RAW May Be Ready to Go, But SmackDown Knows Where...

Happy Friday, Enthusiasts!

Did you make it through the week in one piece?  Kudos if you did.  I know it was a tough one for some of you out there.   So, here we are, ready to watch this third installment of SmackDown on FOX.  Since we were last here, there have been some managerial changes.  It appears Eric Bischoff just wasn’t up to snuff in his new Executive Director role and somewhere down the line he didn’t do himself any favors by displeasing FOX as well.  Appears the writing was on the wall and someone simply read it.  Too bad.  I suppose they are falling back on whoever was running things before.  Most would say that’s just Vince McMahon but I was never so quick to point the finger.  I don’t doubt when the material is subpar he may rewrite it but if it’s no better than what he can do, I’m sure it gets sent out.  I just don’t buy these sentiments that he’s that controlling.  I buy more that is what is put out there for us to believe.  Remember, given the concept of Kayfabe, nothing we receive can ever really be trusted.  What’s out there is just that, what’s out there.

But I digress, back to SmackDown.  RAW wasn’t terrible though it had some segments that could certainly have been cut and AEW seems to be ambling along.  I check it out some, but I find it’s got too much of a “Bro” vibe for my general taste.  I don’t mind blue collar fare but AEW is clearly aiming for Men in the 18-35 range and that’s just not me.  Also, they seem to be taking themselves a little seriously.  I think pro-wrestlers should always proceed as if the crowd knows it’s fake unless the promotion is all about “real shit” or something.  This is like the inside joke in this industry and we should act as if we’re in on it.   The way they’re setting up some of these matches makes it seem like there’s more on the line than there actually is.   You kinda lose me when you come at me like that.  I know it’s just not that serious.  This is an area where I think the WWE can reestablish itself.  It’s beginning to acquiesce to the obvious and starting to play with that gossamer that hangs between reality and Kayfabe.  I think if they keep it “real” to a certain degree, they can remain on top in perpetuity.  I keep feeling that they should follow in the tone of the Shrek movies if they’re going to stay borderline PG, though.  It should be fun and easy enough to follow for 10-year-olds but have enough tongue-in-cheek content to keep adults entertained.  It makes sense.  If the WWE is the default face of Professional Wrestling, it should be relatively open to all. Think baseball.

As for tonight’s content, what’s advertised seems digestible enough.  We got an 8-Man-Tag scheduled between the Crown Jewel teams.  Apparently, Seth Rollins is no longer the Team Captain for Hulk Hogan.  Not sure if that’s a personal decision or due to attempted storyline but that’s what I’ve been hearing.  There will be a “Six Pack Challenge” to figure out who’s going to try to test Dark Bayley’s mettle for the Women’s Title.  And since he currently doesn’t have much to do, Roman Reigns is going to go for the Intercontinental Title against Shinsuke Nakamura.  Hopefully, Sami Zayn can spice things up on the sidelines.  I like him but for some reason he’s not all that popular.  For me, he just doesn’t look like a wrestler.  He looks like someone I’d befriend at a bar, like a graphic designer or something.  Perhaps they could expand him into a manager.  He’s good on the mic and if he stays in shape, can give/take bumps in backstage melees.  Maybe he can work his way back into the ring by talking shit?  Worth a shot.  Funny tweets will get retweeted and as for Likes/Favorites, well this is still an interesting time.  According to the ratings reports, both AEW and NXT are performing well but the numbers are falling.  It could be due to other sports.  Baseball is well into its post season and football season is also in effect.   People may simply be distracted.  That and the WWE hasn’t exactly been knocking it out of the park of late.  If the WWE wants to stay current and relevant, they’re going to have to offer decent quality content, at the very least we have to get something out of it.  When in doubt, make it fun. 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)