Blog Archives
Brand Split Decision
By Anthony Zevoteck
Randomly, one Wednesday this past May, WWE shook the wrestling community when Shane and Stephanie McMahon both announced via social media there’d be a roster split to create two completely different shows with Raw and SmackDown.
The news was coupled with another announcement that SmackDown would be moved to Tuesdays and to air live, which would start Jul. 19.
Expectedly, the double bombshell was met with equal cheers and jeers from WWE fans alike. For longtime fans, this wasn’t new territory, as WWE had once split the roster before in 2002 upon a sudden influx of talent from the defunct World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling promotions. It was also due to the fact that at the time, four hours of weekly television time was too little to establish new talent and called for a difference between shows.
Notes In Observance – WWE SmackDown 5/12/16: Dire Straits
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 5/12/16)
Dire Straits
– The opening in-ring segment with Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho was a fine advancement in their program thus far, with Ambrose addressing the “jacketastrophe” (cleverly coined by Mauro Ranallo) from Raw and how things were even with him and Jericho now, until the lights came out, back on and we found Ambrose laid out face down. It turned into a trademark heel Jericho beatdown, as he set Ambrose in a strait jacket while screaming at him to “get crazy.” The Codebreakers added a necessary vicious touch, as we could see the irony in that within feuding with Ambrose, Jericho himself has gone crazy. He always knows how to reinvent himself, as his latest character seems to be that of a crazed, self-obsessed rock star. His latest “Gift of Jericho” pose is hilarious, yet it works for heat because he makes it so.
Notes In Observance – WWE SmackDown 5/5/16: Royal Warfare
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 5/5/16)
Royal Warfare
– The “Highlight Reel” segment with Chris Jericho, Sami Zayn, WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Maryse was a good opener, in that it did several things within 10 minutes. Jericho got to brag about taking Dean Ambrose out with his potted plant, Mitch, on Raw, building some good heat and making us anticipate Ambrose’s return for the following Raw. Apparently getting hit in the back of the head with a potted plant can cause contusions, bulging disks and signs of whiplash, so be careful out there. Zayn fit nicely in this segment, talking well for himself when accused of being a “sore loser” and “thief” by Jericho. Jericho had good heel logic in pointing out that Kevin Owens beat Zayn fair and square and got attacked for it the next night, while Zayn said his reasoning was because of Owens’ actions after their Payback match when he threw him out of the ring after slapping him. All the talk of the IC Title brought out Miz, who was the proud Champion who was offended at having his property touched by Zayn. Also liked the line where Miz put over his 11-year experience in the business comparing it to Zayn’s “kiddie pool” experience. Zayn continued to poke fun (literally) by touching Miz’s belt. Jericho leaving his own talk show segment felt random, but fit his character. Also liked the hook if the Zayn-Miz match was going to happen after some brief physicality.