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Before we get started, a few notable updates to go over:
- The Women’s US Championship tournament has launched but seems to be restricted to Smackdown wrestlers. Rumors indicate that the Raw roster will continue to be out of contention for the new mid-card title until an inaugural championship is crowned. It is currently unknown if doing so is meant to highlight the often-underused Smackdown women’s division, or if the Women’s U.S. title will continue to be Smackdown-exclusive.
- Following an injury that kept her out of action for the majority of 2024, Charlotte Flair teased an imminent return to WWE programming. Interestingly, this will be the first time since 2021 that Flair and her husband Andrade will both be on the main roster concurrently.
- Following the subpar stream quality of “Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson” on Netflix, concerns have been raised about Raw’s debut on the service in 2025. Rumors indicate that WWE has been assured that all technical kinks will be resolved by then. Also, that fight was awful. Had to say it.
- Linda McMahon has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next Secretary Of Education. We’re really living in the weirdest timeline, aren’t we?
Last week’s Smackdown felt like a consciously streamlined two hours. Despite the blue brand’s penchant for shorter segments, last week’s episode condensed airtime to only a few crucial main-event storylines, while only teasing developments for mid-card and emerging feuds. While this could be due to Survivor Series & SNME rapidly approaching, it also felt emblematic of Smackdown’s evolving structure as Raw moves to 2 hours. The product’s evolution feels more in line with the rhythm of an ensemble drama, ping-ponging between a few select narratives rather than the shorter bursts of action typical for a WWE weekly TV show.
Speaking of television, with the Survivor Series card filled out, Smackdown seems to be looking forward to December’s SNME. And I’m curious to see how WWE takes steps to differentiate the product in 2024. The original specials featured main-eventers fighting main eventers, a rarity in a time before primetime weekly programming. But in 2024, there isn’t an obvious hook to draw in free over-the-air TV viewers beyond the promise of an extra special TV title match.
And this is a continued nagging issue with Paul Levesque’s WWE: No wow factor. Despite booking being its most logical and consistent, the product has largely begun to feel standardized. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still firing on all cylinders and bringing in huge crowds. But lately, there’s no explosiveness and shock factor in anything beyond a major PPV, which rewards casual fans tuning in for an episode rather than long-term viewers. With the product being white-hot, that isn’t an issue. But if/when the product cools, there won’t be as big of a base to maintain long-term retention.
CODY RHODES vs. KEVIN OWENS
Latest Developments
Since turning heel, Kevin Owens set his sights on Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton for their supposed hypocrisy in allying with The Bloodline. After several weeks of back-and-forth, Orton challenged Owens to a match at Crown Jewel. At the event in Saudi, Owens jumped Orton before the match could begin and the two brawled throughout the arena.
The match was eventually cancelled, with both men content to simply beat the life out of each other. The following week, Owens gave Orton a banned piledriver, causing him to be stretchered out alongside a worried Rhodes.
Last week, Rhodes appealed to Smackdown GM Nick Aldis, begging him to not let Owens escape accountability. Despite Aldis’ reluctance, Rhodes remained determined to stop Owens once and for all. Later, via satellite, the suspended Owens continued to claim he had done nothing wrong.
Tonight, Owens is permitted to return to WWE at Rhodes’ insistence.
Analysis
A standout promo from Cody Rhodes that kicked this feud into high gear. Rhodes, even more than his peers, has an air of theatricality behind most of his promo work. In most cases, this helps him because it makes him feel like he’s pouring his heart and soul into each word. But Cody’s almost depressed & even-keeled tone in this promo was definitely a huge standout. He felt almost disgusted by what Kevin Owens had become, and had grown past the babyface fire to sheer disappointment. I felt like I was watching a friend ashamed of me, devoid of joy when dressing me down. It was a different mode for Rhodes, and worked to perfection.
With Orton supposedly out for the time being, this booking pattern also highlights how well WWE has made certain moves elicit a response from the audience. A simple piledriver, even retroactively, is considered to be a deadly move simply because of its kayfabe ban. Owens being kayfabe-suspended adds to the realism, and the manufactured restrictions of Owens cutting promos from home almost enhances his heel character. It’s like his hatred is so strong it’s forcing its way onto Smackdown despite Owens being ordered to stay away.
Rhodes and Owens finally having an in-ring confrontation tonight should be interesting. While both are certainly capable of passionate promos, both have maintained a level of eerie calm in their latest work. Owens, specifically, feels nearly sociopathic with continued determination to be impersonal and use the phrase “I’m doing my job.”. It makes his heelish beliefs feel that much more genuine. It’ll be interesting to see the route the two wrestlers take tonight.
