Every week, former WWE creative writer Kevin Eck runs down his thoughts from "RAW," "SmackDown" and the rest of the wrestling world, and previews the week ahead.
‘Crown Jewel’ thoughts
Disclaimer: I did not watch the show. It was my way of protesting WWE’s decision to stage the event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia despite the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month.
My comments on the show are solely about the booking decisions, not the quality of the in-ring action.
Am I the only who …
… is disappointed Braun Strowman did not defeat Brock Lesnar to win the vacant Universal Title?
I thought for sure WWE would put the title on Strowman to have a feel-good moment two weeks after Roman Reigns announced that he was relinquishing the championship because he is battling leukemia. Instead, Lesnar scored a decisive victory, so we’re getting another title reign by the part-timer.
Hopefully, it’ll be a short one. I’d like to believe the reason Lesnar went over at “Crown Jewel” is because the powers that be in WWE think it’ll end up being a bigger win for Strowman if he has to chase Lesnar before beating him for the title.
… is overjoyed Shane McMahon won the World Cup tournament and can now rightfully claim to be the “best in the world?”
Yeah, I’m kidding. It goes without saying that Super Shane O’Mac inserting himself into the finals and defeating Dolph Ziggler is groan-inducing. The World Cup was meaningless to begin with, but McMahon winning it makes even more of a joke.
The qualifying matches on TV and tournament matches at “Crown Jewel” were all just a colossal waste of time.
I’m guessing McMahon winning the tournament was a heel turn and will play into the “RAW” vs. “SmackDown Live” angle on the road to to “Survivor Series.”
… would've taken a very long bathroom break during the match between DX and The Brothers of Destruction, even if I had watched the show?
I don’t think even a cameo appearance by the eternally vivacious Ann Margret could’ve made me want to watch these grumpy old men fight. Google it, kids.
… thinks Shawn Michaels should’ve worn a bandana for the match?
After seeing a photo of a bald Michaels, it’s clear that not everyone can pull off the shaved head look.
Speaking of bandanas …
… thinks Hulk Hogan was the perfect choice to host the show?
It was disgraceful for WWE to go through with this show, so it was only fitting to have a disgraced individual such as Hogan kick off the event.
‘RAW’ thoughts
Am I the only who …
… liked that Dean Ambrose remained silent after Seth Rollins called him out?
Ambrose got more heat for not saying a word after Rollins demanded that Ambrose explain why he attacked him, than if he had cut a great promo.
Ambrose as the the top heel in the company is going to be very entertaining.
… heard Undertaker mention “slow, agonizing pain” and thought he was describing how I felt watching his and Kane’s promo?
It. Was. So. Plodding (rolls eyes in back of head).
… has no idea what WWE wants us to think of Nia Jax?
Is she a babyface? A heel? A tweener? Whatever Jax is, she definitely needs some acting lessons from her cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Either that or a mouthpiece.
‘SmackDown Live’ thoughts
Am I the only who …
… thinks Charlotte Flair losing confidence in herself will be a compelling story?
Her character could use some rehabilitating after she was mostly booed during her program with Becky Lynch, despite Flair being cast as the babyface.
The audience has always seen Lynch as a plucky underdog and Flair as the ultra-confident star in the women’s division, so it’s not a surprise that the fans sided with Lynch despite her heelish behavior.
Flair experiencing self doubt and going on a journey to regain her “eye of the tiger” should help the audience identify more with her, because they’ve never really seen her vulnerable.
… would love to see WWE Champion AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan in a months-long program together?
Their match was really good, but since Styles went over clean I’m guessing it was just a one-off. That’s a shame.
On a side note, kudos to Bryan Danielson for being a man of principle and refusing to go to Saudi Arabia, thus losing out on a big payday.
… wondered why commissioner Shane McMahon got to make the decision to have the Styles-Bryan match on the spot instead of general manager Paige?
Does Shane O’Mac get to make all the really big decisions now that he’s back? I guess he’s the alpha authority figure on the show in addition to being the best wrestler in the world. What a guy.
… wonders why it would be considered punishment for a wrestler to be fired from “SmackDown Live” and shipped to “RAW?”
That what Shane McMahon threatened to do if Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio or The Miz made it to the finals of the World Cup tournament and didn’t win.
If he’s going to be that much of a tool, why would any of them want to work for him anyway?
… thought having Randy Orton hit an RKO on The Miz at the end of the show was a bad idea?
WWE is booking Orton as a vile heel, so it was counterproductive to have him give the audience what it wanted by RKO’ing Miz.
A true heel would’ve teased the move and then not done it. That’s just common sense.
… enjoyed the Trick or Street Fight between Big E and Cesaro?
I admit it: I love WWE’s annual Halloween hijinks. How could you not smile at New Day coming out as The Brood?
Looking ahead
Am I the only who …
… is not looking forward to the contrived rivalry between “RAW” and “SmackDown Live” that’s going to play out on both shows heading to “Survivor Series” on Nov. 18?
That said, there are matches on the card that I will definitely be looking forward to, especially RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey versus SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, and Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins versus U.S. Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.