PUTTIN’ THAT SMACKDOWN…What Happened Last (Tuesday) Jan. 15th, 2015

How’s it going, Enthusiasts?  Well, I was actually pleasantly surprised with Smackdown, which is nice because I already like what they've been doing. I believe it’s the first time I’ve ever seen it like…make sense for the most part.  Creative has finally decided to tell a linear tale and I almost don’t know what to do with it.  Who knew Daniel Bryan returning would have such a positive impact.  Perhaps it was all in the works to start to revamp things from the get go but, whatever the reason, I’m all for it.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been engaged enough to kinda want to know what happens next and for once in a very long time, I’m actually looking forward to RAW.  The Smackdown “upgrade” is definitely making the RAW “downgrade” transition way more palatable.

Speaking of Daniel Bryan, we open this week’s Smackdown in Baton Rouge where we have Byron Saxton in the ring to welcome back our recovered hero.  Bryan approaches the ring triumphantly as the crowd and We the Audience cheer his return.  Once in the ring, Saxton asks him about his old feud with Dad (Kane) that “took him out” of action.  Well, naturally it was a bit of a blow to Bryan being out for what seemed like ages. And there’s supposedly more salt in that wound due to he and Dad being former Tag Team partners but we all know how that went.  Dad now works for The Authority and Daniel Bryan blew up on his own.  So, you know what that means.  He’ll beat Dad in this damn ring, then he’s gonna win the Royal Rumble and then he’s gong take the Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania!  Well, wouldn’t you know it?  Just when we were getting all excited, Triple H’s music hits and he along with whoever’s around for The Authority strut out.  They want to see how this match plays out.  With little ceremony, Dad gets himself into the ring and we have a ballgame. 

To my delight, Bryan hasn’t really let ring rust slow him down.  He opened with a dropkick and just went from there.  Dad was more of his old self as well and these 2 put on a solid match.  As you would expect, be it a little kayfabe or not, Bryan seemed to be as protective of his healed injury as he could and We the Audience couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive, adding to the suspense.  Dad being his wicked self helped with that, as well.  When Dad goes for his Chokeslam, Bryan counters with his YES! Lock and that’s when J&J Security see their cue and jump in to mess things up and, of course, give Bryan the Disqualification.  Bryan manages to jump kick the both of them and that triggers all the present Heels, except for Triple H, to rush the ring. Bryan manages to get out from under Big Show and Rollins charges in to have at but Bryan slips out the ring to avoid getting straight bum-rushed but even if he was, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns come out to back him up if need be.  That stops The Authority in its tracks, Seth Rollins especially but, Triple H isn't scared.  Being “the authority” that he is and seeing how these upstarts in Ambrose and Reigns like to stick their nose in other people’s business, why don’t we work this out in a 6-Man-Tag later tonight.  Fine with them and so, there you have it.  Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns against Authority Heels of Triple H’s choosing.

The second match of the evening brings us a Mixed 6-Person Tag Team match with The Usos and Naomi against, you guessed it, The Miz, Damien Mizdow and Alicia Fox.   We’ve seen this combination a lot but this match still entertained.  I felt it moved well and allowed everyone to do a little something and have fun at the same time.  Yet, it looks like The Miz won this last coin toss and gets the win.

We then have Paul Heyman come out to talk up Brock “Gun Jack” Lesnar and since he’s not here but we remember what happened to him last, Seth Rollins soon comes out to exchange some words with the in-house advocate.  This is all to hype up the big Triple Threat Match to close The Rumble, seeing how Rollins is the only participant present this evening.  This wasn’t a bad spiel.  It was just the right amount of melodrama but you know how I feel about this, Enthusiasts.  I’ll only buy Rollins winning if he does it with a baseball bat or is choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping.

Next up, we have a good Divas match between Natalya and Nikki Bella with Paige and Brie Bella at ringside.  These ladies are proving that they can in fact wrestle and though that’s no surprise when it comes to Natalya, it certainly is when it comes to Nikki.  She has definitely embraced Heeldom and was very believable in this match.  There was some expected ringside interference from Brie but Paige returns the favor to Nikki for Nattie and Nattie gets the win.

After that, we have Bad News Barrett and Sin Cara go at it for the Intercontinental Championship.  Sin Cara earns this opportunity due to his surprising win on RAW yet, this may be some subtle digging, I believe.  As I said, Sin Cara is rarely booked to win so, he’s basically a flamboyant jobber but with Lucha Underground making a firm statement, I feel the WWE has to treat their Luchadores with more respect.  Yet, seeing how Barrett picks up the win in fairly short but not necessarily easy order, I think that basically sums up how the WWE really feels about these up-and-comers.

We then come to the Main Event in Bryan, Ambrose and Reigns against Dad, Big Show and Rollins.  This match was great.  Way better than I was honestly anticipating.  I expected a solid showing but this went down beautifully. The only thing that kinda stuck out for me was Dean Ambrose.  In these high energy matches, he can certainly oversell and this time out was no exception but, he does it so much in his own crazy style that you kinda like it.  Seeing how this is more a “Welcome Back” show for Daniel Bryan, I didn’t mind the dash of camp that Ambrose threw in.  Being the team martyr, more or less, he spent the most time in the Heel corner taking all sorts of hits that he played up dramatically.  Nevertheless, as these affairs often go, The Heels taking all their cheap shots wears on the Faces trying to play by the rules and eventually everyone goes “Fuck it!” and the brawl ensues.  This was actually a lot of fun to watch though.  I loved how Dad was more like you’d think him to be and was just annihilating fools.  Reigns displayed some agility that I wasn’t ready for in some of the latter moments. Bryan was solid and clever in his submission applications and you know Ambrose, going fucking nuts and all over Rollins’ ass.  But in the end, it was Daniel Bryan throwing himself, feet-first, into Dad that sets him up to get the pin and the win.  But wait!  Triple H has the final say on this one.  Bryan must think he’s hot shit.  Well, “Hot Shit”, you and Dad are gonna go again on Smackdown next week and if you lose, say goodbye to The Rumble.  So, there you have it, Enthusiasts.  Daniel Bryan is back with a vengeance!  Whether anyone likes it or not, I think it’s pretty clear who the Top Face is right now and that’s fine.  Let us not forget that this sort of thing is what the WWE Universe is all about because We the Audience wish it so.  Let’s see if RAW can keep it going.

See You Monday,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)