I attended Smackdown tonight, and it has been ages since I posted an unneeded thread, so here it goes.
Firstly, I had to park about two blocks away, and as I was walking to the arena, I passed by the production trucks. There were cables and bodies everywhere. It amazed me just how fast guys were running around. The buses that the talent and crew ride were all parked in a row on the side of the arena and despite it being well past the time the guys would be off the bus, security still ordered me to cross the street away from the buses.
When the doors opened and they started to scan tickets, some guy started a yes chant. Annoying sure, but he was just having some innocent fun. Of course someone had to ruin it for him and yell that the guy was a faggot. At least security took his ticket and didn't allow him to enter.
First off again, ticket sales were piss poor. I sat in the first row of lower level seats, the closest you could get without buying floor tickets. Twenty dollars for the ticket, and my row was empty. When they initially went on sale, the same seat was going for $95. There was a first row ticket available on Ticketmaster opposite the hard camera that was going for $145. When they first went on sale, they were $375. They actually encouraged people who sat opposite of the hard camera to move to fill in the empty seats after the pre-show dark match finished. Also of note, there was a guy dressed as Ric Flair who security moved out of camera view.
The dark match was Naomi vs Sonya Deville. The fans started a small "We want Mandy" chant, but it died down fairly quickly. The fans were more into Naomi's entrance than her in ring work, but she will have a roster spot for a long time for her ability to pop the crowd like that. Naomi did a couple of athletic kicks before Sonya took over. At one point, Naomi landed weird and the ref had to check her ankle. Kayfabe or not, Sonya played it up that she hurt Naomi and the crowd ate up the act, giving her a nice shower of boos. Naomi won with the Rear View and danced a little to excite the crowd. Naomi's entrance is much more impressive in person.
Orton was very over, as usual. His promo earned some boos (the Too Sweet line) and some cheers (the colored merch line) but ultimately the boos he got for fingering Jeff's ear last week were quickly forgotten.
Rusev vs. Almas
Rusev was waaaay over, with constant chants throughout. Almas was a fun surprise, I hadn't seen him in person since an NXT show a couple years ago, and he had yet to debut on TV at that point. He has come so far since then. His entrance didn't get a big reaction, but once he hit the Tranquillo pose, the crowd picked up for him. The match was pretty solid, even if the second that Lana and Vega got into it you knew English was going to cost Rusev the match. I'm okay with a Rusev vs English match at SummerSlam, as it would give Rusev his first PPV win in over two years and I'm glad Almas is picking up some momentum as he has been money since pair with Vega.
During the commercial break they played a Wrestlemania 34 commercial. Never understood why they do that, but each live show I've been to features a Wrestlemania recap commercial no matter how far from the show it is.
R-Truth being on screen got a decent little pop. I've heard Vince keeps him around because he thinks Truth is funny, but he has a fun entrance and proved he can still hit a few flashy moves during his match, so I have no issue with him in this role.
Truth vs. Joe
Joe was crazy over. Truth hit a couple of flashy moves, he even jumped too high on the corner splash and his chest hit the top of the turnbuckle. Joe winning in short order was a good call and pleased the fans. More on Joe later.
Asuka plugging Evolution was fine, but when the men go out of their way to plug it, it does feel forced. Most dialogue in WWE feels forced, but as least Asuka screaming as loud as she can and saying no one is ready works for her.
Asuka vs. Billie Kay
Asuka got a good reaction, but Billie and Peyton were met with crickets. With their booking on the main roster I can't say I blame the crowd. Not sure if it was just the fact that a camera crew set up in front of me during this match, but their timing seemed off. At least Asuka got an easy win to regain some of the aura she once had. I did get to see the screen on the camera up close, and it included a bit which showed what each camera in the arena was currently showing. Two cameras were fixed on little kids in the audience for a good five minutes straight. Likely hoping for one of those necessary fan reaction shots. They didn't get one.
I have a love hate relationship with those selfie interviews. On the one hand, it does make sense for a guy in the locker room to film a quick promo, but Shinsuke's held the camera crooked and it bothered me. Shin's line about Jeff being bitten by the Viper was nice, but I'm unsure where they are going. Orton's earlier promo seemed to put him above the US Title, and both Shin and Orton are (heavily cheered) heels.
Paige got a good reaction, which was cut short by an in arena video on Miz and Maryse, to allow Joe in a hoodie to sneak to ringside, which some fans felt the need to point out. Her music resumed and the cheers weren't as loud. AJ was very well received. His bit about Evolution, again, felt forced, but him talking up SummerSlam was good.
The crowd ate up Ellsworth coming out, but they quickly turned once he tried to place himself in the match. Odd note, Paige calls Ellsworth a joke, then comments they don't bully people around here just a few lines later.WWE for ya. When Joe popped into the ring, the fans erupted again. Even in their late career, Joe and AJ are two of the best and are both very over. If WWE goes through with Brock vs. Roman as is, WWE NEEDS Joe to take the title from AJ to make sure the crowd doesn't throw literal shit into the ring.
