SmackDown Sees If It Can Keep Up on the Way to the Royal Rumble...

How’s It Going, Enthusiasts?

 

Enjoying 2025 so far? It’s shaping up to be interesting. As for the Wrestling World, there’s definitely some buzz about. So, let’s not waste any time and get into it.

 

We’ll just take a quick stop over in the Realm of AEW since Jon Moxley had a Championship match in his hometown against Powerhouse Hobbs. To be honest, aside from the lost earring, it wasn’t a bad match. It was better than I was expecting anyway. Always thought the earring may factor someday, though. Just a little too 90s for the 21st century 😉 Don’t blame Hobbs for ripping it out. But of course, that leads to blood and Mox sported red for the rest of the match.

 

The Death Riders also played their part by nipping away at Hobbs any time the referee’s back was turned. But to the side of that I wonder…Does PAC ever get cold? He’s always out there wet and naked. It’s a wonder he doesn’t get sick. I think he’s the “craziest” one of them all, if you ask me. He should either be the first to bail on Mox or the last, it’s hard to say.

 

All in all, Uncle Edge and FTR chased them off to end the show. Most commenters thought the show was garbage but I can only comment on what I witnessed and for me, I was prepared for worse so, I’m not sure what that reveals. Sounds like the AEW fans may expect a bit too much. It’s always been second rate to me but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some good talent in the mix. The assignment is to get the best out of it. We’ll continue to observe.

 

In the WWE Universe, Corey Graves has everyone wondering due to posted and then deleted grievance tweets. As people turn it over, people are thinking it may be a shoot. Personally, I think it’s a work and I wouldn’t be surprised if Pat McAfee gets jumped at one of his other gigs to put all these rumors to rest. I’m totally down for a Graves/McAfee feud. Let it dance between the lines of kayfabe. Keeps it interesting.

 

Elsewhere, Charlotte Flair is beginning her comeback. She’s posting training footage, psyching herself up for her return to greatness. It’s hard to say how things will go. It was a serious knee injury and it’s possible she may never be back up to the same speed but she could also make a full recovery and be better than ever. I’ve had my own bouts with injury and the body is more resilient than we may give it credit. I wouldn’t say coming back better than ever is out of the question. We shall see.

 

In administrative news, WWE announced a partnership with TNA which should result in some more crossover action. That’s exciting since it opens the door to guys like Dolph Ziggler and The Hardy Boyz getting some WWE play. Moves like this are exciting just for the possibilities. The problem WWE ran into before the overhaul was stagnation. They just weren’t improving as a product. They maybe got better at being cost-effective but not so much with the entertainment. These sorts of collaborations allow for a flow of ideas which is what you need in the Entertainment Business. You can’t have your audience out there bored. This should keep things fresh for the time being which can’t be all bad.

 

And so, that brings us to tonight’s SmackDown. This looks like it might be an understated show as we can expect to see the Motor City Machine Guns take on the cousins Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza in Tag Team action. This one may be better than people give it credit for. Jimmy Uso will try to take a bite out of Carmelo Hayes. Bianca Belair and Naomi will pair up to take on Nia Jax and Candace LaRae. Then Bayley will face the new Women’s Champion in Tiffany Stratton for her first title defense. There’s still a good 2 weeks before the Royal Rumble so we should start to get some more tidbits before they start the jog to the sprint.

 

The unofficial watch party will start at 8pm PST per usual. Stop by if you don’t like to deal with the cold of winter.

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)