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It was hard to follow last week’s go-home show, but it seems Smackdown stayed home this week. A bit harsher than needed, and perhaps not entirely true, but a sleepy crowd prevailed and colored the whole affair. As always, I’m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think I’ve Missed!
Jimmy Uso/Roman Reigns: Hit
He’s back! The goofiest and most sinister of the Usos, Jimmy Uso has returned to Smackdown and takes his place center stage. Hearing the crowd cheer for a once villainous character is one of the greatest aspects of the king of sports, professional wrestling! Jimmy has done nothing to atone for his sins other than get beat down, and yet here we are, cheering his name and celebrating his rising from the tomb. Roman Reigns joined in the fun and shared the spotlight of acknowledgement, which was a really nice gesture.
L.A. Knight vs Carmelo Hayes: Hit
While LA Knight and Carmelo Hayes don’t have quite the chemistry of Hayes vs. Andrade, the match was a great opener and continues the recent trend of making the US Championship feel significant enough to go to war over. I am, however, ready for the belt’s inevitable redesign. It needs one after the Logan Paul experiment.
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Smackdown: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
Kevin Owens Promo and Brawl: Hit
This is the angle I asked for weeks ago! Triple H, I didn’t know you read my work. Ha! The fury, the venom, the passion…this was a great piece of business. The pain on the face of Kevin Owens after being punched in the mouth by Randy Orton felt real. And honestly, I don’t much blame KO. Those feelings of betrayal can make you do wild things, and if we are lucky, there’s a lot of wildness still to come!
Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill vs. Meta Four: Miss
A common criticism of mine is the match length given to women. The match missed because it wasn’t given time to breath. The wrestlers looked amazing, with hard hitting performances. The finish looked appropriately brutal. Please, give us more powerful and amazing women, especially women of color.
Nia Jax vs. Naomi: Hit
Unexpectedly, Naomi came out with the win! She pinned the champ, and she did it with her best hairstyle since returning to WWE. I didn’t see that finish coming, and while the match itself was fine, this pushed it over the edge and gave me something to remember!
Solo Simao vs. Jimmy Uso: Hit
Like a Marvel movie, this match and segment was telegraphed and predictable, yet we ate it and enjoyed it because it felt good. It didn’t matter that we knew Jimmy would get stomped and Roman would make the save. We knew Solo Sikoa would talk a big game and still look a bit weak. We knew Jacob Fatu would be in hand to raise the carnage level. We knew all this, yet we cheered and celebrated when Roman’s music hit because that what good storytelling does. It makes us feel. There’s still blood left in the Bloodline story. Buckle up!
Stay right here and keep the flow going. We think you’ll like to read this next…
RECOMMENDED NEXT: WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS (10/11): Keller’s report on Jade & Belair vs. Jackson & Legend, fallout from Owens attacking Cody, Roman Reigns appears
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: WWE Smackdown results (10/11): Powell’s review of Roman Reigns’ return, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson for the WWE Women’s Tag Titles, LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes for the U.S. Title
(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com.)
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