Post break, Joe's bit with Paige just further showed how good Joe is. Paige not knowing how to react seemed overacting that went on too long, but her buy a boyfriend line to Carmella was a nice one.
Carmella vs. Becky Lynch
Becky was fairly over with the fans. Carmella got a couple of "Mella is money" chants from the neckbeards, but her initial reaction wasn't that great overall. The match was kind of sloppy, though Carmella's cheating got a few boos. Becky winning was the right call, even if the booking was lazy. I like Carmella and find her to be decent enough in the ring, but she has never accomplished anything of note on her own and her likely loss to Becky at SummerSlam may put a dent in her future prospects.
New Day vs. Sanity
Of note, I think WWE is ashamed of Evansville. When Raw rolled through town last summer they made no mention of the city, and tonight Big E simply said Indiana instead of the actual city when he did the intro. Kofi threw the pancakes into the crowd the entire commercial break, and I was surprised at how much distance he got on the throws. Most thrown in my direction sailed over my head.
This was the most confusing match of the night for me. I'm happy New Day won, I'm a huge fan, but at this point they are so over they can function without being in a title chase. I worry for Sanity, as they were "debuting soon" for a while and haven't done anything of real note since their arrival. Likely a result of Vince not knowing how to handle talent recently called up from NXT and then getting mad they aren't instantly over. It is a shame as Dain (who should wrestle shirtless, he looks smaller with the shirt) is a wonder and Wolfe is a solid hand. EY was fun on the outside, really playing his role well. At one point he was chewing on the bottom rope when the crowd was trying to will New Day on.
Fun note, part way through the match, a fan started to throw pancake bits at the announce team and security had to throw him out. According to KB, a decent chunk of the match was in commercial and this may have been why.
The Bar's post match arrival was warmly received, even after they dropped the line about not missing the fans. Also, Sheamus ditched the jacket with Pickle Rick on it, so good on ya fella.
The Sin Cara bit got a decent laugh from the live crowd. I loved Sin Cara's mask with the flags of Spanish speaking countries. I always thought the current version of Sin Cara was a decently fun in ring talent and was wondering why he wasn't used on 205 Live at least, but he is 40 (shocked me) so that may have something to do with it.
Miz and Maryse were very warmly received for the final segment. It took Miz trashing the city (though he didn't mention it by name) to finally get the crowd to boo. Bryan is still very over, though he got a better reception in the post show dark match. When he beat up the security, the crowd loved it. The fake baby spot was expected, but it did a good enough job of moving one step closer to the impending Miz/Bryan face off.
Overall, it was an okay show in the grand scheme of things, but being there live always improves the feel of the show.
As they were putting the purple tape on the ropes for 205 Live, they announced the post show dark match. Not as many people left early as I expected, but it was still sad to see just how little WWE cares about 205 Live. Half of the security staff left, as did the majority of the ring and camera crew. They even rolled the mobile camera out of the arena as they were done using it.
The opening bit by Maverick was a good open, running down each man in the main event.
Tozawa vs. Jack Gallagher
This was a fairly solid match. Tozawa's senton is always fun, he gets so much height on the jump. Gallagher is very good in the ring, using a variety of submissions and countering most of Tozawa's big moves until the end. Gallagher also looks very small in person, like much smaller than the rest of the 205 guys. After the match, Tozawa got in Maverick's face and demanded another shot at Lio Rush.
Post match Tozawa hugged a disabled kid in the front row and the crowd let out a giant "aww."
TJP's promo was pretty good. When the CW division first started back up, he was such an easy character to hate with the dabbing and cocky attitude, so it was good they finally turned him heel. On the other hand, Itami was just doing the same stuff he has done since he flopped in NXT. Speaking in Japanese and being good at martial arts.
Kalisto and Lince Dorado are in their new shirts in the locker room and cut a decent promo on Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese, saying they may have the size advantage, but Lucha House Party has the skill advantage. They also mentioned that Gran Metalik was having visa issues, which I found odd to mention on air.
Lucha House Party vs Local Jobbers
Ace Austin, who was the jobber who took the brunt of the offense, is only 21 and has wrestled a couple of shows locally and I was impressed. I've heard he was done shows in the Northeast and Mid South and usually leaves a good impression. The opening bit with Dorado and Ace fighting over hand control and ending up doing the Lucha Lucha chant was fun. Kalisto used a noise maker to cheer Dorado on, which was fun for a few seconds but got kind of annoying. Kalisto was fairly over when he got the tag and the crowd popped big for the Salina del Sol. On the plancha/tag move, the other jobber did a terrible job of catching Dorado, leaving him to basically crash to the mat and kick the jobber in the head.
