Hell in a Cell is this Sunday but WWE doesn’t really do the “go-home show” thing anymore – if they do any promotion to “big time matches” at all.
This week saw the Season Premiere of RAW, SmackDown bumped to FS1 for the World Series, and the return of Pat McAfee on NXT. Also, Ricochet vs. Gran Metalik was a random match on Main Event and they ran “I quit!” angles on two separate shows for two separate people. Who’s booking this crap?
The Week in Review
Best Promos: Chad Gable says he’s done being Shorty G (SmackDown 10/23/20)
Best Angles: Thatch as Thatch Can Training with Anthony Greene (NXT 10/21/20), Bianca Belair deadlifts Zelina Vega (SmackDown 10/23/20), The Usos trick Roman Reigns (SmackDown 10/23/20)
Who made this worth it?: Jordan Omogbehin, Timothy Thatcher, WALTER, Roman Reigns, The Usos
Notable Trends: Drew McIntyre is Bad, Austin Theory & Chad Gable Quit, Roman Reigns Runs Wrestling
RAW (10/19/20)
I don’t know, it’s alright
I’ve been dealin’ with some things like every human being
And really didn’t sleep much last night (last night)
“I’m sorry”, that’s fine
I just think I need a little me time
I just think I need a little free time
RAW’s Season Premiere: new theme song, freshly Drafted roster, confusing opening segment with The Fiend being interrupted by RETRIBUTION who proceeded to lose to The Hurt Business in a 6-man tag and get laid out by The Fiend.
Really can’t shake how much of the same terrible RAW this felt like even if there are like 20 new people on the roster.
AJ Styles with big tall Jordan Oomogbehin is a good look – Otis doing a hammy Lucha mask gimmick not so much.
People say Drew McIntyre has the tools but him playing Vince’s Favorite Babyface gives the whole show a bad vibe, like nothing is worth it until they meet this completely one-note tough guy. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler as the only actual opposition for Asuka gives the women’s division a bad vibe too, even if part of me has to admit the brilliance of Nia and Shayna’s Q target demo gimmick.
There were matches on this show. AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle happened on this show. Kofi Kingston and Sheamus ran it back, and Braun Strowman vs. Keith Lee was a short match that ended when they hit each other in the balls. This was like the worst possible G1 Climax.
RAW closed with Randy Orton delivering the Viper’s Message from Hell, a segment title that they actually promoted throughout the entire show. He just cut a promo inside a Hell in a Cell setup before Drew McIntyre ran out and the screen went black. Should’ve closed with the full Elias song or something. Man.
NXT (10/21/20)
The Kyle O’Reilly babyface build and Undisputd Era split teases are also kind of not bad but given WWE’s track record I’m not sure it goes anywhere and everything surrounding it is really just such shit.
WWE’s entire thing is a decrepit midcard, but it occasionally makes me sad where NXT’s midcard (or even main event) has gotten: KUSHIDA/Ciampa/Dream in a generic Triple Threat, Gargano filming Digital Shorts, whatever they’re trying with Damian Priest.
The 205 Live-ish division’s 6-man – Legado del Fantasma vs. Swerve Scott, Ashantee Adonis & Jake Atlas – was a good time, as was Killian Dain & Drake Maverick‘s thing, which is becoming a weekly highlight.
Beth Phoenix: “Ember Moon doesn’t want to conform, she wants to be different!”
Breezango deserved a better NXT Tag Team Titles reign, but for a show promoted with a Breezango vs. Strong/Fish main event I did not expect and was pleasantly surprised to see it end with Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch turning heel and beating Breezango for the titles with the help of Pat McAfee. I’m kind of into the prospect of all this, but I also don’t know anymore.
MAIN EVENT (10/21/20)
Angel Garza, who is just working through having his leg completely taped up, wrestled his cousin Angel Garza in Main Event’s main event and it was kind of the same deal.
NXT UK (10/22/20)
Eddie Dennis can cut a promo but I don’t think I needed to see him wrestle a match this week, while I really don’t want to watch Joe Coffey wrestle next week or really any time ever again.
Trent Seven vs. Kenny Williams in the Heritage Cup was a well-worked enough three-fall match with the hardest chops anyone has ever seen in their life, while WALTER and Ilja Dragunov engaged in a freaking Contract Signing that at least picked up when they decided to hit real hard during the eventual brawl.
SMACKDOWN (10/23/20)
Besides introductions for the freshly Drafted, SmackDown delivered what it has reliably delivered for the last couple months: great Roman Reigns/Jey Uso angle, lukewarm Bayley/Sasha Banks promo.
Daniel Bryan has promised to fix SmackDown more than Terry Funk has retired, but it was fun to see him wrestle again: in this case, an 8-man tag that was both solid wrestling and the same lazy approach to re-introducing acts on a new roster: Kevin Owens, Street Profits, Ziggler, Roode, Cesaro and Nakamura are now officially “a part of the show!”
SmackDown has a lot going right now but most is, at its’ core, inherently stupid. Chad Gable came off so awesome and natural in his promo shedding the mortifying Shorty G gimmick that it didn’t feel like a story payoff, just confirmation of wasted time. Seth Rollins and Murphy wrestled a fine version of what I imagine would be the PPV match in another world, but at the end of the day it’s just week 20 of WWE writing a bad Telenova.
Law & Otis – do you get it? JBL! Remember that asshole??
At the end of the day, Roman Reigns and Jey Uso still do great pro wrestling: a facemask-wearing Uso cut a promo on Roman from the Titan Tron before revealing it was Jimmy, setting up Jey going at Roman with a chair. I’m a sucker for a good wrestling reveal, and I hope you are too. The Tribal Chief and The Usos continue to produce excellent television within a questionable television show.
205 LIVE (10/23/20)
Brian Kendrick continued the fun series he’s developed with some newbies: first Ashante Adonis, then Swerve Scott, and this week Mansoor. The Bollywood Boyz did a promo and did that thing they do, and in the main event Tony Nese faced young Curt Stallion who needs a little polish on the presentation if not the capability. Amazing Orihara moonsault!!
Then the show ended with Nese and Ariya Daivari standing tall. Cool.
