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Before we get started, a few notable updates to go over…
•Following a stellar performance at Survivor Series, Bronson Reed is out with an ankle injury following an insane Tsunami from the top of the cage. Reed’s inclusion into the Bloodline has capped off a truly stellar 2024, and we wish him a speedy recovery to continue making his mark in WWE.
•On a related note, Sheamus is rumored to have a rib injury following his triple threat match with Bron Breakker and Ludwig Kaiser. Everyone’s favorite Irish lad fell short of the IC Championship yet again, and it looks like he’ll be staying home for the near future to reconvene. Even in his mid-40s, Sheamus shows no signs of slowing down, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
•Saturday Night’s Main Event hasn’t even come and gone, but WWE has already announced the second installment of the rebooted TV special to take place on January 25th. Given the Royal Rumble’s tendency to contain smaller cards, SNME could provide the perfect opportunity for some spillover PPV-worthy matches to get a fresh spotlight.
Survivor Series is in the books, presenting us with two very different iterations of the titular WarGames match. The men’s match was a perfect example of faction warfare, with character beats moving at a rhythm perfectly synced to the WarGames stipulation. In a way, it showed what happened when a story gets the perfect plunder match to cap it off. The women’s….. well, it just felt thrown together. Some jumbled rivalries, missed opportunities to develop characters, and a perfectly passable match hampered by the rare occurrence of a thoroughly disinterested crowd. The tale of two matches.
However, throw in a few surprise outcomes, and you’ve got a decent PPV to end WWE’s 2024. Survivor Series has always felt like the unofficial finale to the year’s storylines, and the beginning to the Road To Wrestlemania. With Triple H’s penchant for longer-term storytelling, the next few episodes of Smackdown grow more and more important in planting the first seeds for Wrestlemania 41.
And of course, we have a wild card in the mix: Saturday Night’s Main Event. Given the auspices of the card, it definitely feels like this new iteration of SNME will skew closer to the supercard-esque lineup of the 80s version. With rumors of WWE leaning into a retro presentation (complete with appearances by Jesse Ventura and Jimmy Hart), we could be looking for a really fun shakeup to end the year on.
The blue brand looks markedly different in preparation for tonight’s episode, so let’s go over where things stand…
WOMEN’S U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT (MIA YIM vs. LASH LEGEND vs. PIPER NIVEN)
Latest Developments:
Last month, Nick Aldis announced a tournament to crown the first ever Women’s US Champion. In the first round, Bayley defeated Candice LeRae and B-Fab to earn a spot in the semifinals. In the second round, Chelsea Green snuck a win against Blair Davenport when Bianca Belair left the ring to attend to her injured tag partner Jade Cargill.
Last week Mia Yim, Piper Niven and Lash Legend faced off to earn the third spot in the semifinals. During the violent slugfest, Niven’s ally Chelsea Green tried antagonizing her rival Yim, but Yim overcame the odds and snagged the win against Niven.
Analysis:
Given Mia Yim’s increased screen time over the past few weeks re-establishing her rivalry against Chelsea Green, a win for the powerhouse felt fairly likely. Green and Yim have dominated the post-match segments for this tournament, increasing the likelihood of the two facing off against each other in the finals. But what this match lacked in intrigue, it more than made up for in entertainment. I appreciated WWE putting all three hosses in the same prelim match. While conventional logic dictates splitting them up to make them stand out, there was something so much more fun seeing three powerhouses lay into each other. It felt like a true war.
Yim, while admittedly cooling off from her genuine hot streak this summer, has still found her stride as a babyface tank. Despite steamrolling the competition for much of the match, she continues to play the underdog to perfection. Legend, despite being a fresh callup, has clearly caught the eye of the booking team. With numerous main roster TV matches over the past month, Legend has definitely stood out from the pack through sheer physical presence. I’ll say it, she’s doing Jade Cargill’s shtick but ten times better.
Niven’s purpose in the match was largely to facilitate Chelsea Green’s continued involvement, but her comedic beats continue to be a new spin on the female hoss archetype in WWE. Niven had some hilarious facial expressions mid-match, but still came off like a badass.
