WWE SmackDown’s Smacks & Downs: The Fiend finally has character development

The last show before Elimination Chamber was a mixed bag. While it did build some more hype, there were also some conspicuous decisions on WWE SmackDown. So what was a smack, and what was a down, including the gauntlet match? Let’s take a look.

After I thoroughly excoriated SmackDown last week in my smacks and downs, was this episode any better? That depends.

It seems like this is the season for gauntlet matches in WWE. Remember the ones last year that Kofi Kingston and Big E/Xavier Woods endured? It left us with this moment:

Well, it seems like WWE is dipping into the “KofiMania” playbook, only this time for another group. There will be more on this later, but suffice it to say the booking of this match was questionable.

With Elimination Chamber on Sunday and WrestleMania not long after, WWE really needs to regain fan enthusiasm for what has been a tepid (at best) or downright bad product. The build to the PPV has been lackluster, partly due to having so many marquee events only a few weeks apart.

Well, how did they seek to reverse their fortunes on last night’s SmackDown?

The show had “A Moment of Bliss” segment featuring the n.W.o; two women’s tag matches (Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Naomi/Lacey Evans and Carmella/Dana Brooke vs. Fire and Desire); Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews; and the aforementioned tag team gauntlet match to determine who would enter last in the Chamber match.

Might as well start with the biggest and longest match of the night.

Smack: it’s understandable why the match was booked this way

Down: the booking was still questionable at best

As I mentioned earlier, the “KofiMania” playbook is in full effect…but for Heavy Machinery.

A reminder of the teams involved: The New Day, Heavy Machinery, Lucha House Party, The Usos, The Miz and John Morrison, and Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.

Here’s where I understand why this match played out as it did. Kofi Kingston had more star power prior to “KofiMania” than Heavy Machinery does now, but it is inarguable that Kingston (and The New Day by proxy) emerged a bigger star when he won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.

With that context, it makes complete sense why they would have this push for Heavy Machinery.

Say what you want about their act and Tucky’s acting skills (they’re not great), there is a genuine connection with the crowd. Just listen to the crowd as Otis does, well, anything:

That kind of fan support was built organically over a long time.

On the positive for Tucky, he is extremely talented in the ring. His amateur wrestling background shows in his fluidity, an uncommon sight for a man of his size. Throughout the match, he kept taking punishment, and with some well-timed antics, helped build to a pretty loud reaction on the hot tag to Otis.

Now here’s where the macro plan crumbles when examined on the micro scale.

The first match against The New Day was good for what we saw (come on, commercials!), but the end sequence was sudden and left fans stunned. The announcers framed it as a huge upset (it was), but how it happened was troubling.

After easily dispatching of Lucha House Party (as they should have), The Usos lose a very quick match on a crucifix pin when Jey Uso went to pin Tucky after connecting with a superkick. Tucky then won with an inside cradle on John Morrison. At least The Miz and Morrison proceeded to layeth the smacketh down on the two post-match, including a wicked double stomp-Skull Crushing Finale combo.

If you’re going to put a team over so heavil…strongly who doesn’t have that cache of accomplishments, then winning with leverage pins over two of the top tag teams on SmackDown, and rather unceremoniously against another in The New Day, doesn’t really make me think as a viewer that they are as good as those victories.

Think of it like when the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Orlando Magic (of all teams) in January. We all know which of the two teams is actually good and which team has lacked an identity for most of the last decade+.

These types of matches are also tough because most fans understand a heel is generally going to win a match that gives the competitor(s) an advantage. It’s just not a very babyface tactic to emerge last in what will be a grueling match with tremendous punishment.

While I understand why and how this match unfolded, the details in the structure of the match left much to be desired.

At the very least, it did give us this moment with “BIG MEATY MEN SLAPPING MEAT!”

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1236121656793264128

Down: did this segment make you excited for the show?

Look, I understand the need to hype the Hall of Fame class to draw viewers and attendance (especially with Covid-19 concerns), but was this necessary?

It seemed like Sean Waltman wasn’t sure when to step in, and Alexa Bliss was unusually underwhelming on the mic. Kevin Nash looked like he didn’t really want to be there. Nikki Cross wanting that selfie was cringeworthy considering I’m sure she could have done the same in the back.

It really was just a setup to have Braun Strowman “Too Sweet” the three men for that rub. That could have happened easily in a backstage segment where Nash gives his nod of approval as a legendary big man in the business.

The only bright spots were Sami Zayn and Scott Hall. As weird as that last part sounds, Hall’s comedic timing was just great. When Nash quipped that you needed “Scott Hall and a cattle prod” to beat Goldberg, Hall’s timely response was, “That was a shocking finish,” drawing a hearty laugh from the crowd.

