Tonight on SmackDown: we find out how/if SD bounces back after last week's flat, flavorless show... Dolph Ziggler scored a big upset to become the new #1 Contender to Dean Ambrose's WWE Title; unfortunately, that pales in comparison to what RAW did with Finn Balor, and also, it might have ust been a case of "too little, too late" for a fanbase that has seen WWE toy with brief pushes for Ziggler, before ultimately shuffling him back down the card... when WWE didn't do jack squat with Dolph after Survivor Series 2014, that might have been the last straw for us fans (fool us 8 times, shame on us; fool us 9 times, shame on you)... but we'll see if Ziggler and Ambrose can heat things up... Ziggler turning heel might be something to explore....

In addition to putting some sizzle behind the Ambrose/Ziggler feud, WWE is promising some kind of confrontation between John Cena and AJ Styles, which one can only assume means they will have a blow-off singles match at SummerSlam....

We'll also get some previously unexpected forward progress with regards to SummerSlam's cross-brand match: Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman are now confirmed as being at tonight's show, to deliver some payback for Randall Orton's trespassing last night at RAW...

Beyond that, things are kind of wide open.... it is now confirmed that SD will be getting its own women's and tag team titles, but my understanding is that the process of filling them won't start until after SummerSlam... in the meantime, it seems like the go-to main tag feud is the Usos vs. Breezango, with American Alpha very capable of throwing a wrinkle into plans (they make their main roster debut tonight), and it also appears the Hype Bros are back together.... there may or may not be more mileage in the Becky/Nattie feud, but they could also just start doing random pairings of matches after last week's 5-way staredown; only problem is that Becky is light years ahead of Naomi in terms of babyface credibility, and Eva Marie is a heel heat machine who can't wrestle for shit, so you wind up with some significant restrictions on what you can do.... I can't believe I'm about to say this, but: Nikki Bella, we need you on SD, so keep working hard and get well soon!

Miz is the IC Champ with no clear-cut #1 Contender... last week's SD went to great lengths to emphasize Apollo Crews as a newly repositioned top-ish guy, so he may work as a challenger.... personally, I'd rather see them try to make something out of the Crews/Kane moments from last week's battle royale (plus, that'd make for an inoffensive underneath feud Crews can/should win, without it seeming forced), and go with Kalisto challenging Miz in a higher profile feud...

Finally, Heath Slater's One Man Brand Desperation Tour probably continues tonight.... and if you wondering about a free agent who shows up and steals his thunder yet again, well, Curt Hawkins is in the house tonight.... yes, THAT Curt Hawkins... pretend to care!

That is all. End communication....

The flOOr is yours, OO Nation. Don't wait till after 10pm to post, either. Pre-show previewing and prognosticating is certainly welcome. So discuss, debate, and rate!

Victoria returning on Smackdown tonight? She has been teasing it:

I was told by @stitchedupadam that this week's WWE Smackdown is a must see. Not sure why. Hmmmm

— Lisa Marie Varon (@REALLiSAMARiE) August 1, 2016

I kinda hope so. Smackdown's women's division strikes me more like the Diva's division that we all wanted to see go away: there's one or two women that can actually wrestle but the rest of them are there because they're associated with a show no one that watches wrestling actually cares about.

Also because Becky Lynch is buried always.

Damn shoot hell, errbody, we gotta do this agayn tonight? *siiiiighgrumblegrumble* Thursday would have made it easier for this...Alright, fuck me this is a lot of wrasslin', okay game face let's DO THIS!!!

#dicksoutsprayingandpraying

quote:

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Originally posted by royberto
Victoria returning on Smackdown tonight? She has been teasing it:

I was told by @stitchedupadam that this week's WWE Smackdown is a must see. Not sure why. Hmmmm

— Lisa Marie Varon (@REALLiSAMARiE) August 1, 2016

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Dolph sure is looking Shawn-esque these days.

ETA: Otunga needs to add a some bass to his coffee.

[Edited on 8-3-2016 by janerd75]

They should probably go back to being taped. These last two crowds have taken me out of the show before it even gets going.

Nah Shawn Micheals would never lay down like that. Now why would Dolph Ziggler ever agree to give up his SS match......wrestling logic .....

[Edited on 8-3-2016 by Nobledictator1278]

[Edited on 8-3-2016 by Nobledictator1278]

Ziggler as a face against Ambrose?

