BackLash 2026 - SmackDown Fallout...

How’s It Going, Enthusiasts?

 

Happy Friday! Well, there’s not a whole hell of a lot going on today, but I have a few things I can chat about. Let’s knock it out then we can get on with the weekend. Sound good? Here we go.

 

So, in the Realm of AEW the Riders of Death continue their alliance with Will Ospreay. After a thoughtful discussion with Jon Moxley during a Rider training session, Ospreay took this food for thought and applied it in his match against the up-and-coming Ace Austin. I have to say, I like Ospreay learning how to “freestyle”. Austin was a valiant opponent but just didn’t have enough to best the Aerial Assassin.

 

Yet, the second part of the story had Samoa Joe and The Opps faction coming out to question this whole association. So much so, that they felt they should “force” Ospreay to reconsider but the Riders of Death made that not so easy. Is there a showdown on the horizon? It would appear so but that’s not my problem with this.

 

Last post, I spoke about how PAC’s conduct in his Championship Match against Darby Allin should have some consequence and all I could figure is that he continues to keep his distance from Ospreay but it was no issue. I bring stuff like this up because a sense of continuity is important when it comes to storytelling and building drama.

 

I get it, generally speaking. This isn’t that serious and they can’t spend too much time on exposition but then where is this story going? Why do we care? Is it just about the action? When it comes to the Future, Ospreay doesn’t have to factor but what transpires should lead to it.

 

As of now, Mox has taken an interest in Ospreay and where that leads is hard to say. But what I often try to relay in these posts is that the last thing you want to do, is get your audience questioning the content. You want them curious, not confused. You generally want them to go along with it without much question and at the moment, there are questions.

 

I expected PAC’s conduct to be an issue of contention because that’s a natural progression. No one would be surprised if Ospreay had a problem with it or started to question everything, especially given in his match with Austin, he offered a handshake and seemed to give him some words of encouragement at the end. That’s the behavior of someone at least trying to do the right thing. So, why is Ospreay okay with shady conduct? Or is he just letting PAC do him while Ospreay does his own thing? Leading by example, if you will? How is that going to play out over time? PAC didn’t hesitate to head out with the Riders to defend Ospreay when the Opps showed up so…there’s no issue? Just backing his crew regardless of personal stuff, I suppose.

 

Incongruities like this are what leads an audience to question what it’s watching. The last thing you want to do. You want them to just believe. That way, half the work is done. They’re invested. They’re following. They’re engaged. Also, given the nature of pro-wrestling, you don’t really want to work too hard to establish this. One has enough to worry about with the physical aspect and the general casual sentimentality of a given audience. We know it’s scripted, so we don’t have to care that much but you know they’re doing their jobs right when we forget that and just believe.

 

We’re having a hard time believing what’s happening at the moment, so they have to decide what they want to do here. Are Ospreay and PAC going have a hash out and get whatever grievances on the table just so they can maintain a “professional relationship” or is this going to become a problem? If they choose to forget it ever happened, the action has to lead into something else “dramatic” so the audience forgets as well. There’s some stuff to consider but it’s salvageable at this point.

 

What I will note on the positive side is that Ospreay seems to be leaning into the London accent more than usual. Is he a bit Cockney, is he? It’s not Pikey but I’ll take it 😉 I’m all for Ospreay’s evolution. They can make it interesting just don’t miss the point.

 

Not much of note to me is happening in the WWE Universe so we’ll just get into the Fallout for SmackDown. We officially put BackLash to bed and prep for Saturday Night: Main Event and some action abroad. We can expect for this evening Carmelo Hayes returning to see what the big deal about Ricky Saints is. Jade Cargill will be on hand to make us to get used to her way of running things. Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair will take out frustrations on B-Fab and Mia Yim. I hear R-Truth isn’t medically cleared so Damian Priest will have another dance with Talla Tonga. Brie Bella and Paige will see if Giulia and Kiana James can “remain friends” in some Tag Team action. Trick Williams is on home turf so he’ll milk all of that. And GUNTHER will have to decide whether it’s better to ruin Cody Rhodes’ day at Clash in Italy by joining SmackDown or just continue to retire the old fogies.

 

We got family over here so, I may be a bit distracted but I have my workarounds. The party should get going by 8pm PDT but if I join in a little later, you know why.

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)