WWE SMACKDOWN HITS & MISSES (2/21): The Rock’s ego has taken over and it isn’t pretty, in Fatu we trust, Pretty Deadly and the Disco Brawl, more

Here it is friends. Here is easily the worst Smackdown since Triple H assumed the reins of creative control. Much of the blame lies at the feet of Dwayne Johnson, who seemingly once again inserted himself into the build toward WrestleMania. This time, however, his appearance as the Final Boss has produced less than stellar results.

Week by week, we see this show drifting towards irrelevancy. The format has become nearly insufferable, and there is criminal underutilization of wrestlers squandering off-camera. There is very little I can say positively about this week’s episode. I’ll endeavor to do my best, as I don’t believe in being overly and needlessly critical.

But, this was a barely refined three-hour exercise in tedium and nonsense. As always, I’m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think I’ve Missed.

HITS

IN FATU WE TRUST

On his own, Jacob Fatu is a smoldering iron of passion, of fury, of vengeance wrapped up in dreadlocks and frightening body undulations that evince his power and terror. Compared to the rest of this undercooked episode, the Samoan Werewolf appeared as a source of pure light hovering over the shadowed ruins of what was once a great show. Forget Jey Uso. Jacob Fatu is the Main Event. I can say more about Fatu, but I’ll save it because I’m sure he will be the best thing about SmackDown next Friday.

PRETTY DEADLY AND THE DISCO BRAWL

Whether by accident or design, the opening brawl to the tag team championship match being accompanied by Pretty Deadly’s theme song felt almost like we were watching a movie playing out before our very eyes. This was one of those moments that transcended the medium. The match itself was nothing to write home about, but this one moment in time stood out as something special. The music allowed us to feel something, which allowed us to enter into the combat, the drama, and be more than observers. We weren’t full participants, as we didn’t walk away with bruises, but we became feelers in a way that simply watching an unaccompanied match doesn’t always allow for. A small detail, I know, but I had to look hard this week!

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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)

MISSES

AN ABYSMAL STRUCTURE

Almost everything in this episode felt inconsequential. The match between Drew McIntyre and Jimmy Uso, while continuing a short-term feud, nevertheless felt lifeless and meaningless. There is no real drama here. McIntyre would rightly reduce Uso to a shivering pulp in a true fight.

Carmelo Hayes has now been forced to team with the Miz in a partnership that nobody asked for, and nobody will enjoy. Why is the Miz being partnered with another black superstar as a foil to their cultural expression? What happened to the Miz and his work with Karrion Kross and the Wyatt 6? Speaking of which, what happened to the Wyatt 6?

The match between Naomi and Liv Morgan turning into a pre-match beatdown felt more like taking time away from these two women than telling an actual story. The tag team main event did nothing to further the drama between Fatu and Solo Sikoa, because we are already aware that Fatu no longer respects Solo and thus rightly would have no feeling delivering a superkick. Something must have exploded the episode’s original structure, as everything was clearly struggling to find footing. But let’s not beat around the Bbsh. We know what exploded last night’s episode, and his name is Dwayne Johnson.

THE ROCK’S EGO HAS TAKEN OVER

The segment between Cody Rhodes and the Rock was laughably bad. His performance makes no sense because he is not skilled enough to negotiate the nuances required to play both the Final Boss and a bankable board member of TKO. The Rock is simply not good enough to do what he so clearly wants to do: be loved by the fans and play the Final Boss.

His ego will not allow him to be truly hated. So, he will immediately drop out of character at a post-show press conference and diminish the art form by reducing it to bad theater with seemingly no narrative payoff on the horizon. Cody’s reign as champion has been uneven and sometimes uneventful. Yet, he has been consistent in his ideals and consistent in his actions. Therefore, the idea of becoming the Rock’s champion should not even be entertained by this version of Cody Rhodes.

Once again, there hasn’t been quite enough nuance by Cody to lay the groundwork for the Rock’s seduction to have even the slightest chance of success. As a fan, it is extraordinarily frustrating to be subjected to the Rock’s ego. This frustration is likely even more intense for all those behind the scenes who work so hard to create something special, only for it to be overshadowed by someone who is no longer the most electrifying man in Hollywood, regardless of how much he pays the commentary team to claim that he is.