Welcome folks to this week’s Quick Hits Recapatory! Each and every week myself, co-editor Brandi Wagner and editor in chief Marc Madison will take turns on giving you loyal readers what we think are the highlights of the week’s WWE Raw and SmackDown Live.
All of us here at Pro Wrestling Post believe that there’s enough negative attention drawn to the WWE and wrestling in general, all over the internet. And because of that, we will only be looking at the positives of the main WWE weekly programming.
And this was quite a week in the world of WWE…..It’s the Superstar Shakeup! Yup, gone are the days of the draft, now wrestlers just appear on the shows and are announced. And boy there were some moves this year, but we’ll get into that in this week’s WWE Raw and Smackdown Live Quick Hits Recapatory!
Raw Best Bits
Raw’s Newest Roster Members – With RAW being the longer show, it was always going to pick up the lions share of the Shakeup, including some of the NXT call-ups that were floating between RAW and SD Live. Here’s who were drafted….sorry Shaken Up to Raw –
AJ Styles, The Miz, Rey Mysterio, Andrade, Zelina Vega, Aleister Black, Ricochet, Lacey Evans, The Uso’s, Naomi, EC3, Eric Young, Cedric Alexander, The Viking Experience (formerly War Raiders in NXT)
The first thing that piques my interest is Alexander vs Ricochet. That match will be amazing if and when they get round to it. Also, the burgeoning RAW tag division looks pretty amazing right now with the addition of three teams. Yup, RAW definitely looks a lot brighter going into the post-Mania season.
The Fall And Rise Of EC3? – I’m not gonna beat around the bush, EC3 got squashed, it wasn’t even a match. And it’s not the first time he’s been treated this way since he got (unnecessarily) called up earlier this year. But trust me, if they play it right, we could be seeing the birth of EC3. I’ve seen it before, where talent has been on a downward spiral of form and they end up snapping. Changing their entire being, they won’t be put upon any more and they go on a huge tear and get out of their funk and become at least an upper mid-card talent. That’s my hope, but knowing Uncle Vince, he’ll keep EC3 exactly where he is.
Nattie Reclaiming Her Birthright – The promo Nattie cut before her match against Lacey Evans was absolute fire! I haven’t seen that from her in quite some time, which is understandable considering how the last year has been to her personally. Going back to her promo….the fact that she uttered the immortal lines “the best there was, the best there is and the best there ever will be” was amazing. Obviously playing off her appearance at the Hall Of Fame ceremony with her Uncle Bret Hart, she delivered the promo and that line with so much conviction. Even in a losing effort, Natalya looked great and I’m hoping to see that fire continue – maybe against Becky Lynch at some point?
Can Corbin Captialise? – The beating of Kurt Angle in his farewell match at WrestleMania could be the catalyst to propel Corbin to the next level. The fact that his introduction lists all his achievements is designed to piss off the fans, and it’s working. The heat he’s getting at the moment is fantastic. The heat isn’t just for the fact he’s a heel and the usual things that come from being a heel. People really HATE the fact that he beat Kurt and he’s now rubbing their noses in it. Much like what I said about EC3 above, Corbin has been given the ball, it’s now down to him to see how far he can carry it!
SmackDown Live Best Bits
SmackDown Live’s Newest Roster Members – Thirteen WWE Superstars crossed the divide over into SmackDown Live territory and became their newest stars. They are as follows Roman Reigns, Finn Balor (and the IC title), Elias, Bayley, Ember Moon, Kairi Sane, Lars Sullivan, Buddy Murphy, Mickie James, Liv Morgan, Chad Gable, Apollo Crews & Heavy Machinery.
Straight away I can see some great future and never been seen before matchups in the men’s, women’s and tag team divisions. Hopefully, this will be a great shot in the arm for the brand. It can continue to push forward as the company’s “wrestling” show, compared to RAW being seen as the entertainment show.
Big Kevin O – Ok so he’s no Big E but give the guy credit, he was very entertaining in his role as a New Day member. The intro to the New Day entrance by himself was actually pretty good (helped by the hometown crowd). The KO Show segment earlier in the show was as entertaining as always. I know people are waiting for him to turn back to his heelish nefarious ways, but for the time being, let’s just sit back and watch Kevin as a white meat babyface. Who knows when it’ll happen again??
SmackDown Live’s Biggest Dog – As mentioned above, Roman Reigns has crossed over to become a SmackDown Live exclusive star. And in all honesty, it was a great reveal, if a little obvious. The moment Elias said that he’s taking the reigns, you knew who was walking out next. Seeing him punch out Uncle Vince certainly got him across with the crowd and him telling Vince that SmackDown Live is his yard now was an emphatic statement. I wonder what Kofi thinks about that?
What I’m Expecting Next Week
The dust will have settled by the time RAW rolls around next week. I’m hoping that The Usos stamp some authority on that weak tag division, maybe begin a friendly rivalry with Black/Ricochet? Obviously, The Miz will want to carry on where he left off this week. Taking the fight back to Shane McMahon. And with part-time champ Brock Lesnar now out the picture, Seth Rollins will want to begin his reign as a fighting champion. Could we see an Open Challenge?
Over on SmackDown Live, Reigns will want to begin the Age Of Reigns, but I’m not actually sure who he’ll face? Could he be involved in an angle with Uncle Vince himself? The women’s division will hopefully be spotlighted with the new additions making their mark. And could Kofi go down the same street as Seth and throw out an Open Challenge?
Next week is a brand new start for WWE. A reset button so to speak. Let’s hope they don’t fall down the age-old post-Mania trap of coasting until SummerSlam in August!
What were you’re best bits? Did they match mine? What do YOU think or want to happen next week? Let us know in the comments. Or you can talk to us personally by our social media, which can be found below. This ends another week of the WWE Raw and Smackdown Live Quick Hits Recapatory. –
Mark Blake-Facebook – MarkBlakeSmart
Mark Blake Twitter – @Smart_Mark_B
Pro Wrestling Post Facebook – ProWrestlingPST
Pro Wrestling Post Twitter – @ProWrestlingPST