Delving into some fantasy booking here: if Green and Yim are being telegraphed for the finals, who makes sense to win? For me, it’s a toss-up. On one hand, Green getting her win back from the duo’s acclaimed Dumpster Match earlier this year would make sense so as not to neuter her character. Combined with the huge support for Green to hold a belt, it feels like the tournament is Green’s to lose. On the other hand, the women’s championship field feels very heel-heavy right now, and Yim has proven herself to be a capable babyface. It’s a testament to WWE that both women feel equally credible to establish the new belt’s pedigree.
Grade: A
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WOMEN’S WARGAMES MATCH
Latest Developments:
Nia Jax and her minions Candice LeRae & Tiffany Stratton squashed their beef with Judgement Day (Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez) to take down their mutual enemies: Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Naomi & Iyo Sky. Following a confrontation, Rhea Ripley returned from injury to join the babyface team and issue a challenge for WarGames.
Two weeks ago, the babyfaces found themselves short one woman thanks to Jade Cargill’s injury. On the following Raw, Bayley officially took Cargill’s place for WarGames by helping Bianca Belair win the WarGames advantage match against Nia Jax.
Last week on the go-home show, the babyface team each vowed vengeance on the heel team. Nia Jax interrupted, pointing out the various ways the babyfaces had betrayed each other in the past. As tensions escalated, a brawl eventually broke out.
At Survivor Series, the two teams faced off. The titular stories were Candice LeRae disrespecting Tiffany Stratton by pushing past her to enter the match, Iyo Sky’s increasingly violent spots, and Rhea Ripley’s bloodlust towards the final participant Liv Morgan. As all ten women eventually entered, the match devolved into chaos. Tiffany Stratton teased a MITB cash-in, but didn’t pull the plug. Eventually Sky set up Ripley to pin Morgan for the win. Post-match, Sky cemented her babyface turn by jumping into Ripley’s arms.
Analysis:
I’ve already gone over why this interlocking series of feuds wasn’t clicking with me in past issues, but the go-home episode of Smackdown finally felt like the pieces were falling into place. Nia Jax’s promo started off a little shaky, pointing out a few too many logical flaws in the feud’s storytelling to really get the crowd engaged. But eventually, each babyface nearly tripping over each other to fight their specific heel enemy actually made for an interesting WarGames dynamic that hasn’t really been explored. Rhea Ripley’s babyface promos have sometimes veered too far into word salads, but she found a nice rhythm with Bayley & Naomi proclaiming her bloodlust on the heels. Each woman worked off each other perfectly, elevating the babyface group as a whole. The outlier, oddly enough, was the usually-effervescent Belair who blended into the crowd and didn’t add much.
The WarGames match itself was a slog in the opening stretch. Focusing on the Bayley/Jax feud early on may have been the wrong choice, as their dynamic was by far the coldest of the individual rivalries teased in the match’s buildup. Given the audience knows a pin can’t happen until all participants are in the cage, the match’s early stages needs some explosiveness to keep them hot. And Jax’s offense is too plodding to do the job. Rarely for WWE, the crowd was DEAD for the early stages.
Once the remaining participants joined in, the match suddenly came alive. LeRae & Stratton continually jockeying for position was a decent piece of storytelling, and Ripley’s sole focus on the weaselly Morgan was extremely engaging. Watching Morgan enter the cage felt like prey walking into a lion’s den. The crowd roared back to life, waiting for Morgan to be beaten to a pulp.
Sky, despite her tenuous links to the overarching feud, proved the MVP of the match with her trademark crazy spots. The signature trash can jump was matched with a Stratton moonsault, injecting just enough violence into the match’s dead zones between storytelling beats. And ending the match on Sky celebrating in Ripley’s arms signifies a continued focus on these two as the center of the Raw women’s division. With Sky’s title shot coming up, Sky and Ripley as allies moving forward would be a fresh new dynamic for both women.
