WWE SmackDown: Results, Analysis, and Grades for September 11, 2018

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Brie Bella (w/ Daniel Bryan) vs. Maryse (w/ The Miz)

Result: Brie Bella defeated Maryse via disqualification

Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars

*sigh* I guess we’re actually doing this.

In the spirit of trying to avoid total negativity, let’s talk about the positives here. Personally, I’m not a fan of Daniel Bryan in non-burgundy ring gear, but the Seahawks color scheme suits the “Brie Mode” personality.

Remember, Brie Mode came about when she overindulged on a girls trip — the neon green and rich blue just seems more vibrant than the dull burgundy. While we’re at it, the YES Mode shirt is a big winner in my book, too.

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But aside from fashion choices, there’s not a lot of good things here. I’m a well-documented supporter of intergender wrestling, so the whole “Brie almost died because Bryan got thrown into her, despite the fact that she’s a professional wrestler accustomed to being hit” is the stupidest thing on the planet. The fact that Maryse absolutely refuses to compete tonight made some sense in terms of getting heel heat, but where does that leave things for Sunday? Will it be more of the same?

The double standard of Miz getting crucified by commentary for pulling Brie out of the ring to save his wife weeks after she punched him in the face also gets me. As a married man, if I see my wife in danger, no matter who’s attacking her, I’m doing everything in my power to save her. It’s not like he hit Brie — he pulled her away.

Look, I don’t like being the guy finding justification for the evil characters. I hated the Star Wars prequels for showing me why Darth Vader was so evil; I loathe the concept of Wicked for making a character literally named “The Wicked Witch of the West” a sympathetic figure. Let the heroes be heroic, and the villains be evil, you know?

But this kind of storytelling makes me less likely to get behind my favorite wrestler of the past ten years, Daniel Bryan. Maybe it’s just me, maybe the match on Sunday will fix the issues I’m having with it. But right now, The Miz and Maryse are coming across like the better people in some aspects, and that shouldn’t be the case.

What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown?