Grand Slam Pam’s Promo
To my disappointment, Bayley did not come out and immediately pop her Bayley Buddies. But somehow having the same cheery music and wacky wavy inflatable arm-flailing tube men added to her heel character. I did enjoy the matching Boss and Hug Connection gear and the subsequent chair beating they gave Charlotte Flair. With three of the Four Horsewomen as heels, I wonder where this goes.
Grade: B+
KOTR: Ali vs Elias
Ali is a beast to watch in person! This was a really good opening match and reminded a lot of people, me included, that Elias can actually wrestle when given the chance. It was nice to see him putting in effort rather than having things made easier for him. My heart wanted Ali to win, but he looked great even in defeat.
Winner: Elias
Grade: B+
Backstage Stuff
Samoa Joe said we’re all going to bend the knee to King Joe. Aleister Black, taking off his shirt in the process, said he was heading to the ring to see if anyone was man enough to pick a fight with him.
Standard promos, nothing special
Not Graded
Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss vs Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose
The rather unconventional pairing of Bliss and Cross is still working. I like the dynamic and how you can’t quite tell just who is manipulating who and who is going to turn when they eventually break up. This was a solid match and these two teams will probably meet again at Clash of Champions for the Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Winner: Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose
Grade: C
Viper Promo
Randy Orton and the Revival working together harkens back to the old days of Legacy and Orton running around kicking people in the head. This feud will most likely see the rest of the New Day added in for a three-on-three blowoff match in the near future.
Grade: B+
KOTR: Andrade vs Chad Gable
I’m pretty sure I looked like the angry Miz girl at the end of this match but that’s only because I’m a huge fan of Andrade. It was a fun match to watch though, with a crowd that went from mocking Gable to actively cheering him on being an added bonus. Also Zelina Vega’s face was priceless!
Winner: Chad Gable
Grade: B+
Aleister Black vs Shelton Benjamin
Black’s opening knee strike echoed around the arena and then he just kind of ended Benjamin with some strikes and a Black Mass. No really, that’s it.
Winner: Aleister Black
Not Graded
24/7 Title
Drake Maverick got bum-rushed by the Singhs and other various talent before Bo Dallas managed to win the title.
I sometimes forget that the Singh Brothers actually wrestle.
Not Graded
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Rando Wrestler
It was a fantastic squash match with Sami Zayn giving us his own commentary. I didn’t welcome this mouthpiece Zayn with open arms but I’m enjoying it now. I hope he provides commentary for the actual match at Clash of Champions.
Afterwards, there was another 24/& Title scuffle with R-Truth running off with the title for the fourteenth time.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Not Graded
The Reigns Saga
So Erick Rowan did do it and Daniel Bryan hates liars. Roman Reigns and Rowan are now going to have a (non-title) match at Clash of Champions. But also Rowan attacked Bryan so now they’re probably going to have a feud. What in the Blue World Order is going on?!
Grade: B-
Final Thoughts
Real talk, I had an absolute blast at Smackdown Live! To top it off, we had a pretty good show and a fun crowd and I made a few new friends.
Overall Grade: B+
