Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)
It has been a chaotic few months of WWE action, and sometimes it is nice to slow down and reflect. It was completely unnecessary to have so many big WWE event so close to one another. With TLC not until mid-December, right now is the perfect time to look back at what makes WWE work and what doesn't.
The answers are pretty clear just from focusing on this past week. NXT is on a constant role. 205 Live has been similarly excellent. While frustrating in its purpose, NXT UK has also been a strong reason to pay attention to WWE with so much talent going all out.
All this is to say the company is good in shorter formats with a smaller team of writers at the helm because then there's Raw and SmackDown. While it's clear who's better between the two, the main roster shows still have a lot to learn from the secondary and developmental writers.
The answers are pretty clear just from focusing on this past week. NXT is on a constant role. 205 Live has been similarly excellent. While frustrating in its purpose, NXT UK has also been a strong reason to pay attention to WWE with so much talent going all out.
All this is to say the company is good in shorter formats with a smaller team of writers at the helm because then there's Raw and SmackDown. While it's clear who's better between the two, the main roster shows still have a lot to learn from the secondary and developmental writers.
Got to get in the monthly Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler match. Otherwise, how would everyone know it's 2018?
Monday Night Raw November 26, 2018
Raw Has NO Depth
Overview: Baron Corbin opened the show with Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre leading into a match with Elias for Lashley that Corbin made no disqualification so that the team could triple team The Drifter to give The Dominator the win.
The main event was Corbin vs. Finn Balor which was turned into a handicap match with McIntyre included which The Scottish Psychopath quickly won with a Claymore. The trio stood tall once again to end the show.
Analysis: How have we come to this? Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are both out for a while. Strowman is taking time off (likely returning for a quick appearance at TLC but staying out of full action until Royal Rumble). Matt Hardy basically retired while Bray Wyatt just up and disappeared. Roman Reigns is gone.
It has left Raw so dry on stars that we're getting Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler again and again. Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre are taking up an hour each week. The women's division is being given more space but not more real stories to tell or matches in which to shine.
Raw has been completely decimated in terms of depth, and the writers have no idea how to make up for it. No one has come with any creative solution.
Nia Jax is Not Helping Her Own Case
Overview: Nia Jax mocked Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch until The Baddest Woman on the Planet came out to promise to take Jax's arm at TLC. Natalya ran down to make sure Jax and Tamina could not double team her friend, and she was ambushed by The Riott Squad who Rousey barely fought off.
Analysis: If Jax was super talented, it would be hard to sell the idea that she needs to be taken off TV. Despite repeatedly saying that she has clearly shown talent though, she seems to regressing recently, and this week she showed she is getting worse at cutting promos as well.
She is getting major heat, and WWE should utilize that. However, once she gets defeated by Lynch, the company should consider taking her off the road for a while. The Performance Center is built to help talent on fundamentals, which is clearly where Jax is suffering most.
Conclusion
I have honestly liked the change of pace with Corbin as the general manager given he is also an active competitor. It made for a short-term fascinating change, but it keeps going on. This show was the pinnacle of the problem with letting this gimmick go this many months.
When the GM wasn't dominating screen time, the rest of the show paddling along, hoping to survive the week. There was one good match on the entire show, and it was a repeat from most major shows this year. The rest was just lackluster squashes or lethargically paced men's clashes.
No one is coming to save the day as any easy fix. It's time for WWE to step up and take chances. I say this, but they'll probably just move Lynch over to Raw and hope that's enough.
Overview: Baron Corbin opened the show with Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre leading into a match with Elias for Lashley that Corbin made no disqualification so that the team could triple team The Drifter to give The Dominator the win.
The main event was Corbin vs. Finn Balor which was turned into a handicap match with McIntyre included which The Scottish Psychopath quickly won with a Claymore. The trio stood tall once again to end the show.
Analysis: How have we come to this? Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are both out for a while. Strowman is taking time off (likely returning for a quick appearance at TLC but staying out of full action until Royal Rumble). Matt Hardy basically retired while Bray Wyatt just up and disappeared. Roman Reigns is gone.
