WWE SMACKDOWN HITS & MISSES 3/20: Daniel Bryan’s big announcement, Nakamura vs. Rusev, Corbin vs. Tye, Orton-Roode-Jinder hype, Charlotte vs. Natalya

HITS

Opening Segment: The show got off to an unbelievable start with Daniel Bryan’s announcement that he has been officially cleared to wrestle again after a two year retirement. This was something that most people never expected to see, so it was a genuine feel good moment for the audience. Bryan’s speech was nothing short of inspirational, and I liked his tease of potentially wrestling at this year’s WrestleMania. Obviously, it’ll take a while to gauge how often Bryan is going to wrestle, but it goes without saying that him being a part of Smackdown will help with the shallow depth on the current roster.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev: Continuing with their mini-feud, both superstars put on a nice match that was athletic and had the crowd invested. It was good to have A.J. Styles at ringside to scout his competition as well. While I am happy to see Rusev being used on the show, I still feel that there is more potential to moving him into a feud where he is a face and on the winning side. We’ll see where he ends up after Mania.

Charlotte vs. Natalya: These two wrestlers have great chemistry together, and always seem to put on good quality matches. I liked the back and forth, and was surprised to see Natalya get the win. Carmella’s attempted cash-in was good, as it serves as a friendly reminder that she can cash in her briefcase at any time. The clock is ticking on her contract, so it will be really interesting to see what the plan is for the Princess of Staten Island.

Closing Segment: As a fan, if you weren’t invested in Daniel Bryan’s eventual return during the opening segment, then you more than likely were by the end of the show. This was done correctly on a few levels. Firstly, I liked Bryan’s admittance of Shane’s previous perceptions and thoughts about him, as it puts closure to that plot point, and moves on. Secondly, Bryan’s “firing’ of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn was well done, and made sense. I appreciated the references to how Owens and Zayn had technically won, and that there was no reason for their attack on Shane. Finally, the attack on Bryan, along with his attempted comeback was fantastic. Getting to see Daniel perform some of his moves again was extremely fun to watch. The fact that Bryan acted like a true face and got cheered, while the popular Owens and Zayn got booed, proves that if done right, the fans will react as expected. I cannot wait for next week’s show, which is something that I have not felt in months.

MISSES

Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger: While overall this was a great show, Smackdown still has a problem with its repetitiveness. Baron and Tye have consistently fought each other over the past six months, and it just seems to go back and forth on who wins. This time it was Baron. In addition, the match wasn’t that great. Overall, both men should be winning respective feuds in an attempt to build up the roster. Trading wins doesn’t do anything for either one.

U.S. Championship segment: Speaking of repetitiveness, I feel like I have seen Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, and Jinder Mahal in the same talking segment week after week. There has been nothing new added, other than the fact that the title is now with Orton. Raw is having a triple threat feud at the same time, and the difference in quality is night and day. Hopefully these three can get the fans more invested, but they’re going to have to work a little harder than just going through the motions.

Jeff Indelicato has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was knee high to a grasshopper (little kid) after coming across the Wrestling Challenge episode after WrestleMania 7. He has not looked back. His passion has led him to winning wrestling trivia contests in his city, and even won him his Senior Talent Show by dancing to Shawn Michaels’ theme song. When not annoying others with wrestling talk, he loves spending time with his family and friends, and focuses on his other passion: movies. Follow him on Twitter @the_Indel or send him an email at indelpw@gmail.com.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: WWE SMACKDOWN HITS & MISSES 3/13: Styles promo, Charlotte-Asuka, Roode vs. Mahal, Owens/Sami-Shane angle, Bludgeons vs. Uso & Big E