WWE SmackDown: The ‘smacks’ and ‘downs’ of Feb. 21, 2020

-I was so ready to give the continuing Otis-Mandy Rose story a “down” simply due to the atrocious overacting of Tucker during his segment with Rose and Sonya Deville.

I mean, who walks up to people to talk to them only to completely face away from them and look somewhere else for a couple of seconds? He uses his hands way too much and tries way too hard with his facials. It is painful to watch.

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However, Rose and Deville are playing their roles well with Rose being the seemingly curious bombshell and Deville the bewildered best friend. Rose even said she was actually curious to see how her date with Otis would have gone.

What really saved it was the crowd support behind Otis. Maybe it was just the fans in attendance, but people really seem to be pulling for the Big Doze. Verdict: slight “smack.”

-On the other hand, what are they doing with Daniel Bryan? I wanted him to have a significant role at WrestleMania, but that seems far-fetched at this time. What was the point of having Heath Slater pop up on him last week? Why add Drew Gulak this week? He is too talented to be having five minute segments that don’t build anything. Verdict: significant “down.”

-The Fiend/Goldberg angle did what it was supposed to do (build interest in the match), but I have some worries. One, Goldberg was sweating so much for a five minute promo and one spear that I genuinely think he will either lose 50 pounds or faint from dehydration (whichever happens first) at Super ShowDown.

Two, The Fiend might be better losing the striped pants or having more of a kaleidoscope effect in the design. It just looks a bit too whimsical outside of the garish red light. Verdict: “smack” for the segment, “down” for Super ShowDown.

-Finally:

If it’s not Mustafa Ali (and the hints seem to suggest it is), I am going to be very, very upset. He deserves a prominent role and it’s about time we bear witness to his “light.” Verdict: BIG “smack” if it is Ali; BIG “down” if anyone else.

Let’s hope that with Super ShowDown out of the way, next week’s show can finally have some true builds towards Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania. Otherwise, the supposed “A” show will continue to be a grind to watch.