WWE SmackDown Live Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for August 15

India-pendence Day

Kicking off the show this week was the WWE Champion, introduced and accompanied to the ring by the Singh Brothers. Unbeknownst to me (and probably most people), today is Independence Day in India. The Modern Day Maharajah is in a celebrating mood, bringing out a dance troupe for a party atmosphere. That’s followed by a lovely rendition of the Indian national anthem.

It’s probably the writing more than anything else, but this whole thing is very cringe worthy. Jinder is very proud of his heritage, and wants to share it with the world. Why that makes him a bad guy is beyond me. Especially in light of the recent events in Charlottesville, maybe a storyline that basically forces American fans to literally boo a foreigner isn’t the best thing to keep running with.

Eventually, Shinsuke Nakamura interrupts Jinder’s Punjabi speech. Obviously, Nakamura has learned quite a bit from John Cena as far as lousy babyface behavior goes. Apparently in Japan it’s their equivalent of Memorial Day, so that’s why Nak is out here. Congratulations, WWE, you’ve made Shinsuke Nakamura the “All Lives Matter” guy.

Nakamura proclaims that he’s going to take the title away from Mahal at SummerSlam. Well, he says that, “Sunday is SUMMERSLAM, and will be the day YOU LOSE the WWE Title… … … … … … TO ME!” I get that Shinsuke isn’t a native speaker, but can someone pul him aside and explain intonation and volume? It’s very awkward – which makes it a perfect fit for this opening segment.