Grade: A-
WOMEN’S U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT (BAYLEY vs. CANDICE LERAE vs. B-FAB)
Latest Developments
Two weeks ago, Nick Aldis announced a tournament to crown the first ever Women’s US Champion. Last week, Bayley, Candice LeRae, and B-Fab faced off in a triple threat in the first preliminary match.
B-Fab dominated the match’s early stretches, before Bayley took control. LeRae spent the majority of the match breaking up the pins of her two competitors. However, Bayley took advantage and snuck a pin on LeRae for the win, advancing.
Later that night, Chelsea Green mocked B-Fab for her loss, before her old adversary Michin chased them both away.
Analysis
A tournament is such a great way to kickstart new storylines. It gives all parties involved a concrete goal, and forces wrestlers into each other’s orbits which allows new rivalries to organically develop. This triple threat was a perfect example, with B-Fab getting the chance to show out and organically develop a more hungry heel persona that could tie into her Street Profit allies (more on that below). Fab looked like a star here, finally bridging the chasm between her character and in-ring work. Bayley was the reliable babyface as usual, and pitting her against LeRae continued on in the night when both were entangled in Jax vs. Naomi. That’s a fun bit of show-long booking that lends some cohesiveness to storylines and makes the women’s division feel more interconnected.
With Chelsea Green highlighted post-match, it definitely feels like she’s being earmarked to have an impressive run in this tournament. A common fancast for the first Women’s US title holder, there’s no doubt Green’s antics would certainly make a memorable inaugural championship reign (and increase the blood pressure of Adam Peace tenfold), but my money’s on Bayley. A new belt needs a longer-than-usual reign to legitimize it, a main eventer (arguably above the station of the belt’s midcard status to establish it as a prize any babyface would want in kayfabe), and with both world champs currently heels it feels like the US Champ would be suited to a face. Bayley ticks all the boxes, and would certainly provide a marquee name for the new title going into Wrestlemania season.
Hopefully, the women’s division can continue to build on the rivalries established in this tournament. Already, enticing seeds like B-Fab vs. Michin are being planted, which would be a classic babyface hoss fight that Michin excels at. If more “fantasy matchups” can be indulged in the midcard, it could provide some much-needed diversion to the main eventers hogging all the screen time.
Grade: A-
MCMG vs. THE STREET PROFITS
Latest Developments
Over the past few months, The Street Profits have repeatedly tried to reclaim the WWE Tag Team Championships in order to prove they haven’t lost their stride, but failed repeatedly.
Following several work-shoot social media comments about feeling stuck on the WWE roster, the two began slowly showing a more aggressive, picking up a near-squash win against Pretty Deadly. Two weeks ago, The Profits beat an enraged DIY to claiming the next shot at MCMG’s WWE Tag Team belts.
Last week, the two teams faced off for the tag belts. The Profits noticeably displayed more aggression than usual, relying more on brawling than their typical fluid tag work (especially in comparison to MCMG’s tandem tag offense). However, the match went to a no-contest thanks to Tommaso Ciampa interfering. Post-match, MCMG tried to explain the situation, but Dawkins punched them in the face.
Analysis
The Street Profits turning heel definitely feels like a strong choice. Many point to their failed heel turn with Bobby Lashley as a cautionary tale, but I disagree. The Profits were actually serviceable early on in the run, the heel heat just petered out when literally nothing else about their presentation changed. Their entire theme song is engineered to get people grooving, no wonder they kept getting cheered as heels. If WWE commits this time to letting the Profits be hated, then this could unlock a new level for them.
The concept of scorned faces rampaging isn’t new, but Dawkins’ sheer physical presence adds a new dimension. You can’t always tell thanks to his jovial demeanor, but the guy is built like a tank. Allowing The Profits to get more violent may finally let Dawkins get more of a chance to shine, rather than Ford taking all the showier spots due to his insane athleticism.
I love, additionally, that B-Fab is turning heel as well for similar reasons in the US Title Tournament. It makes the entire act feel cohesive, but gives each member their own agency. It’s an added detail that very few would consciously think about, but adds so much realism to proceedings…
Oh, and MCMG put on a five-star clinic. And didn’t do much else. One day, the duo will have to be treated as more than babyface end bosses for others to bounce off. But today is not that day.
Grade: B+
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TOMMASO CIAMPA IS ON A RAMPAGE
Latest Developments
Like The Street Profits, DIY have desperately tried to regain the WWE Tag Team Championships since losing them to The Bloodline at Summerslam. However, the duo failed each time.
