SmackDown Proves You Save the Best for Last....

Happy Friday, Enthusiasts!

 

Are you doing well? I do hope so. Well, let’s get the less pleasant business out of the way first. Let’s give solemn and sincere condolences to Becky Lynch as word is her father passed this week. I wouldn’t be surprised if that means we don’t see Seth Rollins tonight, which is fine. He probably now knows more than ever that family is far more important. Let us offer our loving thoughts and prayers.

 

As for the wrestling world, well there’s word that Andrade requested his release. Now, that’s not really surprising. Now that we have a better understanding of why WWE does what it does, wth no Zelina Vega there’s literally no one in his corner, except maybe Charlotte but that doesn’t appear to be enough. From what I heard, the key was for him to learn how to speak better English and then they’d see where they could go from there. Either his English hasn’t improved or like with so many others, they simply don’t know what to do with him. And with Santos Escobar coming up the NXT ranks, I’m not sure WWE feels the need to accommodate Andrade. I would say this is a case of both sides not meeting in the middle. Andrade has to accept that generally fans weren’t sold on him for whatever reason, and WWE has to make more an effort to give their wrestlers a chance. So, if Andrade pitched ideas and WWE passed on them, then he has every right to move on. Yet, if he didn’t like what he was given or didn’t try to make it work, then he can’t really expect to be missed. We all know WWE has some weaknesses but we can’t forget they’re running TV Shows. They can’t do much if no one wants to see someone and I can’t say I’ve heard much clamoring for Andrade. He may fare better with Lucha Libre AAA.

 

Something more pertinent for tonight, there’s been a lot of talk about Apollo Crews opting to embrace his “Nigerian” heritage. Now, I’ve been careful about how I voice how this comes off due to the passing of Chadwick Boseman. Yet, to me, it’s looking like he’s angling to become the Black Panther of WWE and I’m not really sure about that. The military guards he had with him last week kinda leans this into Beasts of No Nation territory so, I don’t really know how to take this. The WWE Universe is a far cry from Wakanda. Crews doesn’t have access to advanced technology or a scared flower so unless he plans on commandeering children, I’m not sure where this goes. I commend him for attempting to build a respectable character but I’m not sure this is quite it. As much as WWE is behind with its creativity, they can’t inject a wrestler with a personality. Apollo Crews has to sell himself to some degree outside of athletic prowess and what we’re seeing is probably an honest attempt. Unfortunately, he may have to go back to the drawing board.

 

So, that brings us to tonight! SmackDown is guiding us into Fastlane’s Go-Home Week. What’s being advertised is Big E. coming up with something to say to Apollo Crews. Kevin Owens gets to host his show with Sasha Banks and Bianca BelAir as guests. And Roman Reigns will find time in his schedule to saunter out and sign his name for the contract signing for his match against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane. As for the rest of it, it’s anyone’s guess. On a side note, my latest article is out. I get into how Billie Kay is working with what she gets. We’ll see how long that lasts. Funny tweets get retweeted and as for Likes well, SmackDown has been solid so don’t feel the need to angle for shit talk. Likes may come from praise on Friday nights and that is ultimately where we want to get WWE in general. We give credit where it’s due here. I talk shit ‘cause there’s plenty to talk. The better the show, the less I can say. It’s that simple.

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)