Friday, July 17, 2015

Smackdown: Friendship is Magic

Wyatt and Reigns should just say F it and be more than friends
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Should Be More Than Friends – Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt
Well, I don't know about “should be,” but at this point I'm becoming convinced that these two WANT to be more than friends. We had Reigns talking about how Wyatt screwed him at Money in the Bank, Wyatt talking about bringing his “hammer” down and Reigns demanding that he bring said hammer to the ring, Wyatt getting excited about inspiring “fire” in Reigns and crying out, “give it to me!” I mean, I hardly even have to read between the lines here. All of their talk about destroying each other has been just that: talk. At the end of the show Wyatt was literally sitting down outside the ring, and Reigns just stood there and stared at him. Clearly, mutually assured destruction isn't what these two actually have on their minds.

Throw in Dean Ambrose as the awkward third wheel who keeps wandering in and out of this feud, and you've got the makings of a wacky sitcom wherein all of three of them raise Reign's daughter together. As for the main event involving Reigns and Ambrose, it was...fine? I feel bad for not really paying attention to it. Yes, it gave us yet another match-up between Big Show and Reigns, but Ambrose and Sheamus were there, too, and there was no Authority interference for once. However, the Wyatt appearance was just as predictable, and I found myself just kind of waiting for it to happen rather than getting invested in the match. WWE has got to stop relying on these finishes.

Best Friends – New Day. And The Prime Time Players. And The Lucha Dragons, What The Hell. 
I'm really enjoying the tag division right now, so don't look for anyone else to be labelled as “best friends” any time soon. These teams are just perfectly gelled and putting on entertaining matches. This episode saw Kofi Kingston and Big E taking on the Dragons, with the Prime Time Players on commentary. The New Day won, and I'm still loving their feud with the Players, with the Dragons still looming on the edge of the title hunt.


Most Depressing Friendship Situations – Bad News Barrett and Jack Swagger
What am even supposed to do with a Barrett versus Swagger match? The only situation sadder than Barrett's right now is Swagger's, and while I was glad to see Barrett get a win, I don't for a single second believe this is going to lead to better things for him. He's just one man fighting the sea of wackiness that is R-Truth, and even though Barrett's impassioned speech about having actually earned the right to call himself King of the Ring, the narrative still wants us to cheer for Truth because “fun!” or whatever. Meanwhile Swagger is still adrift without Zeb Colter, and the futility of his continued existence is just bumming me out. However, I did get a kick out of Jimmy Uso talking about how it's actually super great to be relegated to the kick-off show, having done it so many times himself. His enthusiasm for such a thankless role was kind of adorable.

Should Be Friends. Or Not, I Don't Really Care – Cesaro and Rusev
These two can join forces to crush everyone in their path, or they can keep tossing each other around. Whichever option will continue to keep Rusev away from that awful Lana storyline and build him back into the Bulgarian Brute we know and love, and keep Cesaro on my television. Cesaro won on this episode, but I am not averse to future rematches. Or tag team-ups. Whatever.

Best Burgeoning Lack of Friendship – Neville and Stardust
I know that some are disappointed that Cody Rhodes didn't come back as himself, and I understand that, but, personally, I never stopped liking the Stardust character. I don't like how he's been used – or, rather, not used – since the break-up with Goldust, but I still think the character himself has a lot of potential. This comic book-esque match-up with Neville could be amazing. I am all for having more superhero aspects in my wrestling. Also, Neville's shortcoming so far has been that he really doesn't have a character. “Sensational” and “defying gravity” are great descriptors, but they don't add up to a personality. Pairing him with Stardust, who is ALL personality, will hopefully bring something out in Neville. Plus, their matches will be super fun. I loved Stardust's vicious attack on Neville backstage after having lost the match, and it's nice to see him return as fully committed as ever to the role.