Two weeks ago, the antsy Tommaso Ciampa chastised Johnny Gargano for fraternizing with MCMG rather than fixating on how to beat them. Gargano tried calming him, to no avail. Ciampa tried asking Nick Aldis for a title shot following a win, but The Street Profits beat him to it.
Last week, Ciampa interfered in the Profits’ match against MCMG, then stormed off despite Gargano pleading with him to stop.
Analysis
Not that much to say here. We didn’t learn anything new about DIY’s current mindset, other than it feels like Gargano clashing with Ciampa will be more than a transitionary beat in the story. Given the Profits seem to be turning heel with the same character beats, it’s hard to see where DIY goes from here. They could always breakup and feud, but it doesn’t feel like they’ve achieved all they can on the main roster.
Additionally, it doesn’t feel as if the characters have fundamentally changed enough to make a feud interesting. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens have feuded multiple times for over a decade, but each time there was a new dynamic that kept things interesting. By and large, Gargano and Ciampa are the same characters they were in NXT Black & Gold when DIY broke up the first time. And on the main roster, rehashing the same feud with a much more limited timeframe wouldn’t yield the best results.
However, no one can play a vengeful heel like Ciampa, and I continue to be intrigued. But that’s also coming from a self-professed DIY mark. If I was an ordinary fan, there wouldn’t be anything for to hold my interest at this point in the story. But I’m letting it play out.
Grade: C+
WOMEN’S WARGAMES MATCH
Latest Developments
Several weeks ago on Raw, Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill faced Judgement Day (Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez) in a title match. Despite Judgement Day’s nefarious cheating, the champs retained.
Last week on Smackdown, Naomi faced Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Championship. Her old allies Belair & Cargill pledged to have her back alongside Bayley. After a fierce battle, Jax’s cronies Tiffany Stratton & Candice LeRae tried to intervene, but Belair & Cargill stopped them. However, Belair & Cargill were ambushed by Judgement Day (Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez) thanks to a grudge stemming from their tag title loss.
Jax eventually scored the win, and the heels stood tall.
The next Monday on Raw, Jax & co. squashed their beef with Judgement Day to take down their mutual enemies. Belair, Cargill & Naomi appeared to confront the heels alongside Iyo Sky (who despite being heel, sided with the babyfaces due to recently winning a #1 contender’s match for Morgan’s Women’s World Championship belt). The heels pointed out they outnumbered the babyfaces five-four, upon which Rhea Ripley made her return and challenged the heels to a WarGames match before a brawl broke out.
Analysis
This was an interlocking set of feuds building to the wrong blowoff. In 2024, it feels like the WarGames stipulation has begun to restrict the booking for Survivor Series rather than enhance it. Like the dying days of HIAC, certain feuds. feel like they’re being forced in different directions to better suit a pre-determined stipulation for the blowoff. And this women’s match is a perfect example.
Structurally, ”WarGames” works best when one team works as a cohesive unit while another team has dysfunction to work through mid-match. Like an actual war story, the climax occurs when both teams stand united (at least at one specific point). In 2022, The Bloodline worked through their dysfunction against The Brawling Brutes. In 2023, it was the babyfaces against Damage CTRL. This year, it’s a set of tenuous alliances on both sides – which makes the feud feel forced and rushed. When Jax is cutting promos literally retconning her feud with Liv to establish a heel team, you can tell the booking isn’t working.
Annoyingly, this feud would have been perfect for a traditional Survivor Series elimination match, which rhythmically would have allowed for those singles moments while still fostering rivalries between teammates. If the WarGames stipulation hadn’t been in effect, we may have wound up with a much more cohesive product. As is, storytelling holes galore and mundane delivery (except Liv Morgan, whose promos are hilariously annoying) really drag this feud down.
By the way, did you notice that every single belt in the women’s division is involved in this one match? When I noticed that, it definitely made me realize the lack of non-title feuds in the division currently. Following Survivor Series, the division desperately needs a shakeup and some fresh title contenders.
Grade: D
L.A. KNIGHT’S US OPEN CHALLENGE
Latest Developments
Since winning the US title at Summerslam, LA Knight has largely served as the gatekeeper of the Smackdown midcard, often doing open challenges to prove his strength.
Last week, Knight offered an open challenge, which was met by Legado Del Fantasma. Knight and Santos Escobar verbally sparred, before Knight instead offered the match to Berto to rile Escobar up. Berto accepted, and during the match managed to get a lot of offense in before Knight eventually put him away.
As Escobar walked away furiously, the victorious Knight got taken out by Shinsuke Nakamura, having made his return to WWE television after seven months.
