Official Smackdown LIT Thread 8/2/16: Ready Willing & Gable

Smackdown was easily better this week, but I think that's down to the length of the show. 2 hours has less filler than 3 so is easier to sit through.

2 great promo segments with Ziggler/Ambrose and AJ/Cena. Debut of AA, and then a great main event with Ziggler and Wyatt. The triple threat was fun as well and I'm happy Crews is #1 contender.

Only complaint is the women. Looks like they're taking a backseat until they announce the title, which is fine for now. Just don't announce 2 matches and deliver with neither. I imagine Eva will fake injuries until she gets someone to fight her battles like Nia in NXT.

My only real knock on Smackdown was how abysmal the crowd was this week.

I thought the Ziggler-Ambrose promo was off the charts by both guys. Ambrose was the heelish dick but I think it's Ziggler who turns heel. He has every reason to be motivated to cheat in order to get over the hump. The main event was great as well. I think that was an important match to give Ziggler. I have no issue with the Bray stuff afterwards. That'll setup Ambrose and Ziggler teaming up next week, and then Bray can be the feud post SummerSlam for whoever walks away with the strap. TNA does a really good job of having about 4 guys circling the World Title at any one time and I think WWE should do more of that, especially on Smackdown. There is no reason Ziggler, Ambrose, Wyatt, and Styles can't do the same over the next couple of months.

Speaking of Styles. Homerun, again, with Cena. I will take a shot at Cena here though. Guy has cut that same ing promo a dozen times in the last four years or so. We get it, "he does it foe da kidz!" That being said, at least he throws everything into it. I believe him. I already believed him though. At least he didn't name drop Call of Duty this go-round. It just seems like he takes that promo out of the closet and dusts it off a few times a year, since around WM28 and the Rock feud.

I get what they were doing with Eva. The execution wasn't great though. If they want to have her avoid matches they need to be more deliberate. The audience didn't really know how to boo there because they were confused about what was happening. I also don't think they should have done that segment and the Natty attack on the same show. They should have probably let Carmella beat a jobber and then have Natty do that exact same attack next week. If I hadn't already seen the whole deal with Becky and Eva, I would have really liked what they did with Carmella and Natty. I mean I did like it, but I would have liked it more had we not gotten two non-matches in the same show.

Love American Alpha. I hope they do a bunch of backstage shenanigans with them moving forward since they're hilarious together and the non-NXT audience needs to be let in on why we love them so much, beyond the work obviously. I thought it was a good debut for them. They really do bring a fun energy that gets you going as a fan. The chemistry has really blossomed with the two of them.

I thought Apollo Creed, as DB calls him, winning was the right way to go, and they protected Corbin at the end there. Crews just needs a gimmick or some motivation. I need to know why I want to see him beat the Miz.

Health Slater is gold.

Randy Orton and Brock is good stuff. Primarily because I love everything Randy Orton is doing right now. Seems like he's out there playing himself and having a good time. This is the kind of thing that leads to Randy Orton jumping toe touches haha.

Overall, really enjoyed the show. I think the 2 hours is so much easier to digest and the show was really heavily carried by the main feud in Ziggler and Ambrose. I love that sort of thing. It's the exact thing I love about what TNA does with their ME scene. I think the bottom line is we're getting a ton of attention on the right guys and stuff doesn't feel so scattered around or stretched thin. It's so nice not to have a Smackdown filled with Raw replays too. What a difference that makes.

Who said that they were?


You can "deconstruct" my opinion all you want, it won't change the fact that I enjoy SmackDown more than I enjoy Raw.

Fans got behind them by the end of the match.

Basically he's at that point of his career where he doesn't give a anymore. He accomplished pretty much everything and now he's just getting to do what he wants, which makes it 10x more enjoyable. Everyone has been loving Orton since his return.

Never did I think I missed Orton so much, but it's been so refreshing and awesome. Maybe I just hated his summer fued last year with sheamus.

Many of you might disagree, but I think these runs are the best of both Orton and Cena's careers.

I want to see Randy counter an f5 into an rko! that would be sick!

They almost feel like special attractions at this point, mainly because we haven't seen either of them for the majority of the year. But yeah I agree, they're definitely more enjoyable now than they have been in a while.