WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Sami Zayn To Give Blue Side The Advantage?
By Warren Hayes
Credit: WWE.com
Which was the best WWE show for the week of October 16, 2017? Was it Raw? Was it SmackDown Live?
Let’s get right into this review of Raw vs. Smackdown Live where I give a few thumbs up to a few highlights from each show, air some grievances, and decide which of the two was the winner for the week.
Credit: WWE.com
RAW
THUMBS UP!
What they’re doing with the cruiserweights
Giving the cruiserweights some time to develop on Raw is fantastic. As much as I hate thinking about Neville’s status with WWE, showing fans that there are other cruisers out there than the King of the Cruiserweights and his feud-du-jour is good for the entire division. You may not like Enzo, but it’s hard to deny the shine of his star and how it’s benefiting many other members of the division.
Dean & Seth vs. The Bar
How many times have we seen this match now? Lots. How many times has it been great? Lots. These two teams have great chemistry and always put on entertaining matches. And thank goodness for that, because if the matches stank it would expose the Raw tag team division for being thinner than an Afghan Hound shopping for clothes at Gap Kids.
The Miz
Sami Zayn, Sami Zayn everyone is talking about Sami Zayn, and understandably so. But let’s not forget The Miz’s absolutely stellar heel work. He has been consistent ever since jumping to Raw and he delivered once again this Monday. He even elevated his character to the level of puppetmaster, as he unleashed a sneaky master plan unto the Shield. I want more of this plotting, scheming version of Miz.
BUT, MY GRIPE…
Yes, the Finn Balor segment was terrible and has earned a coveted place in most “worst segments of the year” lists. But my main gripe is with the Shield. Or at least, with how they were booked on Monday.
Look, I get that everyone is super excited at the return of the Shield. We’re most definitely still in the honeymoon period and WWE is right to milk this bit of fanservice for all it’s worth. But I can’t be the only person who feels the TLC match hype is both unnecessary and overbooked? Right?
Think about all the Shield-related moments on the show:
- Opening confrontation between the Shield, Kurt Angle, and Miz’s alliance.
- Miz TV main event stipulation segment
- Dean and Seth vs. The Bar
- Two backstage segments with Curtis Axel
- The main event
That’s a lot of time invested into one storyline for one match on one show. Imagine if they had used some of that time to better prop up some of the undercard feuds and make TLC feel more exciting.
And adding a fifth person to the fight? Also unnecessary. All WWE had to do here was reform the Shield and let the natural momentum of Shield-a-mania carry the TLC match hype.