Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
The build up to No Mercy wasn’t exactly an easy one for WWE’s blue brand. The circus that is the American presidential debate saw them move the main event into the opening slot on the card while Becky Lynch’s injury meant a late change to the Woman’s Title match. For a show which is already quite thin on the ground, SmackDown was suddenly even shorter.
After Raw’s rather successful reboot on Monday night, SmackDown followed suit with their first proper live show on a Tuesday. While I obviously want Raw to be great, I really want SmackDown to succeed. My wrestling education was birthed in the technical excellence of Paul Heyman’s SmackDown, and it has genuinely pained me to see the Blue Brand fall away over the years.
WWE are doing a good job of keeping interest in the generally barren months after WrestleMania. The self-proclaimed ‘New Era’ may be a little bit less fresh than it first appeared but it is still change. However, none of that matters if when the big shows come about they fall flat, so let’s see whether Extreme Rules kept up the game.
WWE’s build up to Payback has been surprisingly enjoyable and on paper, this show had the potential to be one of the best WWE shows of the year. So did it deliver on the night?
It says a lot about WWE’s build up to WrestleMania that the normally pointless Payback already feels like a much better show. With the introduction of Shane McMahon and a load of new talent, suddenly WWE seem to be on a bit of a role, and it’s hard to see this show failing. Not only do we have established like Cesaro back in the fold but exciting new feuds featuring Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin. WWE might just be headed in the right direction.
Ramblings About Wrestling 