The teased cash-in was the match’s low point, though. The MITB tease can only go through so many iterations before it becomes tedious, and Stratton’s reign is rapidly approaching that mark. WWE risks cooling off Stratton’s natural progression into a lovable young gun if they don’t pull the trigger on her dethroning the mad Queen Nia soon.
But, all things considered, the women’s WarGames match cobbled together JUST enough fire from a bad build, and set up some interesting storylines for the future.
Grade: B
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 brawls that left a trail of destruction, Owens put Orton on the shelf indefinitely and was subsequently suspended from WWE.
Over the past few weeks, Rhodes begged Smackdown GM Nick Aldis for a match with Owens, while Owens recorded promos from his home detailing all the ways The Bloodline had wronged him and how he was not acting maliciously. Finally, the two faced off in the ring, airing out all their frustrations with each other. Rhodes challenged Owens to a title match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Later, Carmelo Hayes mocked Rhodes backstage. In retaliation, Rhodes swiftly dominated Hayes in a singles match on last week’s episode of Smackdown, while Owens continued to calmly insist Rhodes was the real villain.
Analysis:
Following one of the most intense verbal spars in 2024, it made sense to take a different approach last week to further the Rhodes-Owens rivalry. In fact, Triple H for a more match-based storyline beat last week, more akin to an AEW feud. Rhodes getting sidetracked into a different match, and displaying his increasing ruthlessness as a result of Owens was a beautifully executed story beat. And WWE doesn’t often let its character progression play out entirely in the ring like this, which worked well to break up a more promo-heavy episode of Smackdown.
Rhodes, following a lackluster reign, feels completely reinvigorated by this feud. By tapping into a more stripped-down vengeful version of his character, Rhodes seemingly unlocked a new level of babyface fire. Rhodes’ grandiose promos endear him to the audience but seeing him so mad and laser-focused was almost intimidating. It like watching a theatre kid snap and beat up a jock, invigorating yet slightly terrifying. And, despite Owens’ logic being infallible (he’s right, The Bloodline ruined his kayfabe life for years), I’m aching to see this new fiery Cody Rhodes beat Owens to a pulp.
My only complaint is that the Owens promo felt a little unnecessary. We get it by now, and WWE could trust its audience a little more than spending time watching Owens recap the last four years. But, as we’ve seen, additional context never hurts when your program airs every single week, so I can’t complain about it.
I found myself annoyed that Rhodes’ world championship continued to play second-fiddle in his feuds, especially as we grow closer to Wrestlemania. Rhodes himself feels like a main eventer, but the gold around his waist increasingly feels extraneous in his feuds rather than the legitimate prize it should be presented as. However, on the road to SNME, I suspect we’ll see Owens slowly pivot to regaining the title rather than a simple blood feud. With this match likely headlining SNME, WWE would do well to emphasize the belt, which would be an easier sell to casual NBC viewers than several years of context. But again, that’s all nitpicking.
Grade: A
L.A. KNIGHT vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Latest Developments:
After retaining the title against Legado Del Fantasma’s Berto two weeks ago, WWE U.S. Champion L.A. Knight was laid out post-match by the returning Shinsuke Nakamura.
Later, Nakamura cut a pre-taped promo calling out Knight’s insecurities, calling him a desperate man fearful of losing everything he had achieved. Nakamura called himself “the beginning of Knight’s end”, and a title shot was made official for Survivor Series.
Last week, Nakamura established his dominance with a quick win over Andrade. Knight tried to ambush him post-match, but Nakamura sprayed him with the black mist.
At Survivor Series, in a shocking swerve Nakamura completely dominated Knight throughout their brief match and put him away with another misting to become the new WWE United States Champion.
Analysis:
Shinsuke Nakamura’s character has operated like an assassin, lying in wait until he spots a target’s vulnerability. It’s a unique approach to heelishness that only maintains its believability due to Nakamura’s longevity. Not many could survive such inconsistent win-loss records and still come off as a threat.
