WWE SMACKDOWN HITS & MISSES 10/7: Logan Paul and Reigns disappoint, Zayn hits again, more

Wade Barrett replacing Corey Graves – HIT

As long as Wade doesn’t do the very creepy Jerry Lawler NXT version of himself, this is a welcome change to Smackdown.

Logan Paul Bloodline promo – MISS

I’m confused about what the purpose of this entire program is. Logan Paul wants to be a babyface but let me tell you something, brother; this is not it. The crowd is, without a doubt, behind the Bloodline. Logan looked nervous and overmatched throughout the entire segment.

Solo vs. Ricochet – HIT

Ricochet seems to be the go-to guy for triple H to open Smackdown. These two likely have a better match, but the primary objectives were achieved. Ricochet bumped around like mad man, and Solo picked up the win.

Backstage segment with Bloodline – HIT

Sami kills the segments every time. His facial expressions are phenomenal.

Legado Del Fantasma debut – MISS

I’m not sure if the crowd is surprised debut fatigued, but Legado got crickets from the entire arena. The beatdown of Hit Row wasn’t great, either. I wasn’t impressed by the returning Zelina Vega but glad to see her back on television.

Raquel Rodriguez & Shotzi vs Sonya Deville & Xia Li – MISS

The match was quick and functional at best, but I’m giving this a miss for another reason. I understand there are zero teams to compete against Damage Control, but Raquel Rodriguez is above being thrown into a tag team. I’m not saying strap up Raquel, but her work and presence would fill a needed void in the women’s division for the Smackdown title.

Karrion Kross Drew McIntyre strap segment – MISS

Generally, WWE logic for a go-home show is the person who stands tall will take the pin at the PLE, but I’m pretty sure Kross has always been on top when these two have had interactions. Kross, to me, comes across as someone who tries way too hard to play tough guy whenever he’s on television. Drew has his work cut out for him at Extreme Rules.

Bloodline vs. New Day and Braun Strowman – MISS

I understand this match intended to drive home the tension between Sami and Jey, but there was way too much exposition throughout this entire match. As a viewer, show me you don’t need to hit me over the head. There was a missed opportunity to insert Kevin Owens into this match, which would have added to the slow-burn Sami babyface turn.

Gunther vs Sheamus II Intercontinental Championship match – MISS

I had excellent vibes for this match until the last 2 minutes. To have a typical wrestling trope finish to add heat to a hardcore match tomorrow for Extreme Rules was ridiculous. It’s a shame the match ended the way it did because the action was great.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I’m not sure why WWE wouldn’t have waited to coin Smackdown as the series premiere until the week after Extreme Rules. But, generally, for a series premiere, you want to have a shocking moment or surprise, which this episode lacked.

CATCH-UP: Jon Moxley signs five year extension with AEW