WWE SmackDown Smacks/Downs: Celebrating 25 years of forced mediocrity

SMACK SMACK SMACK: arguably the best told story currently in WWE

HOWEVER, when WWE does find that balance, we have the fantastic build and story being told through the Universal Championship feud between Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt. I would argue this is the best story in WWE since WrestleMania.

I’ve gushed the past two weeks about this build and how both wrestlers have played their parts well, unexpectedly so for Strowman. That just continued last night even though both wrestlers weren’t on the show.

The advertised “deep dive” on this feud is what intrigued me the most heading into last night’s show. It did not disappoint.

We see a recap of Wyatt introducing fans to Strowman by saying, “Thank you Sister Abigail for giving me your greatest gift: the Black Sheep Braun Strowman.” This was five years ago. Then, contrary to what Strowman said last week, we see highlights of Wyatt directing the destruction wrought by Strowman as a member of The Wyatt Family, in essence, “creating” the Strowman we know today.

As I said last week, while Roman Reigns may have elevated him, Wyatt is the one who created the Strowman we know today as the “Monster among Men.”

The end of the video highlights the current rekindling of their “relationship” five years after the fact. At this point, we see Wyatt still holds an uncanny authority over Strowman. In the past, it was more as a mentor, a director, a tyrant; now it’s not just as an adversary, but as The Joker to Strowman’s Batman.

How Strowman overcomes the psychological hold Wyatt holds over him is the story I’m most invested in seeing over the next few weeks (I did say he should retain over Wyatt). Then again, what if he doesn’t overcome the mind games and falls to this “Fun House” version of Wyatt and not the eccentric former leader of The Wyatt Family?

The possibilities for this feud and the machinations of the characters keep me invested and anticipating the next show. I do have a nagging feeling that we’ll be disappointed in the final outcome, but for now, this is by far the best thing going in WWE.

It was a mixed bag of a show with questionable bookends. Not everything that happened between the opening and ending segments worked well, but there were still highlights from the show. Strowman/Wyatt keep me watching the show, but their segments being the only great segments does make the show a slog to watch most of the time.

As qualifiers end next week and we have a more concrete view of the card for Money in the Bank, let’s hope this forces WWE to focus on the details of each story more than they have for most of the feuds/matches. Until next week, please stay safe and healthy, readers!