Promos from the other two men in the main event, Gulak and Ali. Gulak's promo served its purpose and fit his character. I was a big fan of Ali's promo, saying all he needed to do to get his Wrestlemania rematch was is weather some bone crushing kicks form Itami, move on a twisted knee after TJP pulls it out of place, and deal with torture from Drew. He put his opponents over as threats while still saying he could overcome them.
Before the main event, Dasha Fuentes did an interview with Lio Rush. He played the cocky role well enough, but the way he talks is annoying. He enunciated each word in a way that is just grating. It is hard to describe, but it feels like he is speaking with something in his mouth.
Drew Gulak vs. TJP vs. Hideo Itami vs. Mustafa Ali
Outside of TJP and his 8 bit theme, the CWs don't really have anything I would call good. They all seem kind of generic, which fits the 205 Live theme I guess. Gulak got a decent reaction from the older crowd and Ali's entrance gear drew some "ooohs and ahhhs" but considering these are four of the best in ring guys in WWE, the reactions didn't match.
This match was rocking though. Probably the best match I have seen live. There were the typical multiman match spots where one or two guys just sort of laid around, but they got a lot of that out of the way early. Ali was on the receiving end of double and triple teams multiple times. The start was Drew and Hideo going after Ali and TJP just throwing his hands up and chilling in the corner until the other two heels noticed him and ordered him in on the attack. Ali was basically a punching bag until the heels started the infighting after TJP tried to roll Gulak up in the middle of a double suplex (looked really cool), allowing Ali to sneak to the top rope and hit a big cross body to knock everyone down. Plenty of big Itami strikes and Ali flippies to go with Gulak and TJP using some real technical stuff. One particular sequence between the two was a real chain wrestling clinic. At one point, Gulak tried to form a late match alliance with Hideo by saying he respected him and offered to shake his hand. When Hideo went for the shake, Gulak slapped him. The two then proceeded to forearm each other into oblivion. They were giving the fans a hard hitting show that got most of us applauding. With all the heels against him, I expected Ali to win, and I would have been good with that. Ali is a real talent and the 054 is one of the best finishes around. He hit it on TJP and I thought it was over, but Hideo made the save, and then proceeded to literally murder him. He slammed him face first on the steps a couple of times, before hitting a very nasty looking dropkick that sandwiched Ali's head against the steps. To add insult to injury, he then threw him face first into the ring post. Hideo had it won, but Gulak attacked him from behind, throwing him into the post and getting into the ring to get the dragon sleeper on Ali, who passed out without a fight. Post match Gulak celebrated with Gallagher and TBK, with Gallagher still selling the senton from Tozawa earlier. As the three celebrated, the referee yelled at them multiple times to get out of the ring so they could get the guy out for the dark match.
Bryan, Styles, and Jeff Hardy vs. Shunsuke Nakamura and The Bar
Jeff was first out and very over. The face paint still kinda weirds me out. He walked/stumbled around the ring in a way only Jeff could do, it just looked very strange and unnatural. During D Bry and AJ's entrance, Jeff was doing both of their poses while also jumping over the ropes. WWE changing Shin's entrance theme still makes me sad. I get it, he is a heel now and he had an entrance that people loved to sing to, but man is the current entrance much less electric to experience live. The Bar looked good, especially Sheamus. He is much bigger in person than he looks on TV. This was a typical, send the fans home happy match. Shinsuke and Jeff started, with Jeff's selling of Good Vibrations being comical. Jeff did manage to briefly get the upper hand and did his own version of Good Vibrations on Shin, which included the signature Jeff Hardy arm flailing. Jeff took a beating until he got the hot tag to Bryan. Bryan cleaned house with his normal offense and did the Yes! Kicks to Sheamus, before Cesaro jumped in for the save and tag. The Bar have such great chemistry, especially for a team thrown together after some far fetched best of seven series....thanks Foley. Cesaro took over with some quick offense, until a running knee by Bryan from out of nowhere. AJ, who never took off his shirt, spring boarded into the ring, hit two forearms before Cesaro threw him over the top rope, only for AJ to land on the apron and hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the win. Post match the faces took time to slap hands, with Jeff staying long enough to autograph fan signs and pose for pictures with everyone who made it to the front row.
As I was leaving there was a large crowd of autograph hounds gathered by the buses. Funny enough, the talent didn't exit that way, instead using a back entrance by the production trucks. Miz and Maryse were getting into their car and I waved to Miz, who responded in kind.
Like I said, it was probably better in person than it came across on TV, it typically is. Of course you had the neckbeards in the crowd who made it a point to cheer the heels and boo the faces, but the crowd was pretty decent otherwise. One guy a couple rows back made it a point to chant Nakamura when Tozawa was wrestling and then chanted Tozawa when Nakamura was wrestling, but otherwise it went well. I would have liked to have seen Bryan wrestle in a larger capacity, but considering where he was just a year ago, I consider myself lucky to get to have witnessed him in ring at all.
I also managed to snag a souvenir.
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