SmackDown Does What It Can to Stay Solid...

A Good Friday to You, Enthusiasts!

 

I hope the week treated you well. As for the wrestling world, it’s been a varied week. There’s a lot of chatter and it’s hard to say what, if anything, it means. Shall we dive in?

 

So, Triple H has been getting a bit of press recently for making some…controversial statements. Controversial in that it has prompted quite a few people to respond, myself included. Yet, what I gathered from this move is that he’s doing exactly as “The Game” does, getting in our heads and making us mad. He’s the Cerebral Assassin for a reason. I think he’s stirring the pot to see if he can still stir it. That is perfectly fine. It’s good to take a temperature from time to time. I only say this because we all know that H is not stupid. He may not have the finest education but he does know a thing or to about the WWE Universe and he is a Heel of all Heels. Is he giving us a taste of how he’ll handle himself in the event he’s handed the reins? I wouldn’t be surprised. As an emblem and enforcer of the Authority, he’ll probably start to remind us that he was never our friend, as any good heel would. Some may feel at odds with this because they like Triple H. Learn how to “love” him for who he “is”.

 

In other news, there’s talk of bringing some recent WWE releases back. Apparently, members of the WWE roster and other insiders didn’t care for Aleister Black’s dismissal either. There’s a lot of talk of trying to bring him back. I kinda figured something like that would happen. The move prompted too much of a response and not positively. WWE is in an interesting position. We all know that they don’t really care to cater to fans but at the same time, they need us more than we need them so they kinda have to, to a certain degree. Yet, given the structure of the WWE Universe, those in charge prefer to see themselves on a pedestal. They may stubbornly stick to their way of doing things to establish their sense of power in the situation but that only exists if someone cares.

 

What WWE is always in danger of is losing everyone’s interest.  The very nature of this form of entertainment can be easily traced to the gladiators of yore who oftentimes lost their lives to satisfy spectators’ bloodlust. Though it has evolved to emulate pageantry more than a quest to spill blood, its origins allow those who are used to less violent fare to question the very display. Should we encourage and be entertained by violence? With this a looming question in civilization, WWE has the inadvertent task of validating themselves in the face of it.

 

One of the ways they do this is by having little to no hardcore fare. I always say it’s more akin to professional rough-housing. No one should need more than a Band-Aid or an ice-pack after a good tussle. You should live to fight another day. Now, we all know people suffer worse all the time; the overlying trend is that it’s not intentional. Sheamus is currently living proof. He was just doing his job, learning up the kids and one of them tags him good on the nose. It’s broken! Under other circumstances, we’d be going for shame to Humberto Carrillo but we all know this was not intentional and we let the state of it serve as the reminder to be more careful. I’m sure he feels bad about it. In this sort of behavior lies the hope.

 

We as fans are demonstrating that though we enjoy the action, we want no one maimed or actually set ablaze and don’t want to see any bones broken. We love the action and we want everyone healthy so they can proceed to entertain us time and time again. These kinds of aspects the WWE has to always keep in mind because a lot its fans may not fully understand why they watch and they don’t want to make them question it. That’s what this ramble is really about. WWE has the task of keeping our interest and they tend to get on tangents where they demand to do so, their way. I think Roman Reigns winning at this year’s WrestleMania is a prime example. Though most of us went, boo and whatever, a good section were genuinely upset. Remember, WWE wants that small fraction to remain a small fraction. If they don’t respect when we as fans are vocal, they’re looking to lose us whether they believe it or not. We are a fighting people so stalemates and impasses are inevitable from time to time. What WWE may not like to admit is that this is one they can’t afford to have. They’ll have to be very crafty when doing things their way or they’ll have no one to impose their will upon. They are a ways from this but if their Powers that Be are savvy, they’ll angle to never see this day. Can’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen, though.

On a similar note to the original point of releases coming back, Samoa Joe is getting kicked around to return to NXT. This wouldn’t increase my viewership or anything but I’d be glad Samoa Joe is back. He’s simply earned his colors and deserves to be at the top of the heap, simple as that. NXT at least tries to put on a good show. RAW, it’s always a crapshoot. SmackDown doesn’t have the time. Not that they don’t want to, they actually just don’t have the time.

  

Anyway, that eventually brings us to tonight. It’s pretty simple for SmackDown. Rey Mysterio should vow vengeance against Roman Reigns for the beatdown of his young, son Dominik. Outside of that, forget all those releases and see how the remaining chips fall. Funny tweets and Likes get retweeted. Let’s see who’s got wit and who’s better with sass.

 

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)