SmackDown Has a BIG Job Ahead of Them for TLC...

Happy Friday Enthusiasts,

 

How is everyone? Well, there’s quite a bit going on in the wrestling world. Let’s get into it, shall we.

  

So, Brandi and Cody Rhodes are another wrestling couple expecting in the New Year. I don’t know what the word is on the supposed COVID baby boom but it appears to be in full effect in wrestling. Congratulations to them!

 

In WWE, this Ben Carter that I’ve been hearing about has signed with them after a short stint with AEW. Don’t be surprised if this sort of thing starts to happen more often. Both promotions have their pluses and minuses and a wrestler may start to try them on for size. Just remember, when going to WWE these people need to have a plan for themselves. Success is not guaranteed.

 

On that note, there’s word that the USA Network isn’t too happy with the low ratings RAW pulled in this week. It wasn’t the worst of their shows. They have definitely had worse showings but after last week’s SmackDown, it became very clear that RAW is for kids. There’s nothing wrong with that, though. WWE is big enough to cater to different demographics. They just have to make sure that this delineation is on purpose. This is what I’ve been blabbering about. The audience is changing and WWE is doing a bad job of keeping up. If they want to maintain a sense of street-cred, they have to be surer of their movements. I’ve suggested before that if WWE is to stick to the PG rating, they should lean towards a Shrek tone. Adults have to be able to stomach it or they might as well consider a Saturday morning time slot. The content gets more mature as the show goes on so, maybe the first half gets the pediatric treatment but they have to be sure this is a direction they want to go in. Ideally, they would shoot for the ratings to rise as the show goes on and not trail off as it usually does. We’ll see if they get a handle on it. Changes should go into effect after TLC.

  

The other bit of news going around is that The Rock, Dwayne Johnson is going to appear on Talking Smack after SmackDown tonight. Now, it’s hard to say when this was booked. It could be assumed that this was done once they knew SmackDown was going to be on FS1 tonight. Ratings always drop when this switch is made. This may prompt people’s curiosity enough to take a look somehow. I never watch the show so, I won’t be changing my routine but it is intriguing. It was reported that The Rock wouldn’t come back for a match until 2022 so, we shouldn’t assume that this is a WrestleMania 37 lead-up but it could certainly plant seeds for a future showdown with Roman Reigns. You know how I feel about this and I don’t think they should do it until they’ve got a surefire setup and with what’s going on now, it’s clear that to pull the trigger on this would end up being a waste of time for the both of them. WWE can’t just throw shit together anymore or call in a legend. They need to show that they’re thinking about the future and not just on the corporate level. They’re always going to be experimenting. That is just the nature of the beast, but as wrestlers develop, the long-term plan for them has to too. This is why they need to focus on building a WWE Universe. Not just coin the phrase but demonstrate how things work when you come into their world. We need to know the faux politics and connections so that intrigue can be built and interest maintained. That’s the key to decent storytelling, giving the audience a premise to care about and invest in.

  

As it stands, WWE comes off more like a variety show with wrestling thrown in. SmackDown appears to be getting it. They’re establishing conditions with Reigns being the head of table for a wrestling family legacy. The mid-card is finding their bearings and learning how to play along you know, adversarily. And Kevin Owens is being given plenty of space to be himself. There’s still a lot of work to do but at least they’re on the right track.

  

So, that brings us to tonight’s action. What’s advertised is sparse. Sami Zayn is set to host his “Sami Awards”, whatever that means. The pre-PPV title match will happen between The Street Profits and the pairing of Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. Bianca Belair and Bayley carry on their dislike of one another and it sounds like Carmella is gonna have herself a “Champagne Toast”. There’s more pressure for this Go Home Show with all the bad press and with The Rock to follow. Let’s see if they measure up to the challenge. Funny tweets get retweeted and as for Likes, well don’t feel the need to hold back. Don’t be mean, though. We won’t get better content overnight. But we have to keep on them to create it. Pick on what they get wrong. Praise what they get right. They need us way more than we need them so, let’s give them some insight on how to please us. It’s the least we can do.

 

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)