"Hey, Look Over There!"... SmackDown Pulls the Plug...

Happy Friday, Enthusiasts!

Hope it’s a good one.  So, let’s get right to it.  We have SmackDown in the position of trying to somehow start the “rebuilding process”.  I call it that because it’s quite clear that the WWE has to proceed differently.  RAW wasn’t bad or at least as bad as it can be but it still had plenty left to be desired and SmackDown is now in the familiar position of having to correct the overall course.  But before we get into all that, let’s touch on the news of the matches of Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury and Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Hernandez getting booked for Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.  Apparently, Hernandez is WWE property now as he has signed a multi-year contract and this is quite an interesting development.  This is a chance for the WWE to change the landscape a little more and blur the lines between fiction and reality.  With more legit MMA fighters, the general “wrestling action” is set to change.  For me, I would have Hernandez as a Heel who bullies everyone because for the most part, everyone else doesn’t know how to fight.   The people who used to could prove somewhat worthy opponents but their “rustiness” may push the roster to add more realism to their bouts.  What we see will have to look more like it could work in real time.  It will have to seem more like an actual fight.  In my opinion that would only help.  It may push the TV rating up to TV14 but at this point, don't think that would hurt.

But, back to SmackDown so, looks like the main event is setting the scene for Seth Rollins’ heel turn, as he is scheduled to face off against Roman Reigns for dibs on 1^st Draft Pick.  There is the potential of this being a sort of MacGuffin but ultimately, the time is more or less right for a Heel Turn for Rollins.  Some may say the twist could be that it’s Reigns who goes heel but I get the feeling he can’t pull it off.  If he could, I think they would have pulled the trigger on it in the past.  But we all know that Rollins handles “heeldom” well.  So, the task will be in executing this well.  Making it compelling and holding our interest as to what comes next episode.  Yes, it’s “Storytelling 101” but that’s where they are right now.  They basically have to do a soft reboot.  I’m all in favor of taking things back to basics a bit just so that they can be done right.  With FOX now a partner, I believe there is plenty of incentive. 

As for the Draft itself, I don’t have too much to say because I feel we just have to watch and see.  Not that I don’t care it’s just how it is, I feel.  They’re gonna do it, however they’re going to do it.  Not much incentive to speculate.  All we need do is see if it’s executed effectively.  So with that, funny tweets get retweeted and as for Likes/Favorites well, let us hope we get something to work with.  Looks like Crown Jewel is the next big event so, they’ll have to work a little harder.  I think fodder for Survivor Series will start after so these are kind of filler weeks for the WWE.  They got some time to play around with things.  Let’s see if they make good use of it.  Don’t hold back but, don’t go out of your way either.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)

PS: Got plans this evening so, I’ll be watching this tomorrow (Sat.) afternoon, maybe early evening.  I’ll tweet the reminder an hour or so before I watch.  Feel free to join me on the Twitters if that’s a more convenient time.  I’ll be using “RE: #SDLive” prior to each post.