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Veteran NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show correspondent Mark Kaboly breaks down Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw with 10 takeaways.
10
Barely knew Yeet: Fourteen years for four weeks? You certainly have to feel bad for Jey Uso dropping the Intercontinental Championship to Bron Breakker less than a month after winning it from him, especially with all the pomp and circumstance that surrounded Uso’s first-ever singles title. Arguably, Uso is one of the most “over” guys in the company and for him to lose the way he did with outside interference from the New Bloodline certainly couldn’t go over well with Yeet Nation. But let’s not look back, let’s look forward. Uso now is clear to take care of some family business and repair his relationship with his cousin Roman Reigns and brother Jimmy Uso and take out Solo Sikoa and then New Bloodline, which is getting stronger by the week. I don’t look at it as the end for Uce, but just a pause.
9
Roman no longer Reign-ing?: Remember when Reigns held the Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Championship for 1,316 days — the fourth-longest title reign in WWE history? One of the more dominant figures over the past decade has been beaten down and embarrassed by the guy he once laughed at when it was suggested he could become the next Tribal Chief. Sikoa and the New Bloodline have beat down Reigns the past two weeks only after he tried to make good with his cousin and appease his wishes by acknowledging him as the Tribal Chief. It’s concerning but don’t look at it as a negative for Reigns. Look at it as strengthening the New Bloodline’s dominance. If that means some short-term misery for Reigns, maybe until a possible Paul Heyman return or Jey Uso joins the cause, then so be it.
8
Don’t tease me like that: It might have lasted a total of five seconds but it was well worth it. During the Intercontinental Title Match, Jacob Fatu methodically climbed over the barricade and walked slowly toward Breakker and stood face-to-face to what possibly could have been the loudest crowd pop of the night. Uso’s suicide dive broke it up but man, don’t tease me like that. I don’t know if these two have beef in any way but let’s hope they do. Could you imagine a match between these two rhinos?
7
Powerful moment: Reigns telling Sikoa that “I told my dad I’d fix this” when he was trying to reunite the family might have revealed the true motivation of Reigns effort to reunite The Bloodline and also explain why Reigns hasn’t been his dominant self as of late. Reigns’ father, Sika of the famed Wild Samoans passed away in the summer. His brother and tag partner, Afa, passed not long after. “After everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve gone through in the spring, everything we lost in the summer and we stand here divided like this … I want paydays coming from the heavens.” Wow!
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6
Mental overload: Raw announcer Wade Barrett explained it as “bedlam, mayhem and chaos.” He may have undersold what happened during the Tag Team No. 1 Contenders Tournament match between The New Day and Authors of Pain. So, this is what happened within a span of a minute or so: R-Truth attacks the Miz that allows The New Day to win and advance in the tournament. Karrion Kross with AOP then takes R-Truth out while Xavier Woods holds Kofi Kingston back from helping. The Wyatt Sicks shows up and takes out Kross and AOP. The Miz avoids it all and comes out unscathed until Uncle Howdy enters the picture. However, before Uncle Howdy gets his hands on the Miz, Paul Ellering pushes him to the side and Howdy administered the Mandible Claw on him. Whew. It may have been a little too much to digest in one sitting.
5
Gunther’s dismissal: Another Monday Night Raw and another solid promo from the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther by saying a grand total of five words when Damian Priest interrupted his talk with Jackie Redmond — “OK, El Campeon. Good for you,” Gunther said when Priest said he’s coming for his title after Crown Jewel. Gunther had a lengthier talk before that, basically calling Cody Rhodes a phony, which was also good. But it’s becoming clearer by the week that Gunther is hitting a new level as a Superstar.
4
KO has a point: Kevin Owens taped an interview from his car because he’s still banned from attending WWE events following the beat down of Rhodes a few weeks back. Owens pointed out that many WWE Superstars have done more egregious things backstage and weren’t punished. He does have a point. Owens feels under-appreciated and feels like he was betrayed by the company. Hey, it’s not like they are hiding. What else would mean when Randy Orton was told by SmackDown GM Nick Aldis that he couldn’t have a match with Owens because those “up above” didn’t want that to happen?
3
Pressure ramped up: If the goal was to leave no doubt about how much Seth Rollins and “Big” Bronson Reed dislike each other: Mission accomplished. Three separate encounters scattered throughout the night is quite unusual but it came across that these two do actually hate each other. They will meet at Crown Jewel with not much room for interpretation in terms of what kind of match it needs to be. Anything less than shear brutality is going to be looked at with a stink eye, or at least not live up to expectations. Reed is built for that. Rollins has wrestled once since WrestleMania. Is Reed walking in with the advantage?
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2
Does Rhea need help?: With Damian Priest off on his pursuit of the title picture, Rhea Ripley has become the lone wolf. There’s no doubt she can handle that type of expectation but it is getting to the point where she needs an ally (even though that wasn’t quite necessary on Raw). Ripley is battling ‘Dirty’ Dom Mysterio, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriquez on a weekly basis. She finds herself in a precarious position: She can’t continue to have three rivalries but there is nobody out there that immediately jumps to mind to help her cause.
1
Odds and Ends: SmackDown was full of workmanlike tag team matches. Street Profits vs. #DIY vs. Pretty Deadly in a triple-threat tag team match; A-Town Down Under vs. Los Garzas vs. Motor City Machine Guns; and Bayley and Naomi vs. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae. … Keep an eye on Motor City Machine Guns. Even though they are new to the WWE, they aren’t new to the wrestling world. Next week’s match against #DIY is must-see TV. … Every time I see Montez Ford, I am more and more impressed. He hasn’t had an extended singles run in the WWE yet but man, you have to believe he’s on the lip of the cup … One thing that a two-hour Raw brings is not much time for nonsense. Raw moves quickly now but it has to. Constant energy and excitement. … It’s getting to the point where I need to see Karrion Kross in the ring and wrestling. … Trick Williams at ringside again, aye? … The Judgement Day is a mess. … Adam Pearce may have been the overall star of the night at Raw.
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