It has left Raw so dry on stars that we're getting Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler again and again. Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre are taking up an hour each week. The women's division is being given more space but not more real stories to tell or matches in which to shine.
Raw has been completely decimated in terms of depth, and the writers have no idea how to make up for it. No one has come with any creative solution.
Nia Jax is Not Helping Her Own Case
Overview: Nia Jax mocked Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch until The Baddest Woman on the Planet came out to promise to take Jax's arm at TLC. Natalya ran down to make sure Jax and Tamina could not double team her friend, and she was ambushed by The Riott Squad who Rousey barely fought off.
Analysis: If Jax was super talented, it would be hard to sell the idea that she needs to be taken off TV. Despite repeatedly saying that she has clearly shown talent though, she seems to regressing recently, and this week she showed she is getting worse at cutting promos as well.
She is getting major heat, and WWE should utilize that. However, once she gets defeated by Lynch, the company should consider taking her off the road for a while. The Performance Center is built to help talent on fundamentals, which is clearly where Jax is suffering most.
Conclusion
I have honestly liked the change of pace with Corbin as the general manager given he is also an active competitor. It made for a short-term fascinating change, but it keeps going on. This show was the pinnacle of the problem with letting this gimmick go this many months.
When the GM wasn't dominating screen time, the rest of the show paddling along, hoping to survive the week. There was one good match on the entire show, and it was a repeat from most major shows this year. The rest was just lackluster squashes or lethargically paced men's clashes.
No one is coming to save the day as any easy fix. It's time for WWE to step up and take chances. I say this, but they'll probably just move Lynch over to Raw and hope that's enough.
Grade: F
And with that kick, suddenly Asuka remembered she's actually the best female wrestler in the world, and all was right again.
SmackDown Live November 27, 2018
Asuka is Still SmackDown's Number 3 Despite Recent Booking
Overview: Becky Lynch was introduced by Paige and announced she was back and ready to wrestle before calling out Charlotte Flair. After heated words between them, Lynch vs. Flair was announced in a TLC match for TLC before the rest of the women's division came out to protest.
Paige decided to make a battle royal for the main event with the winner being added to the title match. Asuka last eliminated Sonya Deville to earn the third spot.
Analysis: It is great to see The Empress of Tomorrow back in title contention. Despite so many women competing in the battle royal, it was obvious from the start that Asuka had to win. She is so far ahead of anyone else in the division beyond Lynch and Flair even with her weak booking lately.
This triple threat should be absolutely phenomenal. In fact, it should main event as the only TLC match on the card and arguably the contest with the highest ceiling for success.
Samoa Joe May Never Win a Title But He's The Best Male Promo in the Business
Overview: Jeff Hardy celebrated his 20th anniversary with most of the SmackDown roster on the ramp in respect of The Charismatic Enigma, but Samoa Joe interrupted and ran down Hardy. He called out all of The Daredevil's mistakes, questioning how he got so many second chances when The Samoan Submission Specialist never got one.
Analysis: Joe is great. Sure, he's slowed down tremendously in the ring, but he can still get it done. More importantly, he is one of the few wrestlers who really seems to know how to work a mic. He and Lynch are the best at killing opponents with words alone, and Joe's promo on Hardy was better than any beatdown.
Conclusion
The return of The Man to SmackDown brought back the quality. The show was not perfect, but it felt far more focused than it was without the brand's top star. The wrestling was still solid overall with a ton of strong promo segments that pushed stories forward.
The blue brand has so much talent defining the brand that there's always an interesting story. While The Miz continues to be awkwardly used, his work is still always entertaining. Shane McMahon barely even appeared on this episode, and it was a big boon for the episode.
Hopefully there are still surprises in store before TLC, but SmackDown continues to chug forward with quality storytelling.
Overview: Becky Lynch was introduced by Paige and announced she was back and ready to wrestle before calling out Charlotte Flair. After heated words between them, Lynch vs. Flair was announced in a TLC match for TLC before the rest of the women's division came out to protest.
