Smackdown LD - August 7, 2018

[klunderbunker]

I'm digging this Orton character.

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I like Carmella and the Iconics, but they shouldn't be the top heels of the division. Either Asuka, Becky, or Charlotte needs to turn heel.

[BestSportsEntertainer]

This is one of Styles better promos as a face.

[klunderbunker]

It really was. Styles can talk when he's given the chance.

[klunderbunker]

That was hilarious.

[klunderbunker]

You know, Miz and Mrs. isn't all that bad.

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I forgot that Truth was US Champion. Apparently he had a three week reign on Raw in 2010. He beat Miz for the belt after Bret Hart vacated it.

[klunderbunker]

Another difference between Raw and Smackdown: they don't come back from breaks with a face in a chinlock. That kind of thing is going to take the live fans out of a match because they know the idea and it's going to take them out of the moment.

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

New Day/The Bar/Usos work so well together, they really define what a tag team match is. A joy to watch.

[klunderbunker]

Smackdown
Date: August 7, 2018
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

We’re in the final stages of the Summerslam build and that means there isn’t much left to do. The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan match was confirmed earlier today so, aside from setting up the Tag Team Title match, everything is going to be ready pretty soon. That means we only have to get through the rest of the build, which can make for some fun television. Let’s get to it.

Click on the link below for the full review.

Awbooga (http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/08/07/smackdown-august-7-2018-awbooga/)

[Jack-Hammer]

Holy crap, what the hell happened tonight? Overall, tonight may have been the best 2 hours the main roster has put together in the last 4 or 5 months.

The promos on tonight's show were great. The Randy Orton we've seen over the course of the last month is someone we haven't seen in years and it's a shame because Orton's at his best when he's in full blown sociopath mode. He's not trying to be a "cool heel", he's not doing anything to get fans to cheer for him and if fans do, then it's on them and not on Orton because he's doing a superb job right now. I was especially glad to see that Styles was able to deliver an intense, meaningful promo that had everyone in the crowd listening and that he wasn't interrupted. He didn't linger about, he got right to the point, said what needed to be said and go tout of there. The stuff with Bryan & Miz was a lot of fun, it's especially fun seeing Miz display that intensity where he comes off so angry that he's practically grinding his teeth together while trying to speak. Bryan didn't need to say anything as the fact that he "tracked" Miz down "on the set" of his reality show and beat the piss out of Miz says that Bryan's frustrated and angry over Miz's shuck and jive and Miz escaping via a vase to the head was a nice touch.

As for the wrestling action, a bit of a mixed bag. The women's tag team match was okay for what it was, but the overall point was to put Charlotte in the spotlight and tease potential tension between her and Becky. Lana vs. Zelina wasn't exactly a classic but Lana has actually improved. She couldn't do be any worse than she was but the point was to keep teasing friction with Rusev Day. Nakamura vs. Truth was what it needed to be with Truth getting in some entertaining offense for a bit before Nakamura destroyed him. The main event between the Bar and the New Day was fantastic, the best match we've seen on SmackDown or Raw in several months. I expected a classic outing as these teams work really well together and they delivered a strong 4.5 star outing. The New Day winning wasn't any sort of surprise, it only really makes sense given that the BBs are heels, but that didn't hurt the match. There was more than enough action and drama to keep people waiting to see what would happen next.

Tonight's SD Live was, in many ways, more like an episode of NXT. The promo work was decidedly crisper as the segments didn't drag out needlessly and they all delivered, they continued the build to SummerSlam, allowed storylines to progress via a few matches and finished off with a super strong match to close the show.

[smarkmouth]

Just wanted to pop in and say as I watch Smackdown PVR'd, that I feel this first hour of Smackdown progressed more stories than the past two weeks of Raw. I swear you could give me a roster full of Ezekiel Jackson's and a great writing team and I'd be a happy wrestling fan.