In case you missed my initial “Three Count” which debuted last week, here’s the basis: Every week, I’ll go over what I think are the highs and lows in the week of wrestling. This week is the Superstar Shakeup edition.
Good: Jeff Hardy snatching the belt
No one wanted Jinder to have the belt to begin with. Let me just get that out of the way. Yes, his heel persona makes you hate him, which is what you want, but he’s not and should not be a titleholder.
He can be a heel that gets some wins here and there, but he should not be consistently holding championships. It makes no one look good to have to fight him since he’s an awful performer.
Bad: Naomi coming out to defend Jimmy Uso
Now, this might just be me, but good God WWE is trying to make us believe the Bludgeon Brothers are the most powerful tag team in wrestling history. Not only did they feed us a five-minute title match, but they let Luke Harper and Jey Uso take part in a squash singles match.
Both of those guys are more than capable of putting on a watchable match, yet WWE doesn’t give it the time. The tag team division in SmackDown is going from peak to canyon really quickly.
The reason I don’t like this specifically is that The Usos have done their best at altering their personas from colorful rainbow warriors, in a sense, to FBI’s Most Wanted. This hindered the believability to me.
Good: The 10-man tag match
Raw put together one of the immaculate dream teams (but not the one The Miz was talking about) when they combined, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley with the debuting Bobby Roode.
The match did not disappoint either as Lashley and Strowman showed off not just their brute strength, but their athleticism as well. My only concern with Lashley, though, is that he may need a heel turn to really get the crowd into his return. It hasn’t been what I expected.
Bad: Raw gets zero top-level guys
Raw is supposedly the A-show for WWE. But, when the Superstar Shakeup ended, Raw was left with Jinder Mahal and Baron Corbin as two of their new toys. Dolph could potentially be an A-lister, but that’s if Vince actually gives the man any kind of a push. For now, Raw must rely on Roman Reigns to carry the load, unless they expect Brock to come back full-time (yeah, I laughed too).
Good: SD Live women’s division
The SD Live women’s division just surpassed Raw. Charlotte and Asuka along with Becky Lynch, Naomi and Carmella? It’s all too perfect. Plus the addition of Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose is beneficial since it adds a couple more heels, and reunited them with their former leader, Paige.
The women’s division for the blue squad has possessed the talent to put on good matches, but Charlotte was head over heels better than every other competitor so Asuka evens the playing field.
Bad: The passing of Bruno Sammartino
The longest-reigning heavyweight champion of the promotion’s history from 1963-71, Sammartino was the top performer for the company for many years. Sammartino passed away at the age of 82 on Wednesday morning.
Featured Image: 2016 Topps Now, Then, and Forever