SmackDown Does Its Job as Last Stop to BackLash...

How’s It Going, Enthusiasts?

 

So, it’s the Go Home Week for BackLash and yeah, not too many people care but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The Wrestling World in general seems to be having a slow news day so, let’s just get into what’s happening? That cool?

 

To start, I did my periodic check-in on AEW just to see how they’re coming along and I’d say they’re embracing what they are and I think they should continue to. They are definitely becoming the WWE alternative, which is fine. The only real difference I could discern is that they seem to be having more fun. WWE is still a cleaner product, but you don’t need me to tell you that they come off uninspired. AEW is far more willing to experiment and have fun with things and it appears to show. The rabid fans help too. WWE fans are always looking to be impressed but that’s the precedent WWE put into motion for itself whether it realizes it or not. It’s boiling down to a matter of preference and I still prefer WWE, but I won’t lie and say it doesn’t have much to be desired.

 

I’m pretty sure I’ve said before that these in-between PPVs are the perfect time to experiment and generally let go. WWE is in a place where it can’t hurt because the hot new promotion is gaining more general appeal because it’s the hot new promotion. That being said, WWE shouldn’t exactly try to be “hip & cool”. That would be too obvious. The old brand trying to keep up with the kids. What they need to do is encourage originality and I can’t stress the beauty of humor. Being a good time stands for a lot. People will come back just because they’re entertained. AEW allows its wrestlers to breathe and that’s great but it still comes off 2^nd rate. That may be part of its charm but I like a nice polished product. At the same time, there’s nothing wrong with letting the hair down from time to time. That’s what’s great about it. People want to relax and when others relax too, it’s easier to have a good time. WWE needs to encourage a good time. Give themselves a nice base to work from to make the “sports entertainment” more fun.

 

I’m not saying incorporate more skits and such. I keep saying that going more of a faux The Office route would work out just fine. Staged behind the scenes asides that show us who these kooky characters are. That’s what tends to work in this Industry. Personality. Who are these people? Why do we care about them? That was a precedence that WWE created and now they don’t seem to want to live by it. I know, it tends to breed…substance abuse issues. You always got to be “on” but that’s why I suggest The Office tone. Give it a corporate office sort of feel but they’re still crazy. When people take shit about others at catering or something, it gets back to whoever and you got the beginnings of a feud. Instead of taking it to HR, they fight. That’s how we do it here. I thought that everyone knew 😉 I would be impressed if they started at least going there. They really just need to make fun of themselves more. People would probably start to ease up on the criticism.

 

To get actually into WWE news, the most uniting appears to be the update Big E. gave on his recovery. Unfortunately, it’s not the best news but all is not lost. It just may take him longer to fully recover. It takes as long as it takes. What matters is that he’s recovered and healthy. We will wait.

 

And this sort of “hive mentality” does permeate in the Wrestling Industry but it’s not like assimilation. We are not Borg. It’s just we all love Big E. If you know who he is, you want him to fully recover and soon. That supports my previous point on personality. We like him. He’s great! You may not get the greatest matches out of him all the time, but you don’t really care. Jon Moxley comes off similarly to me. He’s a mess in the ring but I love him. He just goes out there, out of his mind and it’s great. Big E is just his silly self and it’s awesome. We gotta see who you are out there. WWE should focus on ways to better do that in this new age.

 

So, with all that said, here we are at SmackDown. Like I said, it is the Go Home Show. Whatever hype they have for Backlash has to culminate here. I don’t expect much but that’s the theory. Drew McIntyre and RKBro will be around to talk more shit about The Bloodline. Shayna Baszler will get some TV time courtesy of Sasha Banks. I think Sonya Deville is her true rival in the end. I just think it doesn’t matter who’s Heel or Face with that one. They could just straight not like each other. That’s just me thinking out loud. Funny tweets and Likes get retweeted. Um…just see how it hits you. No pressure.

 

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)