Giving Ziggler the "That Damn Good" tag?

Can we get Super Cena or Roman "The Guy" Reigns instead?

quote:

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Originally posted by Nobledictator1278
Nah Shawn Micheals would never lay down like that. Now why would Dolph Ziggler ever agree to give up his SS match......wrestling logic .....

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How is it that Baron Corbin looks more like a grown up version of Fulton from The Mighty Ducks than Fulton from the Mighty Ducks looks like Fulton from the Mighty Ducks? I'm a little foggy on that.

Oh, shit. Becky vs. Boobs Radley? Next? Have they no regard for the servers here?

All red everything....except a white coat........ just sayin

Oh my I wanted to see Eva Marie squash Becky

Ohhhh... "All RED everything." I get it. Up 'til now I thought she was working some sort of literary snob gimmick, but she just had horrible syntax.

Foggy. Heh heh, I get it. I played that game on my Atari 400 when I was a kid too, Never could get across the highway though.

EBooo, such a shame to hang those tits on that much uselessness.

quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
EBooo, such a shame to hang those tits on that much uselessness.

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Can we have Red Bella's entrance without most-of-her? Or just get that guy to narrate EVERY heel entrance? Or replace somebody on the RAM commentary team with the voiceover guy? (Corey Graves & Byron are vocally indistinguishable 95% of the time, at least to my ears.)

Having Eva Marie feign an injury to hide her opponent's lack of skill seems an incredible waste of talent.

quote:

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Originally posted by merc
Having Eva Marie feign an injury to hide her opponent's lack of skill seems an incredible waste of talent.

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Eva Marie is probably the only person who could get an MRI of their Primary Motor Cortex included in an edition of Botchamania.

S'merc with the zinger of the night!

Never Give Up, Eva Marie.

Soccer mother? How the hell do you respond to a heckle like that? It's tougher to reply back to than "arrr, pirates off the starboard bow!" if you get up on stage wearing a puffy shirt. Good call on telling the little kids to fuck off though. It's long overdue, the little fuckers.



[Edited on 8/3/2016 by Paddlefoot]

As an asshole, I cannot disagree with A.J. Fuck those kids, A.J!

quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
As an asshole, I cannot disagree with A.J. Fuck those kids, A.J!

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Can't wait for AJ's face turn when he drives a PT Cruiser into the ring and starts cleaning house.

edit: pun intended?

[Edited on 8/3/2016 by CM Crunk]

Quality hate-promo. Haven't seen someone tee off on Cena this way since Edge went insane with rage and jealousy during their feud. This is where I will credit TNA because it was working with Christian and Angle that really helped AJ build his promo game.

Love what A.J. is slingin' but can they extract some of that faux hoodlum from Cena and transfuse it into Oreotunga?

#itsthepillswritingsoyoucantblameme

Ziggler -Wyatt?

I missed something...

A chance to continue to surprise and put Dolph over aghain to show just how serious this brand split thing is I guess.

quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
Love what A.J. is slingin' but can they extract some of that faux hoodlum from Cena and transfuse it into Oreotunga?

#itsthepillswritingsoyoucantblameme

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Thoughts and prayers for Eva Marie.

I hope they post an address where we can send cards like they did when Matilda was kidnapped from the British Bulldogs.

quote:

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Originally posted by Count Zero

quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
Love what A.J. is slingin' but can they extract some of that faux hoodlum from Cena and transfuse it into Oreotunga?

#itsthepillswritingsoyoucantblameme

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Crazy Random Thought:

I might be the only person who worries about the announcers and stuff, but here's a way to make smackdown and RAM different, because we don't need two teams of Three-Man Commentary Table.

Otunga is your smackdown "Host", he takes you to & from ad breaks, and does the "later tonight, our main event is...!" fills. Then for the rest of the in-ring action, he sends you "to our ringside colleagues, JBL and Mauro Renallo". Otunga isn't BAD, I just think he could be used better if he didn't have to shoehorn into the Renallo/JBL dynamic.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Count Zero

quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
Love what A.J. is slingin' but can they extract some of that faux hoodlum from Cena and transfuse it into Oreotunga?

#itsthepillswritingsoyoucantblameme

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Crazy Random Thought:

I might be the only person who worries about the announcers and stuff, but here's a way to make smackdown and RAM different, because we don't need two teams of Three-Man Commentary Table.

