The following editorial was written by Geoffrey Rowland and does not reflect the opinions of WrestleZone as a whole. We encourage you all to discuss Geoff’s thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post or by tweeting him @Geoff_Rowland
After some lackluster build for the weeks leading into Hell in a Cell, but Raw and Smackdown Live came off a really good PPV with solid shows as all eyes turn to Super Show-Down, Evolution and Crown Jewel.
With three special events coming up, WWE needs to find ways to make all three feel like must-watch events and they have done a fairly good job.
On the Blue Brand, Tuesday nights are just must-see right now. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair have stolen the show with an excellent feud that has emotion, great ring-work and immense intrigue to go around.
The Irish Lasskicker in the tweener role has worked even better than anyone could have hoped. She is super easy for the crowd to cheer for, but just in the middle enough to keep the crowd from fully turning on Charlotte … at least not yet. They are a selling point for Australia, but will likely be a huge focus for the Evolution event.
The rest of Tuesday’s nights continues to be solid as well. Making Smackdown clearly the stronger show on a weekly basis.
The continued work by Miz, Maryse, Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella has been excellent. The mix-tagged felt a little forced at first, but it has added another layer to the feud that has been seamless in the long run. These two facing off for a No. 1 contender spot in Australia is going to be a great match and one of the toughest to predict on a stacked card. As said here before, let’s hope the WWE figures out a way to drag this feud out all the way to WrestleMania, because that is where it should be settled.
In the WWE championship picture, the ending of AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe was a perfect way to keep the strap on The Face That Runs the Place while making Super Show-Down must-see between the two.
Joe’s attacks on Styles family have elevated the feud but would have gotten stale, this gives him another angle to go after The Phenomenal One and will keep just enough hope out there that The Samoan Submission Machine might walk out of Australia with the strap. A coquina clutch might make Styles look too weak, so it would be nice to see a muscle buster find its way into the show.
By the way, if some viewers have not been paying attention, Andrade “Cien” Almas is on his way. He is ridiculously talented and tells a story in the ring as well as almost any performer. He is going to be a serious player in the near future, which could be tough for the Rusev and Nakamura types that have not been able to punch through and sustain top level status.
