It’s our last one for 2023, making this SmackDown In A Nutshell time for a big blue year in review.
WWE is giving their folks some much deserved time off for the holidays, and giving us a year in review show.
So, while this won’t be a nutshell of that recap show, it will be my own spin on 2023 in a nutshell, for all the that involved SmackDown, or by extension, it’s Superstars on a given PLE.
Plenty to consider, as it was a loaded year for sure.
So, no more idle banter…let us dive into…
SmackDown In A Nutshell: Big Blue Year In Review
One last time in 2023, let’s crack open this Nutshell and enjoy!
Best Match of the year:
Roman Reigns could land here with some match or other…but he won’t get the top honor.
And, any of his clashes with Sami Zayn were satisfying. That Rumble turn…exceptional!
Yes, he had some strong showings, but he’s almost a broken record, in that he’s been at the top for years now.
I’ll give Reigns-Rhodes at WrestleMania my honorable mention, because why not.
But match of the year? Give me the women’s WarGames match, which was mostly blue brand women.
Worst match of the year:
Nope, not complaining about one this year, outside of the meh ones we suffered through when Vince had to be around.
Star of the year
On the men’s side, Roman Reigns is the easiest of easy calls. Though he did actually get pinned once this year, shockingly.
For the women, I can call it a tie. Bianca Belair was dominant for much of the year, but at SummerSlam, IYO SKY became champion.
Both women had impressive years, so it’s a toss up.
Spot of the year
How could I not love Kevin Owens taking out Waller and Theory with “one punch”.
I mean, I also had it as my LOL moment on that show’s Nutshell.
Promo of the year:
I didn’t want to think deeply on a spot of the year, and I gave RAW probably the signature spot of the year.
While I did come up with a spot, I also added one, it’s promo.
This one happened recently.
CM Punk returned to wrap Survivor Series. On his RAW return, time ran short and his promo was not what it was supposed to be.
SmackDown got to say hi to him as well, and he got a hot mic in the middle of the show. It did not disappoint.
Jobber of the year:
Austin Theory, because he got to be in the ring and take the heat from the man who showed up out of nowhere…but that comes a couple segments down.
Upset of the year
Fans were upset over the summer following the passing of Bray Wyatt.
Yeah, I don’t have much beyond that. Losing Wyatt, regardless of what brand he would have been on, was a tragedy.
Holy Sh** Moment of the year:
Pat McAfee returned to the show in Colorado.
He did not come alone, as he was joined by The Rock, and it was as electric as you’d expect.
Botch of the year:
I will wonder if not pulling the trigger on LA Knight at some point will be a botch.
Maybe not to take out Roman…but why not win the United States Championship?
LOL Moment of the year:
Hard not to get some comic relief from Grayson Waller, for starters.
I also have to like how Theory handled himself during his Rock segment. And McAfee’s facial expressions were pure gold.
Noteworthy Moment:
The Hollywood strikes gave The Rock and John Cena some free time.
While The Rock did not stick around…Cena came in and worked basically a full time schedule for a few months.
That was something I don’t think any of us had on our 2023 WWE Bingo cards.
Overall lowlights:
Vince being involved at all in 2023 was a bummer.
Thankfully, he is out.
Overall highlights:
A lot to love about 2023.
Reigns is making history.
The Bloodline took some losses, but is still dominant.
LA Knight broke out.
We got Cena again, maybe his last big run for WWE.
Kevin Owens is blue again. So too is Randy Orton.
Damage CTRL got bigger, and maybe could shed Bayley, but they had a good year.
Lots I am probably forgetting, but…2024 is going to be big.
After the final bell:
It was a great year to be a fan of wrestling, especially WWE.
I for one am really looking forward to 2024.