Zayn, along with his usual wonderful heel manager self, had a nice line of his own. After highlighting both Hall and Nash for winning the Intercontinental Championship during their careers, he turned to Waltman (who didn’t win one) and said, “Well, at least you know how much the Intercontinental Championship weighs since you carried these guys’ bags for so long.”

Ouch.

These reads weren’t enough to save the segment, however, and left me not caring for the match on Sunday. If Strowman wins, then the other three look like utter fools for losing. If they win, then of course they should have; it’s 3-on-1!

Smack: a callback leading to character development

Since the debut of the “Firefly Fun House,” the lingering question has been what was the actual motivation that drove this character change. While The Fiend was initially well received, his being impervious to pain, winning the Universal Championship that he didn’t need in the first place, and then losing to a botched jackhammer has really stunted his momentum.

Even though his match with John Cena at WrestleMania was expected, it didn’t diminish the anticipation fans have for seeing this match. However, as I noted last week, what did diminish it was The Fiend just standing there, pointing at the WrestleMania sign like some respectful adversary even though he never showed respect before. Where was the mandible claw?

Well, the “Firefly Fun House” was well done in the sense that we now know why Bray Wyatt is The Fiend. It all stems from his loss to Cena at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans. As Ramblin’ Rabbit so kindly reminded us (and somehow didn’t die…again), “It’s because John Cena totally destroyed you six years ago at WrestleMania, thus beginning a downward spiral of negativity and failure in your personal and professional life!”

Crediting Cena for the existence of the “Fun House” and The Fiend is a good choice. The Fiend’s very existence hinges on Wyatt’s inability to move beyond that loss in New Orleans, thus placing the blame for everything he’s done squarely on the broad, muscular shoulders of Cena. While Wyatt can forgive Cena, we know The Fiend only knows vengeance.

Yes, this should have been one of the first “Fun House” segments (tweaked, of course), which would have planted a long-term seed in the minds of fans and possibly lead to more sustainable fan support. Still, being such a big match on the card, this edition of the “Firefly Fun House” leaves me intrigued to see what’s next.

Down: attention to detail lacking for Otis-Mandy Rose

-In the interaction above, Otis clearly tells Rose he received a text informing him Rose would be late for their doomed Valentine’s Day date. She responded by saying women don’t like being stood up. While of course, no one likes being stood up, did Rose not hear what Otis said?

I would think expected responses would include, “Who sent you that text?” and/or “I didn’t send that text.” If she did send the text though, then it should have been made more clear both during the date segment and in the backstage segment from last night. I wonder if this angle will extend to WrestleMania or beyond. If so, things need to make more sense than they did tonight.

Down: Corbin

-Please, just drop the king gimmick. Better yet, write him off for a while and come back with a full character repackage.

Smack: maintaining consistent storytelling, and adding a wrinkle

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-For several weeks now, we have seen the above glitch about twice an episode on SmackDown. Many believe it could either be Killer Kross or, my pick, Mustafa Ali (I’ve been hammering this home for weeks). I think Kross is more apt for the vignettes airing on NXT. While the announcers generally act as if they didn’t notice it, Cole appears to catch himself for a second before recovering.

Also, did y’all catch the second time it appeared? It was on the television screen above and behind Ziggler and Rose, the monitor Rose had been watching the gauntlet match on. This wrinkle was a nice touch and great way of keeping fans on the lookout.

Smack: DANIEL BRYAN VS. DREW GULAK

-Yeah, I’m excited. While I wrote that I would prefer to see Gulak trot out a new challenger for Bryan every week until they meet at SummerSlam, the addition of this match has me at least anticipating seeing one match on the PPV. While Aleister Black vs. AJ Styles is great on paper, it’s also no disqualification so shenanigans involving The O.C. are bound to happen.

This match, however, will be something special. I’m confident that if given a minimum of even eight minutes, these two will put on a clinic. Give them 20 minutes and it’ll be a match of the year candidate.

Bryan may be the most technically gifted wrestler this side of Bret Hart, and Gulak is a technician himself. The catch-as-catch-can sequences these two could have are hurting my head just thinking about them. Both are also snug wrestlers, so it’s bound to look intense.

What better way to elevate Gulak then a fantastic showing against Bryan? It’s probably what Bryan requested, looking at his history (“KofiMania”) and influence he has.

Hopefully, Elimination Chamber turns out to be something more along the lines of last year’s Stomping Grounds event in my hometown of Tacoma, WA: a lackluster card on paper that delivered in the ring with enthusiastic fan engagement. If not, well, at least there’s WrestleMania to look forward to in a few weeks.

See you next week!