WWE delivered on that promise with a genuinely shocking swerve, with Nakamura destroying one of the company’s most loved babyfaces in quick succession and becoming the new US Champ. On one hand, I loved the idea to re-establishing Nakamura so decisively. He said he would be Knight’s end, and he was. Plain and simple. It makes Nak feel like a calculating viper, one who calmly waited for the right moment to strike.
On the other hand, Knight’s promo work never really shifted past first gear. In fact, despite his incredible promo ability, the majority of Knight’s reign had puzzlingly little time on the mic. The “fighting champ” shtick was serviceable, but didn’t play into Knight’s strengths as a wrestler. I had hoped that Nakamura’s heel dynamic would allow Knight to tap into some more vulnerability as a babyface. But instead, he simply regurgitated the same few lines and walked into a squash loss.
Now, let’s be clear: I don’t believe WWE has lost faith in Knight. Nakamura’s promos strongly indicate a “road to redemption” narrative is in the works for Knight, and his cocky demeanor always worked better when he was the challenger rather than the champ. However, it feels like WWE cut Knight’s reign off at the knees before it really established itself. And if the audience suspects WWE has lost faith in Knight, they haven’t done their job well.
Grade: C+
ANDRADE AND CARMELO HAYES: THE LOSERS
Latest Developments:
Following the end to their critically acclaimed best-of-seven series, both Andrade and Carmelo Hayes found themselves directionless.
Last week, one after another, both found themselves on the losing end of a squash against Cody Rhodes & LA Knight, respectively.
Analysis:
A quick little sidetrack to analyze the follow-up to one of WWE’s most unique rivalries in 2024. Andrade and Hayes’ best-of-seven built a rivalry unlike any other in the company at the time. With minimal promos, the two crafted dual character arcs entirely in-ring that lent their segments on Smackdown a super unique feel, and got both of them over as quality in-ring performers.
Previously, I expressed curiosity as to how both of them would fare in their follow-up feuds, where they’d have to adapt to a more promo-heavy style. The answer?…. Both have kind of faded into the background. But last week’s episode featured both wrestlers losing in a glorified squash. The episode’s match order seemed very intentional, as if drawing a parallel that both men are drifting without their perennial rival to bring out the best in them.
Could we be in store for the two to finally team up, a la The Bar? Viewers commented on both wrestlers’ ability to play off each other and change up their face-heel dynamic. Their in-ring chemistry cannot be denied, and like The Wolfdogs before them, they could make for an enticing heel odd couple going after the tag belts.
Grade: B
TOMMASO CIAMPA’S ULTIMATUM
Latest Developments:
Over the past few months, both DIY & The Street Profits have repeatedly tried to reclaim the WWE Tag Team Championships, but failed repeatedly.
While Johnny Gargano remained friends with champions Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin (MCMG), Tommaso Ciampa began to grow ruthless, telling Johnny they needed to remain focused on reclaiming their titles. Ciampa would eventually begin interfering in the title shots of The Street Profits, even beating down Montez Ford following a singles match despite Gargano’s attempts to calm him down.
Last week, Ciampa finally snapped and unloaded on Gargano for being soft. Ciampa gave his partner until tonight to pick a side.
Analysis:
There isn’t too much to add here, other than adding a finite timeline to this feud. Tonight, we’ll at least have a conclusive answer on Gargano’s eventual turn. Despite the endgame for this feud still being potentially unclear due to the Street Profits’ own turn with similar character beats, providing the feud with a clear inflection point gives it a lot of momentum.
I absolutely love the continuity of Ciampa’s heel turns always manifesting through obsession with a title. His original heel persona with the NXT Big Gold was some of the best villain work in WWE’s history. The sheer vitriol Ciampa garnered by betraying everyone and everything for his Goldie was incredible, and I’m squealing with glee at the thought of a similar arc.
On the surface, a heel DIY would make a lot of sense. Gargano and Ciampa have been presented as a package deal since 2023, so a split with little buildup (at least by WWE’s standards) wouldn’t give either competitor much momentum moving forward. On the flip side, splitting the team would keep them out of the tag title scene for awhile and allow The Profits to continue on their own turn more seamlessly. As of now, both scenarios will largely depend on tonight.
