It’s fixing to be a big SmackDown in a Nutshell, possibly with surprises a mile high.
See what I did there? OK…I will stop…
But seriously, for those who pay attention to general sports outside of WWE…a couple pretty big names we all know and love are in the same general vicinity as tonight’s show.
Last time The Rock was that close to a weekly show…Brooklyn saw him confront Rusev. Maybe he’s been close by since…but…that was what came to mind.
John Cena will be back this week…as will plenty of others, now that I think about it. Last week, a lot of faces were involved in India’s Superstar Spectacle.
Not this week. This week…back stateside, and it’s moving on to Fastlane…which is still a few weeks out, and nothing has been announced for it yet.
We know that AJ Styles has been getting tangled up with The Bloodline, so that may be a focus tonight.
Plus…LA Knight.
Update On LA Knight’s Contract Status
So, it is time for…
Surprises A Mile High : SmackDown In A Nutshell
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and find out!
Best Match of the night:
No match.
The Rock. Pat McAfee
Oh yea, and Austin Theory.
That opening segment was on fire.
Honorable mention to the women, which basically was our in-ring main event.
AJ is working his way back to the top, too…which should be good. And LA Knight doing LA Knight things.
Worst match of the night:
I suppose LWO versus the Street Profits, but it was OK.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
I mean…we can’t actually type out what was said…but when The Rock and Pat McAfee lead the crowd in a chant, that chant wins.
And like Rock said…if they’d wanted to, the crowd probably would have chanted it for the entire two hours.
Star of the Night
The striking Hollywood writers, because without said strike, we’d not see The Rock nor John Cena on this show.
Pat McAfee and The Rock, for an electric segment.
Nod to Theory too, because he didn’t seem too bad interacting with them.
Spot of the Night:
Could go with the People’s Elbows.
Solo threatening Jimmy with a spike only to then drop Cena with a kick was interesting too
Jobber of the Night:
Sure, he got in some stuff…but this was all Austin Theory tonight.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
Did McAfee really admit that he was enjoying Denver’s local laws? I thought that is what I’d heard, and he certainly looked like he might be a mile high.
Also…THE ROCK?! Back on the show?!
And after he confirmed that a Rock/Reigns bout at WrestleMania 39 was at one point locked in, and that he’s still game for it next April.
Botch of the night:
I have nothing.
Commentary of the night:
It worked. Enough said.
LOL Moment of the night:
McAfee’s expressions were gold. If the guy was legit high as I think he may have said…makes it even funnier.
Noteworthy Moment:
Outside of all the fun and excitement, this will go down as the first show of the TKO era.
Not a bad start.
Overall lowlights:
Not much, but honestly once that opening segment was done, the show was good, but…it was clearly going to be hard to top.
Like, on any other show, any other night, that main event Waller Effect would have been really, really top notch.
But…not when compared to Rock, McAfee and Theory.
Overall highlights:
Well, that’s one way to kick off the new company’s first show, isn’t it?
Granted, I think a lot of that was pure coincidence…I’d presume planning to have WWE run SmackDown in Denver on September 15th was underway plenty far back.
Plus, you know, the amazing college football story that brought McAfee (and The Rock) to Denver? It could have fizzled out.
I’d say the stars…and Superstars…aligned for this one.
And, it gave us some really cool moments…and gave the censor a workout like he or she has never had before.
After the final bell:
Well, I certainly didn’t expect this show when I woke up this morning, but what a way to close out the week and head into the weekend.
I can’t help but wonder…with The Rock talking openly about WrestleMania 40..and new ownership…and showing up tonight…are we going to see more of him?
It’s true, right now he’s kind of not busy. But, here’s the thing…
That pesky strike could end at any point, and I have to think it’s a strike that won’t still be going in 6 months.
Meaning, barring something crazy, assuming actors and writers get back to work in the next couple months…Rock won’t be as available.
But, as with Cena…enjoy what we can while we can.