Otunga is your smackdown "Host", he takes you to & from ad breaks, and does the "later tonight, our main event is...!" fills. Then for the rest of the in-ring action, he sends you "to our ringside colleagues, JBL and Mauro Renallo". Otunga isn't BAD, I just think he could be used better if he didn't have to shoehorn into the Renallo/JBL dynamic.

Hell, if you want to go full-tard with the gimmick, give Otunga the power to Wander Around The Arena while he's hosting. So he can hang out with kids who love Neville before Neville's match, find himself backstage when a fight 'happens' to break out, etc etc.

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quote:

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Originally posted by CM Crunk

THAT I could get behind. Surprised nobody in Stamford has thought of that yet.

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CZ,
You are right Otunga isn't bad, he's FUCKIN TERRIBLE . Want to fix it have him wander into the parking lot with a mic and get hit by a car...with a driver smart enough to say, "hey! That's David Otunga! he sucks!" Who then throws it in reverse and finish the job.

And while I'm at it, I like JBL tossing out historical references but get them right. Bob Orton Jr. NEVER faced Bruno Sammartino in MSG. EVAH Don't make shit up. He did face him in Philly as part of the Piper Pit thing.

And finally, if you asked which show was going to have stupid back stage things on it, I would not have picked SMACKDOWN.

ETA: I like angry Dolph. I can channel that

[Edited on 8-3-2016 by merc]

If anything truly can happen on Smackdown Live Dean should have taken his beloved Renee to Poundtown on that desk.

ETA: I like lovable merc's more aggressive alter ego S'merc, kinda like the difference betwixt Corporate and Demon Kane.

#allrethuglicansareevil

ETA2: Lol, Randall. Go shit in your bag honey, or I will. I like new-ish RKO.

[Edited on 8-3-2016 by janerd75]

Nah, not sustainable.

HEY Dom!
Orton nailed that backstage interview. Don't miss it!

So WWE is getting on board with the post-show-talk-show gimmick with Talkin' Smack tonight. I really hope this leads to Raw Doggin' It with Tom Phillips next Monday.

quote:

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Originally posted by CM Crunk
So WWE is getting on board with the post-show-talk-show gimmick with Talkin' Smack tonight. I really hope this leads to Raw Doggin' It with Tom Phillips next Monday.

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quote:

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Originally posted by CM Crunk
So WWE is getting on board with the post-show-talk-show gimmick with Talkin' Smack tonight. I really hope this leads to Raw Doggin' It with Tom Phillips next Monday.

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Hey people are talking about Otunga when Renee Paquette is right there! There's your host.

quote:

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Originally posted by Count Zero

quote:

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Originally posted by CM Crunk
So WWE is getting on board with the post-show-talk-show gimmick with Talkin' Smack tonight. I really hope this leads to Raw Doggin' It with Tom Phillips next Monday.

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Of all the possible hosts, you went for that one?

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Seems the Re-Dolphening is A Thing. I'm good with that because Bray will eventually get his day and I've long since been ready for DZ to get back on top.

Overall not a bad show, but it's weird the longer RAM has a bit more pop and sizzle than the shorter Smackdown. I really liked the A.J./Cena brodown throwdown on the mics and I still have no fucking idea what the deal was with Eva-bot 3000.

Is it me or is anyone else getting a tingle in their special purpose regions for Orton vs. Lesnar? I hope their match is a bit more even than BORK SMASH! Young Randall has been Axe sprayed gold thusfar.

ETA: Respect to BFG but Canadian National Treasure Renny P is far more important to the proceedings than a mere host.

[Edited on 8-3-2016 by janerd75]

So the top matches for SummerSlam are:

Lesnar/Orton
Rollins/Balor
Ambrose/Ziggler
Cena/Styles

Yep, the WWE has successfully earned my $9.99 this month.

All in all, a pretty solid episode of Smackdown tonight. I liked the main event and the fact that the outcome was somewhat in doubt added some drama to it. I assume we get Ambrose/Ziggler vs Wyatt/Rowan next week, with the requisite miscommunication between the faces leading to fisticuffs post-match.

Also, no mention of Daniel Bryan's "Apollo Creed" flub at the beginning?