As a small aside, the lack of babyface tag teams on Smackdown is interesting. Aside from MCMG and the reformed Usos, Smackdown’s tag division is almost entirely heels. Normally, I’d find this unbalanced. But with MCMG as the champions, this creates a dynamic of every single team hunting them down. Not only does this feel fresh, it elevates the tag belts and cements MCMG as main-eventers capable of fending off anything that WWE can throw at them.
Grade: B
THE BLOODLINE CIVIL WAR
Latest Developments:
Over the past few weeks, the Original Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso & Sami Zayn) struggled to find a fifth member for WarGames. Their opponents The New Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa & Jacob Fatu) repeatedly ambushed the babyfaces with their fifth member “Big” Bronson Reed.
Finally, The Original Bloodline were saved by the returning Wiseman Paul Heyman, who brought his old ally CM Punk with him to be the group’s fifth member. However, while The New Bloodline functioned as a unit, The Original Bloodline struggled with their teamwork.
Last week, Heyman moderated a sitdown between Reigns and Punk. Punk reiterated he was only helping Heyman in return for a favor, making it clear he did not respect Reigns. Reigns, stubborn and egotistical, made it clear to Punk this was a one-time deal. Heyman smoothed things over, and the two agreed to work together. That night, Jacob Fatu steamrolled Jey Uso (with all others banned from ringside) to gain the advantage at WarGames.
At Survivor Series, the Original Bloodline struggled to trust Reigns following their dark history with him. While Solo shined confidently as a leader, giving audibles in-ring like Reigns during his original Tribal Chief run, Reigns’ team openly against him. The titular story lay around Punk and Reigns clashing. Reigns helped up each of his teammates but Punk, blocked him from entering the cage prematurely, and refused to acknowledge him. However, when Reigns was in danger of a Tsunami, Punk rescued him. Reigns, in turn, showed him respect, and the Originals came together to put down a fighting Solo for the win.
Analysis:
The Bloodline’s character dynamics fit the WarGames stipulation like a glove, and this year may have been the most layered character work yet. Sikoa’s full metamorphosis into a leader was on display, as he commanded the respect of his group and exuded confidence like Reigns once did. For a character who began as a poser, Sikoa has truly stepped into his own as a main-event heel with true presence. Jacob Fatu and Bronson Reed shined as usual, mixing powerhouse intensity with extremely impressive athleticism that made The New Bloodline a force to be reckoned with.
Meanwhile, the booking did an incredible job making the once-godlike Reigns feel hollow. The same egotistical swagger feels pathetic now that his underlings no longer fear him. While there’s mutual respect, allowing Jey and Jimmy to hold onto the past made for an uneasy truce. Each look and quiet moment felt intense, because you could see the years of hurt behind each man’s eyes. And then there’s CM Punk, the man with no reason to respect Reigns. Watching him steamroll through Reigns’ posturing was subtly hilarious, and the final moment of teamwork felt genuinely cathartic. When Reigns helped Punk to his feet, it felt as if the heroes had finally made their last stand.
In previous years, The Bloodline existed as the protagonists against a set of one-dimensional enemies. Seeing them face off against their evil counterparts amplified the character progression immensely. Despite the Originals’ reunion feeling rushed at times, WWE got all their players shuffled into the right spots, and played off any unresolved feelings as battlefield weaknesses that the other team could exploit. It was surprisingly nuanced booking that covered for the faults of the match’s build.
Now the question of what happens next. The match ended with surprisingly little teases for the future, aside from Heyman’s favor to Punk. With Wrestlemania 41 only a few months away, this was a curious choice. Previously, The Bloodline’s arcs all felt like they were building to Wrestlemania. But The Bloodline Civil War always felt like it was destined to end here. Even if WWE didn’t outright imply so, they had to be aware of their audience immediately jumping to “oh, the endgame is Old vs. New Bloodline, probably a WarGames match”.
That means we have only a few months to build a whole new climax, which is a tall order. But that’s a lingering issue for next week. For now, we can enjoy the end to an amazing arc in The Bloodline saga and look forward to the future.
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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