Paige decided to make a battle royal for the main event with the winner being added to the title match. Asuka last eliminated Sonya Deville to earn the third spot.
Analysis: It is great to see The Empress of Tomorrow back in title contention. Despite so many women competing in the battle royal, it was obvious from the start that Asuka had to win. She is so far ahead of anyone else in the division beyond Lynch and Flair even with her weak booking lately.
This triple threat should be absolutely phenomenal. In fact, it should main event as the only TLC match on the card and arguably the contest with the highest ceiling for success.
Samoa Joe May Never Win a Title But He's The Best Male Promo in the Business
Overview: Jeff Hardy celebrated his 20th anniversary with most of the SmackDown roster on the ramp in respect of The Charismatic Enigma, but Samoa Joe interrupted and ran down Hardy. He called out all of The Daredevil's mistakes, questioning how he got so many second chances when The Samoan Submission Specialist never got one.
Analysis: Joe is great. Sure, he's slowed down tremendously in the ring, but he can still get it done. More importantly, he is one of the few wrestlers who really seems to know how to work a mic. He and Lynch are the best at killing opponents with words alone, and Joe's promo on Hardy was better than any beatdown.
Conclusion
The return of The Man to SmackDown brought back the quality. The show was not perfect, but it felt far more focused than it was without the brand's top star. The wrestling was still solid overall with a ton of strong promo segments that pushed stories forward.
The blue brand has so much talent defining the brand that there's always an interesting story. While The Miz continues to be awkwardly used, his work is still always entertaining. Shane McMahon barely even appeared on this episode, and it was a big boon for the episode.
Hopefully there are still surprises in store before TLC, but SmackDown continues to chug forward with quality storytelling.
Grade: B
It takes a special duo to be this confident when you haven't won a tag team match since you debuted in NXT. That might not be entirely true, but it certainly sounds like it might be right.
NXT and NXT UK November 28, 2018
NXT's Tag Team is Far Better Than The Brand Seems to Realize
Overview: Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch went all out to try and overmaneuver The Mighty, but they seemed out of sorts for a while. However, a surprise roll up by Lorcan stole the win. Afterward, Shane Thorne and Nick Miller assaulted their opponents and stood tall.
Analysis: This NXT tag team division is stacked. The Undisputed Era are phenomenal wrestlers. War Raiders are clearly their top challengers. Lorcan and Burch, The Mighty, The Street Profits, and Heavy Machinery are all great potential challengers even if they are often not allowed to be seen as real threats.
Hopefully, all these teams get a chance to shine soon because it feels UE have been tag champions for too long with no threats to their reign.
Rhea Ripley is the Perfect First NXT UK Women's Champion
Overview: Early in the NXT UK Women's Championship finals, Toni Storm injured her back on a collision with the barricade. Rhea Ripley took advantage, mercilessly taking out Storm and hitting the Riptide to take the championship with far more ease than would have been expected before the early injury.
Analysis: Luckily, Storm has recovered from this injury since it happened, so there's no worry about that. Instead, we can all focus on the champion. Ripley was sold perfectly here, taking advantage of a bad injury and stealing a title most expected would go to Storm first.
Despite Storm obviously being the UK division's biggest star, Ripley makes far more sense to carry the title. She's young but massively talented. She can learn from every challenge and define the brand in a way Storm couldn't as she has stood out on her own for so long.
Overview: Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch went all out to try and overmaneuver The Mighty, but they seemed out of sorts for a while. However, a surprise roll up by Lorcan stole the win. Afterward, Shane Thorne and Nick Miller assaulted their opponents and stood tall.
Analysis: This NXT tag team division is stacked. The Undisputed Era are phenomenal wrestlers. War Raiders are clearly their top challengers. Lorcan and Burch, The Mighty, The Street Profits, and Heavy Machinery are all great potential challengers even if they are often not allowed to be seen as real threats.
Hopefully, all these teams get a chance to shine soon because it feels UE have been tag champions for too long with no threats to their reign.
