This week’s SmackDown In A Nutshell has plenty to discuss, but Edge takes on Manhattan has a satisfying ring to it.
To be honest, I could have easily pointed out the trial of the Tribal Chief…but maybe I have a little Bloodline fatigue?
Probably not, but maybe? I mean…Money In The Bank was pretty fun…
So, with his appearance announced, Edge takes on Manhattan wins it for me.
SummerSlam is just barely a month away, so you can bet on things heating up.
Other than the Bloodline drama and Edge…what else will we see? Who knows…but it’s time to get into…
Edge Takes On Manhattan : SmackDown In A Nutshell
Let’s crack this one open and find out!
Best Match of the night:
While it wasn’t the last thing we saw, it was effectively the main event match.
So while he lost…Grayson Waller just made his main roster debut in the de facto SmackDown main event…in Madison Square Garden…against Edge.
Let that sink in. I do believe it speaks volumes.
Honorable mention, I have to give to Sheamus and Theory…which in the chaos of the show, kind of got lost in the shuffle.
Worst match of the night:
Karrion Kross and AJ Styles.
This was simply way too short, and Kross got next to nothing after the Kross Hammer and failed Kross Jacket.
Maybe he’s legit banged up and this was a way to get TV time but protect him? I don’t think so though.
Was this cut short because of the exceedingly long open? Perhaps, but something tells me that opening was planned and executed.
I really want to see Kross get some traction. He’s someone whom I think needs a title to help elevate him…and the US title wouldn’t be bad.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Not calling any out, but will say this…the NYC crowd was hot, and it seemed like they needed to be censored a few times.
That, or we had some major audio issues, specifically during the tribal court.
Star of the Night
Hands down, without question, this was all about further elevating Jey Uso. It worked.
Nice nod to Waller and Edge too.
Spot of the Night:
Jey leaping over the barrier to take out Solo was a thing of beauty.
Jobber of the Night:
I have a few options here.
Karrion Kross, as he was not much more than a jobber tonight.
I could also say that IYO SKY and Bayley kind of were jobbed out. Yeah, weird to say that, but they were barely there.
Sure, it was a teased cash-in, but with three women battling for the gold, no one was letting IYO cash in tonight.
Upset of the Night:
Thought maybe Waller over Edge…but Edge wasn’t losing in what may be his last match at MSG.
While he didn’t win, he certainly seemed to get Edge’s respect at the end of it with the Rated-R Superstar’s comments.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
I am not even sure I can qualify the latter half of the tribal court as one of these, but I am going to.
Like…if I did a show of hands…how many of you thought Reigns was bowing down, and wasn’t actually going to deliver a low blow?
As soon as he dropped to one knee, you just knew what was coming.
It got him a ton of heat.
To be honest, I half expected when Reigns said that neither Jimmy nor Jey could put him on trial, we’d see Rikishi or someone even bigger come out and say…”no, but we can”. It’s fun to dream.
The open was only topped by Jey returning and pummeling Roman and to a greater extent, his own little brother Solo. Like…seriously…those chair shots seemed brutal, and that is his brother.
Botch of the night:
Nope…not tonight
LOL Moment of the night:
I didn’t have much here…but…I never said it out loud here before…
Why did WWE have to make Grayson’s stuff look straight outta Spongebob?
Noteworthy Moment:
Some expected SummerSlam matches were indeed set in motion.
Charlotte, Bianca Belair and Asuka tangled, so that one is all but official.
Jey returned to MSG to close the show and challenge Roman, so that is very likely our main event.
Overall lowlights:
The use of Karrion Kross (and, to a lesser extent, AJ Styles). I get the long segments, and the Bloodline dominated like half the show.
But this was one where, either give them a few more minutes…or cut the match.
Also a bummer…no Carlito. He had been rumored to make his WWE return tonight.
Nothing saying he isn’t on his way back…but not yet.
Overall highlights:
The Bloodline dominated once again.
Think about it. You’ve got two hours of television…which is something less than that when factoring in commercials.
Jimmy, Jey, Roman and Solo got nearly half of that. And it was not bad.
Jey got elevated, Jimmy gets written off, and Solo shows a tease of wanting his shot.
Then you get Edge back, and while he said last year he was probably retiring soon…not yet.
After the final bell:
Honestly, I am not begging for another hour of the show…but…
When half of it goes to the Bloodline, it would be nice to have more time to spread around.
That said, tonight’s was another largely strong show. Edge takes on Manhattan was fun…but the Bloodline belong on Broadway.
