WWE SMACKDOWN HITS & MISSES 6/5: Redbeard, Universe Lost, and The Queen of Karens

So when I get mad, I make a fist. I grab my pen and I write out a list. Of all the wrestling stuff that hit and missed. Let’s see who’s made the WWE Smackdown Hitlist for the June 5th, 2020 episode on Fox.

HITS

•Jeff Hardy Aftermath: This wasn’t Shakespeare, but WWE made a decent effort to tie up the loose ends from last week’s car crash segment. Jeff’s promo might have worked better in a crowded arena, but the performance center faithful helped put it over. Kudos to Michael Cole for mentioning the nature and duration of Elias’s injury. The company doesn’t always sweat the small details.

•Sheamus Promo: Sheamus denying any role in the crash made sense, and I am always in favor of a good whodunnit on a wrestling show. The villain has red hair and a red beard. When is Erick Rowan coming back?

•Face to Face: Normally, a long face-to-face promo segment on WWE television is like a slow lingering death. Daniel Bryan and A.J. Styles made something out of it. They went over the years of their rivalries and the various layers to their characters. A.J.’s match with Drew Gulak was the cherry on the top of this Smackdown sundae.

•Lacey-Sonya II: Liked the match, loved the finish. It makes sense that the sight of Mandy Rose would make Deville see red and lose her concentration.

•Women’s Tag Title Main Event: It was nice to see WWE build to a semi-important main event for two hours, and then end it with a really good match. Losing didn’t hurt Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, as we know they’ll be back for more, and there’s no shame in losing to Sasha Banks and Bayley. The finish, with Bayley pushing Banks out of the way, made enough sense that fans can have an honest debate over Bayley’s intentions. On top of that, Bayley is killing it in her heel role. She is the Queen of Karens.

MISSES

•The Universal Title: Actually, the skits with Miz & Morrison pranking Braun Strowman weren’t bad, and they set up Braun overturning the Dirtsheet Machine surveillance van. But WWE is putting a lot of effort into the best frenemies storyline between Bayley and Sasha Banks, and their feud with Bliss Cross, and the budding rivalry between Lacey and Sonya Deville. Shouldn’t they have some ideas for booking their monster babyface champion? This feels more like something for Otis.

•Otis vs. Baron Corbin: We know WWE is pushing Otis. We know WWE is pushing Baron Corbin. This skit and segment didn’t do either wrestler any favors. The two men aren’t feuding, so don’t book the match if you don’t have a finish for it.

•The Shorty G gimmick: After his victory last week, Big Chad was insulted and beaten down for no reason, and he didn’t figure into the finish of the match. What was the point? Please stop already with the Shorty G nonsense. Let Gable wrestle.

(You can find Pat McNeill of Greenville, South Carolina on Twitter at @realpatmcneill. Listen to his weekly “Wayback Playback” watchalong podcast with Jim Valley over at HERE or sign up for their Patreon HERE.)