how jet lagged the blue brand is!

Best Match of the night:

Cannot give it to a match. Have to give this to our opening segment.

smackdown in a nutshell

source: custom, wwe twitter screenshot

Lesnar destroying everything in his way, all while being cheered? Loved that.

Worst match of the night:

It was a squash match, with them defeating a couple jobbers…but Hit Row’s match goes here.

On the mic, the foursome are generally OK. I think there is still room for improvement, to the point I’d still have them in NXT…but I am not the expert.

Crowd Chants of the Night:

You deserve it

nutshell jet lagged

source: custom, wwe twitter screenshot

Star of the Night

Do I go for The Beast here?

How about the ladies who closed the show?

Flip a coin, we had a few contenders…

Spot of the Night:

Take your pick from any of the abuse delivered by Brock Lesnar.

Jobber of the Night:

No idea their names, it does not really matter.

Hit Row made their debut…and Swerve alongside Top Dolla got to squash a couple jobbers.

Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:

Brock Lesnar was not happy how things ended at Crown Jewel.

So unhappy he hopped on his private jet and flew from Riyadh to Wichita and destroyed anyone and anything he could.

That included Adam Pearce.

smackdown blue brand jet lagged

source: custom, wwe twitter screenshot

The move was not unexpected. It keeps Reigns and Lesnar in play for a rematch-be that at say, the Royal Rumble, or perhaps WrestleMania.

Now, we know The Rock is due back for a future ‘Mania…but Rock in LA makes a ton of sense…and that is still not until 2023.

So, Lesnar, Reigns and the destruction from SmackDown earns this one. It ate nearly a quarter of the show…and earned Lesnar an “indefinite suspension”.

Which, of course, was a nice way to write the part-timer off until they want him back on television. But it worked.

Botch of the night:

I can’t tell if the handoff of the belts between Lynch and Charlotte was supposed to be that awkward or not.

Plus, I guess I never noticed this before…but it seems that the women’s belts (or at least Charlotte’s) had a massive chunk of Velcro at the close.

I remember the snaps…and they were still there…but Deville’s mic caught the sound of Velcro being peeled apart. For something so significant…it makes it feel and look cheap.

So…its a general botch.

LOL Moment of the night:

I don’t know why…but Aliyah declaring that SmackDown was going to get a makeover and become “more bougie” made me LOL.

Noteworthy Moment:

Primarily the debuts.

Hit Row was in-ring (and while I am sure the brass sees big things for them, I still feel like Top Dolla in particular is kinda green for a main roster spot).

Aliyah and Xia Li, among others, got some time too. Many of the draftees were either represented, or actually present.

Overall lowlights:

I am quite sure we know why Reigns and Lesnar brawled in the beginning as opposed to at the end of the show.

That does not mean I have to like it. Nor does it mean I can’t call it a lowlight.

I would bet a few bucks that Lesnar (and likely Reigns) wanted to get done with work tonight so they could go home or wherever and work on being less jet lagged.

While I don’t blame them, their segment was THE segment of the night. Those should go last.

Overall highlights:

Lesnar and Reigns, et al. Really solid once again, and with Lesnar now suspended, you can see how WWE will milk things for one more match between them.

Honestly, and especially when you factor in the travel, with so many likely feeling a bit jet lagged…it was a solid show all around.

After the final bell:

Whether the roster was jet lagged in Wichtia or not is almost not important.

The crew all worked hard to be there and it showed. I liked this blue brand effort a fair bit.

Not a bad SmackDown In A Nutshell, even if a bunch of folks might be quite tired.

smackdown in a nutshell

source: custom, wwe twitter screenshot

The new roster is in play. Next week (and beyond) is getting interesting.

Introduced to professional wrestling in the 1980’s thanks to Superstars and Saturday Night’s Main Event, John’s passion for the... More about John Deegan

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