Analysis
Following the wonky booking from his triple threat match against Andrade and Carmelo Hayes, Knight’s babyface momentum has definitely begun to stutter. Knight’s character core may be built on ego and swagger, but he hasn’t built up the Stone Cold-level goodwill where he can insert himself into a hot feud’s climax and still receive crowd support. His presence in the “Game Seven” match felt unnecessary and even took away from Andrade & Hayes’ moment.
Moving forward, keeping him backed into a corner was the proper choice. Knight works to perfection fighting against the odds, and him sneakily pitting LDF’s egos against each other was hilarious to watch. Escobar plays the egotistical boss to perfection, and even the mundane heel heat he tried to garner was more engaging by his delivery. The open challenge didn’t offer much, but gave Berto a surprising chance to show out. Amazing in-ring acting, the wrestler truly felt desperate to maximize his minutes in the ring. But it likely won’t achieve much besides further the narrative of Escobar being disappointed in LDF.
Nakamura as Knight’s next opponent could be good for him. The Nakamura heel character (Nak’s most engaging work in years) prides itself on honor and fighting spirit, and would be impervious to the verbal jousting Knight normally relies on. Against Nakamura, Knight will likely be forced to tap into a more vulnerable babyface rhythm. which could do wonders to rehabilitate his image against a certain subset of fans that consider nothing more than a catchphrase. It is kinda sad to see Nak solely relegated to getting others over, as it feels like he has too much left in the tank for that role. But hey, the dude seems happy.
Grade: B-
GIOVANNI VINCI (MISSING) IN ACTION
Latest Developments
Vinci continues to make no appearances.
Analysis
Nothing to say here. I’m still mad he’s being wasted. Justice for Vinci.
Grade: F—
THE BLOODLINE CIVIL WAR
Latest Developments
At Crown Jewel, Sami Zayn tenuously aligned himself with the Original Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso), despite not trusting Roman Reigns. However, following a botched kick, the Original Bloodline devolved into arguments as Solo Sikoa watched on.
Over the next few weeks, Sikoa challenged the Original Bloodline to a five-on-five WarGames match at Survivor Series, believing the Original Bloodline wouldn’t be able to work together.
Last week, the Originals attempted to find a fifth member. However, they soon realized that no one wanted to join them (including LA Knight) due to their past villainy over Smackdown. Later that night, Sikoa called the Originals to the ring, where they were ambushed by “Big” Bronson Reed. Reed seemingly allied himself with Sikoa’s Bloodline and left Reigns laid out as the heels stood tall.
With no other options, Reigns made a call to…. The WISEMAN PAUL HEYMAN! But, to his shock, the number was not in service. Reigns sat devastated as the show faded to black.
Analysis
It’s always funny to me that The Bloodline saga operates like a mini-TV show within the world of WWE. More so than any other story, each episode of Smackdown has a new Bloodline conflict that eventually gets resolved or leads to a future setup. In a world where things change on the fly, it’s remarkably consistent storytelling.
Last week was a titular example: with the Original Bloodline uniting around the common goal to find a fifth man. While the manufacturing of this conflict made little sense (why couldn’t the match just be four-on-four??), the payoff was at least great.
Reigns’ heel past coming back to haunt him in multiple ways was such a great piece of storytelling. Reigns slowly growing openly nervous and unwilling to internally admit how much he had hurt others by quietly refusing to acknowledge the Wiseman adds so much layers to his character. It’s still unclear why Reigns felt to hesitant speaking to Heyman when they were always loyal to each other (perhaps guilt? Fear of Heyman’s condition? Unworthiness?), but the ending beat of Reigns sitting in despair was a unique & impactful way to end Smackdown.
Adding Bronson Reed into the mix was a great idea. First off, it’s a credit to his booking that adding him into a main event angle feels plausible, thanks to his steady ascent following his feud with Seth Rollins. As another Pacific Islander who isn’t family, it’s perfectly logical in kayfabe for Sikoa to call on him in a mercenary role. Not only does this track with Sikoa steadily growing more competent in calling the shots, it’s also a gun-for-hire role that Reed has played multiple times on the main roster (as acknowledged by commentary). I love logical booking, it makes me happy. And with Reed’s enemy Rollins in the mix, it feels likely this causes Rollins and Reigns to get in each other’s orbit again. Years of history and hatred between those two men, and the eventual program between them will feed FAMILIES.
A transitionary episode that did wonders to increase the intrigue for Survivor Series.
Grade: A-
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(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com. You can also send live event results and news tips to pwtorch@gmail.com. Also, we’re always looking for volunteer contributors to help us round out of coverage of the pro wrestling scene.)
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