Rhea Ripley is the Perfect First NXT UK Women's Champion
Overview: Early in the NXT UK Women's Championship finals, Toni Storm injured her back on a collision with the barricade. Rhea Ripley took advantage, mercilessly taking out Storm and hitting the Riptide to take the championship with far more ease than would have been expected before the early injury.
Analysis: Luckily, Storm has recovered from this injury since it happened, so there's no worry about that. Instead, we can all focus on the champion. Ripley was sold perfectly here, taking advantage of a bad injury and stealing a title most expected would go to Storm first.
Despite Storm obviously being the UK division's biggest star, Ripley makes far more sense to carry the title. She's young but massively talented. She can learn from every challenge and define the brand in a way Storm couldn't as she has stood out on her own for so long.
205 Live November 28, 2018
Ariya Daivari Adds Perhaps the Final Tag Team Alliance Needed in 205 Live
Overview: Hideo Itami squashed a jobber, slowly dominating the wrestler until he decided it was time to take the win. Ariya Daivari made his return and showed his respect to Itami by helping him do more damage.
Analysis: There is not a single wrestler in the cruiserweight division now that does not have a tag team partner. Daivari may not be the most exciting performer to return to the division, but he and Itami should be the tipping point. As discussed last week, 205 Live is ready for that tag team gold.
Overview: Hideo Itami squashed a jobber, slowly dominating the wrestler until he decided it was time to take the win. Ariya Daivari made his return and showed his respect to Itami by helping him do more damage.
Analysis: There is not a single wrestler in the cruiserweight division now that does not have a tag team partner. Daivari may not be the most exciting performer to return to the division, but he and Itami should be the tipping point. As discussed last week, 205 Live is ready for that tag team gold.
Match of the Week
UK Champion Pete Dunne vs. Jordan Devlin, NXT UK November 28 (Rating: 9.25/10)
With each title defense, Pete Dunne goes bigger. This felt like the climax of the first series of NXT UK episodes with Jordan Devlin giving Dunne the toughest fight he's had since Zack Gibson. It was an awesome spot-heavy clash that really sparked from start to finish.
Devlin has a tendency to rely on unnecessary theatrics, but he's a sensational in-ring performer. He and The Bruiserweight just did not slow down here, and the crowd was electric by the mid-point of the title bout. You could tell they had been waiting for this one.
Hopefully, these two get more chances to go all out. The story here was fairly simplistic, and they already have great chemistry. There's more room for growth with Devlin being one of the freshest potential challengers to the UK title in the division.
Honorable Mention: Buddy Murphy and Tony vs. Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali, 205 Live November 28 (Rating: 8.75/10)
Unsurprisingly, when you put together the four men working at the highest level in the division right now in the same match, it will deliver. The pacing was a bit slower than would have been expected, but that was mostly because the talent got serious time to compete.
The heels pushed the faces with impressive teamwork while the babyfaces relied on their explosiveness to deliver. While there was nothing on the line, it still felt important as the faces managed to sell how much they needed this.
With each title defense, Pete Dunne goes bigger. This felt like the climax of the first series of NXT UK episodes with Jordan Devlin giving Dunne the toughest fight he's had since Zack Gibson. It was an awesome spot-heavy clash that really sparked from start to finish.
Devlin has a tendency to rely on unnecessary theatrics, but he's a sensational in-ring performer. He and The Bruiserweight just did not slow down here, and the crowd was electric by the mid-point of the title bout. You could tell they had been waiting for this one.
Hopefully, these two get more chances to go all out. The story here was fairly simplistic, and they already have great chemistry. There's more room for growth with Devlin being one of the freshest potential challengers to the UK title in the division.
Honorable Mention: Buddy Murphy and Tony vs. Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali, 205 Live November 28 (Rating: 8.75/10)
Unsurprisingly, when you put together the four men working at the highest level in the division right now in the same match, it will deliver. The pacing was a bit slower than would have been expected, but that was mostly because the talent got serious time to compete.
The heels pushed the faces with impressive teamwork while the babyfaces relied on their explosiveness to deliver. While there was nothing on the line, it still felt important as the faces managed to sell how much they needed this.