Re-Dolphening, eh? I like it. I can already hear the IWC diehards bemoaning Bray's lot in life right now, and more power to 'em I guess. But I think he'll be fine. I mean, with the way the show closed out tonight I imagine this will lead to a Bray & Rowan vs. Dean & Dolph main event next week where Bray can get his heat back after a miscommunication or two between the Double D's

Also, I can see the Bryan/Shane alignment becoming problematic in the future unless they want to be stuck in happy-go-lucky underdog mode forever. Mick and Steph have that face/heel tension and Bryan/Shane most certainly do not.

Also2, I'm not getting my kishkes in a twist over Brothers of Wellness Violation Destruction crossing the streams on each other's show. The match was made pre-split and both shows are making a, well, show of that crossover shit not being kosher. I'm good with it for now.

Also3, Re-Dolph is best Dolph. Cautiosly optimistic they're setting him up for a #heelchamprun after SS.

quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
Also2, I'm not getting my kishkes in a twist over Brothers of Wellness Violation Destruction crossing the streams on each other's show. The match was made pre-split and both shows are making a, well, show of that crossover shit not being kosher. I'm good with it for now.

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quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
Also3, Re-Dolph is best Dolph. Cautiosly optimistic they're setting him up for a #heelchamprun after SS.

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For the better show this week, I'd have to give it to Smackdown.

The gotta give Carmella a new entrance. That guido-ette babble is just too annoying for words. Joisey Shore permanently destroyed my ability to put up with that kind of nonsense.

quote:

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Originally posted by the goon
All in all, a pretty solid episode of Smackdown tonight. I liked the main event and the fact that the outcome was somewhat in doubt added some drama to it. I assume we get Ambrose/Ziggler vs Wyatt/Rowan next week, with the requisite miscommunication between the faces leading to fisticuffs post-match.

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Smackdown was better than RAW this week, but probably only because of it being two hours rather than three.

I like the idea of the backstage interview session with Renee, but it needs to be tweaked...somehow. Now sure what that tweak is, exactly.

I like the idea of Otunga being the "host" although I think they did that with Miz WAY back when he started and it failed pretty horribly. They ARE doing a good job of using that type of roll on the CWC with that tattooed guy form RAW, though. So it can work if presented properly.

Love the Orton/Lesnar angle, hate that it involves cross over from show to show. I would rather they have been drafted to the same show and it was contained to either RAW or Smackdown.

Loved Dean's promo on Dolph and thought it went a long way towards selling their match at Summerslam. I don't think they really needed Bray to interject and could have gotten away with Dolph beating a lesser name, rather decisively, in the same fashion, and then having Bray/Rowan attack after THAT match, to get to the same conclusion.

Or better yet, have your show end with Dolph standing victorious after a fairly decisive win, and having the champ look on, concerned on whether or not he awakened a sleeping giant with his promo.

I liked that the show didn't start in the ring with a 30 minute promo. That was different, and welcomed.

I have no clue what the Eva Marie thing was supposed to accomplish. I feel dumber for having watched that.

Where the FUCK was Shelton Benjamin?

I'm a pretty big Bray mark, but I was okay with this and definitely thought Smackdown was the better show this week. Bray kind of seems like the shark in the tank right now, kind of just devouring and attacking whatever comes near him. I agree that his time will come.

I think the thing I liked most is that they seem to have a story and an arc and some actual development for Ziggler. Last week seemed kind of flukey, but they're running with it and building something. My guess is that he loses to Ambrose at Summerslam, but snaps to go full heel in frustration and setting up a rematch.

And yes, when he does, he should absolutely pair with Eva Marie and dye his hair blood red.

I don't know what it is about Apollo Crews I just can't get behind. He's fine in the ring, but he's just...Rocky Maivia all over again. Does he have the next gear of character inside him? I hope so because right now he's just a bouncy dope with some good athleticism.

I liked that Baron Corbin still took down Miz. Lone Wolf! NOW SHAVE YOUR FUCKING HEAD ALREADY.

I agree about Carmella's patter. She's no Enzo.

quote:

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Originally posted by Sam Is Neat
I have no clue what the Eva Marie thing was supposed to accomplish. I feel dumber for having watched that.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Paddlefoot
Quality hate-promo. Haven't seen someone tee off on Cena this way since Edge went insane with rage and jealousy during their feud. This is where I will credit TNA because it was working with Christian and Angle that really helped AJ build his promo game.

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Sheesh, what a load of self-imposed sadness. Lighten up, Eeyore.