It’s a good time for a SmackDown in a Nutshell, and tonight, IYO SKY has a huge defense against Charlotte Flair.
Like, that’s the main event, without a doubt, and it will probably be the champion’s biggest test to date.
Whether she will pass or not, well, we have to stay tuned to find out.
Outside of that big main event, what else can we expect?
Surely some more Crown Jewel hype, as the big Saudi show needs more matches.
Perhaps some fallout from the big tag title change we saw on RAW? That seems possible, if not probable.
So, that should give us a pretty interesting two hours, give or take…hopefully.
Without any further delay…let us see how things go…
IYO SKY Has A Huge Defense : SmackDown In A Nutshell
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and enjoy!
Best Match of the night:
Pretty enjoyable main event, in my opinion. I’d call it the best one tonight, with SKY passing a big test.
Me thinks that if Vince was still around, that might have gone differently.
As good as the match was, it was topped, or I suppose made better, by the return of Bianca Belair.
Surprising that she came back as a face, considering all of the rumors about her turning with her husband…but she can always double cross Charlotte soon enough.
Worst match of the night:
Really, I don’t have much to gripe about.
Cena fighting Solo wasn’t a match, which was a bit of a bummer…but I’d bet dollars to donuts that we see that one booked for Saudi Arabia.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Good crowd, simply put.
Star of the Night
I hate to admit this, but Logan Paul did wonders on the mic.
Do I want him as a champion? Not especially, but it isn’t up to me.
However, I think if we were fed a steady diet of him, week in and week out, he could get similar heat to Dom. Maybe.
That said, I doubt we see him as that much of a regular, even for a few months.
Spot of the Night:
More like a stat of the night…but John Cena hasn’t won a singles match in 2002 days?
That is just…that’s crazy. I know he’s a special attraction part time guy now, but…wow.
I also kind of feel his mention of retirement is done to prepare us for whenever the Hollywood actors strike ends and he heads back to that gig.
Jobber of the Night:
Cameron Grimes and Dragon Lee.
I didn’t have much here, to be honest, but they did lose, and the intent I guess is to build up Theory and Waller into a credible tag threat?
Not sure why though, those two don’t need to be a tag team, but again, not my creative decision to make.
Upset of the Night:
Jimmy probably didn’t like this…but…turnabout is fair play.
Remember when we heard that insiders didn’t expect Jimmy and Jey to actually clash until WrestleMania?
And people thought that was crazy?
Well…this is a pretty good, yet slow, burn. Can totally see it being prolonged until April and being worth it.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
Cameron Grimes getting television time! In the ring, in a match no less.
Of course, he lost as one half of a tag team with Dragon Lee…but…he wrestled. Nice to see him again.
Botch of the night:
Folks, if there was one, I missed it.
LOL Moment of the night:
I kind of cringed/laughed at Logan Paul being that kind of a troll.
He does work better, I think, as a heel. Just comes off as insanely easy to hate.
Noteworthy Moment:
LA Knight is officially challenging Roman Reigns for the title at Crown Jewel.
Big match for Knight, for sure…but the reality is, we all know it’s going to be his latest big opportunity that doesn’t give fans what we want.
He didn’t win Money In The Bank, he didn’t win the United States Championship, and he won’t (yet) win the Undisputed Championship off of Reigns, I am going to bet.
If he does, it might be akin to Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson.
Also, as expected, Rey Mysterio versus Logan Paul, with the United States Championship on the line, is set for Crown Jewel.
On one hand, I get it…Paul is really good in the ring, in spite of his limited WWE experience.
However…I can’t get behind a title run for him, unless he’s going to be a weekly guy, or close to a weekly guy, for a stint.
That said, my opinion does not dictate WWE creative planning…so I am prepared for this title change.
And, don’t think I missed this…but just as quick as we saw SmackDown get it’s own GM in Nick Aldis, we are seeing the brands lay the foundation for Survivor Series.
At least, it sure seems like we are going to see something pitting RAW against SmackDown.
Judgement Day against Bloodline? Doubt that…but could you imagine?!
Overall lowlights:
Nothing I feel like complaining about this time around.
Overall highlights:
Enjoyable top to bottom.
Opening with Heyman and LA Knight, we get Rey and Logan Paul, mix in a little Carlito…and why not some Bianca Belair to close the show?
Pretty good, with a bigger show lined up next week. Seems like that is to be expected, given that next week SmackDown will be going up against the World Series.
After the final bell:
Not much left to do but officially book the remaining matches for Crown Jewel, no?
We have a big title match…or two, actually. Reigns versus Knight, Mysterio versus Logan Paul.
More to come probably, but both of those should be pretty good.
