SmackDown Tries to Stay Focused for Bad Blood...

Happy Friday, Enthusiasts!

Certainly glad to see the end of this week. Not that it was particularly bad or anything, just looking forward to a rest 😩 As for the Wrestling World, there are a few topics of interest we can chat about. You up for it? Let’s break it down.

We’ll start in the Realm of AEW as there were some things that warrant a short discussion. First of all, Shane McMahon was seen with the Young Bucks during a flight recently. Both parties were on their way to Salt Lake City, UT for some reason. Most are saying this is a coincidence but is there a Shane McMahon debut at AEW in the works? 

I can’t say. It does seem random but without Tony Khan in the mix it’s hard to say one way or another. I guess with those who travel a lot and in the same business, crossing paths is bound to happen but the destination does raise an eyebrow. It would be more dismissable if the flight was from Salt Lake to New York but reports are saying it was from New York to Salt Lake so 🤔 Guess we’ll see if it ever amounts to something.

In other AEW news, MJF appears to have landed a movie role. He had taken some time off from TV to do it recently and now it appears the role was for Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2. Apparently he’ll play one of Sandler’s sons. That’s a big step. I noticed that MJF has already dipped his toes into the movie industry as he co-produced the Von Erichs' biopic, The Iron Claw. Looks like he’s trying in front of the screen this time. 

I’m not that big of a Sandler fan but I don’t mind his movies and Happy Gilmore was funnier than I would have given him credit for so, this could be a fun stint. I hope it all turned out well and will be keeping an eye out for when it streams.

We’ll close AEW business with Bryan Danielson’s/Daniel Bryan’s revenge. I checked out the final segment of Dynamite this week to see how they executed it and all I’ll say is that I would have done it backstage. I’m glad Danielson attacked Jon Moxley. It was the right tone and intensity but I think waiting for the BCC to saunter backstage with their guards down would have made more of a “statement”. Private Party could have “just so happened” to be in the vicinity and could have provided back up while Danielson attacked Mox. Once pried apart, and BCC retreated, Danielson could have declared “war” to Mox by talking to the camera and they could have cut after Danielson swore to “kick his fucking head in!”. They could have bleeped the cursing and everything and then gone to black. 

I watch a shit-ton of TV 😉 It’s not as fun for the live fans, I’ll admit but it plays cleaner and makes it seem more…polished. I understand AEW doesn’t mind being the grittier alternative to WWE. Personally, I think it should be, but it’s still a TV show. And the perceived sloppiness/awkwardness it often displays makes it come off as second rate. It should ultimately be the grittier alternative. And spots like that would work well for former WWE stars anyway, they should more or less be used to it and help the newbies get up to speed for the “big time”. Just my 2￠.

Overall, I like where their heads are at and I’m looking forward to Danielson getting his payback. I’m actually all for a Danielson/Moxley rivalry as long as it eventually becomes more comedic down the line. Danielson has some stuff to prove right now, so he should keep his game face on but if he puts enough of his foot up Mox’s ass, Mox seems like the type to remember why he likes him. I can see him purposely getting Danielson’s goat as it progresses, just to get the rise out of him. There could be a lot of fun times if they get it right. Let’s see where they take it. 

Over in the WWE Universe, the big news is that the Vince McMahon docuseries dropped on Sept. 25th and people are commenting on it readily. I don’t think I’ll be checking this one out just because, I don’t know if I really want to know. I tend to be very present when it comes to my wrestling. Though I respect the Past, nowhere is it more left behind than in the Wrestling World. Some enclaves of fans may cling but most of us don’t remember much about what happened last week so it’s “done”. That’s one of the challenges of keeping up with this blog. If I miss a show, there’s no point in commenting, we’ve already moved on. 

Besides, given the nature of the business, what’s the “truth” will always be suspect no matter how much someone wants to bare it all. It could be exaggerated. It could be an honest account, but we could never really verify. Technically, many things in life are like this but this is particularly true in sports entertainment. Personally, I liked the Darkside of the Ring approach. It seemed more like a history lesson and I think whatever is the “truth” can be better gleaned by those accounts than this docuseries. I certainly could be wrong but something about Darkside’s presentation seemed more objective. I wouldn’t be surprised if the docuseries is a bit skewed for entertainment value. It would be par for the course.

Elsewhere, conspiracy theorists may say it’s a ploy to distract from the McMahon docuseries, but Steve Austin is making claims that he questions the existence of the CTE condition. Having been jostled around most of his life, he feels fine. Well, perhaps he is made of sterner stuff, but it got brought home to me when Junior Seau committed suicide. Being a San Diego native, whether you liked football or not, Seau was a San Diego fixture and to hear he took himself out was absolutely unfathomable. I had to call home when I heard about it. That was not a man who would commit suicide unless under some distinct duress. Perhaps something else was going on and he thought it was his only way out but knowing how he played, CTE seemed like a fair excuse. The nature of how he took himself out as well. Unless it was made to look like suicide, I don’t know why he would have shot himself in the chest. It suggests something wasn’t right so, I’m going to have to disagree with Mr. Austin here, but I’m glad he made it out all right.

In lighter news, we can anticipate seeing more of Roman Reigns in the coming weeks. Looks like Management is going to keep him busy in the weeks leading up to Survivor Series. It makes sense. He has a “civil war” brewing within the Bloodline and like The Greens and The Blacks of House of the Dragon, all those involved have to steel themselves for battle. We’ll see if he manages to keep himself interesting.

The cinematic showdown between him and Cody Rhodes was very well-done and though some felt it a bit much, I think it needed to be. You saw how Reigns showed up by like a 6-car motorcade when Rhodes kept it real and drove himself. That’s the dichotomy right there. Reigns, though the preferred Tribal Chief, hasn’t really learned anything yet. Who is he? He’s no president, why the entourage? I doubt anyone is gunning for him. The motorcade only makes sense if like a quarter of his family is rolling with him. I don’t mind this over-the-top sensibility. Reigns is a delusional heel still and the only difference is that Solo Sikoa seems “worse” and far less delusional. I think the seeds for a true Face Turn are in the works. Don’t be surprised if “Life” starts to make itself felt in Reigns’ world and some “real” decisions need to be made. Should be interesting at least it ought to be.

That brings us to tonight’s SmackDown. Mia Yim will see if she can put a dent in Piper Niven. Andrade and Carmelo Hayes go for round 108. Bayley and Naomi build some intrigue as they go from friend to foes in a match for the #1 Contender for Nia Jax’s Women’s Championship and the current Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa will share some words on his feeling of this “partnership” between Reigns and Rhodes. 

Unofficial should be at 8pm PDT, more or less. It’s the start of the weekend so, don’t feel you have to rush. I’ll be in play for a while. Drop by if you like.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)