WWE SmackDown 08/28/18: Not Done Playing Daddy
About Last Night is a quick reflection on the matches and segments, or random observations, from a wrestling show that sticks out to us the morning after we watch them. If you would like to get your comments featured, chime in below in our comments section or tweet us. You can also help support us on Patreon.
About The Five-Timers Club…
SmackDown opened with the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day, who were celebrating their fifth title win with… the Stanley Cup? I guess they were in Canada, so this works. But works even better is they were joined by King Booker, the man in charge of the Five-Timers Club. This segment was hilarious, from Big E getting snubbed on a noble title to everyone doing their attempt of the Spinaroonie. It was a fun excuse to showcase the champs, and have them out for the Triple Threat match following it, since it’s setting up a #1 contender’s match.
About Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton…
Despite thinking they were writing Randy Orton off of television last week due to the controversy surrounding him, the feud with Jeff Hardy continued this week with Hardy cutting a seething promo about how Orton has been trying to break him down. He even made him believe he can fly, resulting on the spot last week where he put Orton through a table. They really don’t like each other, which is now leading to them fighting at Hell in a Cell INSIDE the cell.
I feel like it’s a really smart choice to have this match be in the cell instead of the WWE Championship one. These two have been feuding for months involving some vicious and brutal beatdowns, dragging each other all over the ringside area. So containing it in the cell with the likely appearance of weapons would be really solid, plus this is the one match type that Jeff Hardy hasn’t done and has been requesting it since his return to WWE. This also gives Samoa Joe and AJ Styles more legroom to stretch their feud out longer, since it’s been one of the best things on SmackDown this summer.
About Daniel Bryan vs. Andrade Almas, or The Miz Wins Again…
I feel like Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella directly attacked me this week. I called out in last week’s column that it was kind of shitty for him to have his wife fight his battles when Miz is also relying on his wife yet is being called a coward, and Bryan started the promo this week directly say that wasn’t the case and she was there to even the odds with Maryse but couldn’t pass up a chance to punch The Miz in his dumb face. Then they were interrupted by Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega, because they’re another male/female pairing and honestly, do we need an excuse to watch Bryan vs. Almas?
The match was solid, and a good preview of what these two could do on a bigger stage. But I wasn’t too crazy about Daniel Bryan doing a suicide dive, especially at this point in his career. The match went a decent amount of time before The Miz showed up and tried to cause a distraction. When that didn’t work, he and Maryse attacked Bryan and Brie for the disqualification. The icing on the cake was Miz having Bryan in the Yes Lock and made him watch as Brie got wiped out. SmackDown’s heels are doing some great work right now. Speaking of which…
About Samoa Joe…
Samoa Joe is a piece of shit, but I can’t stop anticipating what terrible thing he’s going to do next. When AJ Styles goes out to the ring wanting to confront Joe, he instead appears on the screen from the parking garage. He calls Wendy Styles, acts like a total creep and asks about their daughter Annie, and then teases coming to their house next week during SmackDown.
I have the feeling this is going to end up similar to the Randy Orton/Triple H segment years ago, and I am all for this. Putting wrestlers in non-wrestling environments yet the universe still running by wrestling rules is always fun. If someone doesn’t go through a window I’m going to be upset.
About Becky Lynch…
So this heel turn is still a thing, eh? The Toronto crowd sure doesn’t think it is, as throughout the Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair main event, there were nonstop chants for Becky Lynch. They gave Charlotte a backstage promo to try to give people a reason to cheer her, but it fell on deaf ears. People want to boo a Flair and cheer a charismatic badass who doesn’t take shit from anyone. And that’s why there was a huge pop after the match when Becky jumped Charlotte and called her a bitch.
Becky Lynch can be compared to some of the big babyfaces of the Attitude Era, like Steve Austin and The Rock. They’re magnetic personalities who refuse to get walked all over. When they have a problem, they settle it with some profanity and their fists. She’s a great anti-hero, even though she was already great as a hero. But this fresh coat of paint is drawing eyes on her again, and people are remembering that Becky is great. And she needs to destroy Charlotte Reigns and help us escape from the same old shit.
What did you think of this week’s SmackDown? Let us know in the comments!
