With WWE Super Show-Down 2018 concluded, it’s time to look back on what happened and assess the damage, praise the positives and talk about what went down.
Per usual, at the end of this post, you’ll see my regular Smack Talk Pay-Per-Viewpoint post-show podcast, which reviews the event in more detail, but for those who want a more condensed version of my thoughts, I present to you my “quicker than a hiccup” reaction to the different parts of the evening:
[SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match] The New Day (c) vs. The Bar: Good opening contest. It wasn’t anything to really take note of, but I didn’t expect it to be. I just anticipated a good match based on the competitors, and that’s what it was.
[SmackDown Women’s Championship Match] Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair: I really can’t look past the transparency of the disqualification ending being an obvious method to stall and have these two fight again at Evolution, but now that they’re doing this on SmackDown, too, does that really mean they’re going to beat this into the ground even more? Goddamn, that’s frustrating. The match was fine, but I can’t help but get sick of seeing the same thing 100x.
John Cena and Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens and Elias: Lame match that built up to Cena doing just a handful of moves and then pulling out his brand new finisher, which was a stupid punch. Elias and Kevin Owens didn’t even manage to get any considerable heat beforehand. This was underwhelming to say the least.
The IIconics vs. Asuka and Naomi: Well, it’s good The IIconics won. The match doesn’t mean anything, but that’s one major positive. I’ve already forgotten everything that happened in the match itself.
[WWE Championship No Disqualification Match] AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe: One of the best matches of the night. Very good storytelling with Joe’s knee and the submission moves. I’m disappointed that this means Joe is probably never going to win the title, ever, but at least the match was fun, so that lessens the sting.
Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad: Well Brie didn’t botch so badly so as to injure herself or anybody else. That’s a win, right? This was completely inconsequential. Rousey scoring the win was the right call.
[Cruiserweight Championship Match] Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Buddy Murphy: One of the other best matches of the night and I’m so glad Buddy Murphy took home the title. I’m a big fan of Cedric Alexander, but this had to be Murphy’s win. It just made way too much sense. This should garner more viewers for 205 Live as it showcases what you’re missing out on. I hope people follow through and keep tuning in on Wednesdays.
The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre: I hate being that guy, but man, this would have actually mattered if we didn’t see these six guys brawling for the past month or so. The match was fine, but I’m so burned out on this story that I wasn’t able to really get into it.
[#1 Contender’s Match] The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan: What the hell was that finish?? They were just getting started. That felt underwhelming. Looking forward to the match at Crown Jewel ending in a disqualification / no-contest…
The Undertaker vs. Triple H: This was better than I had anticipated, and I attribute most of that to the impromptu No DQ gimmick allowing much more flexibility. I’m very glad to admit that I was wrong about not giving them more credit, and I’m actually excited for a tag team match between The Brothers of Destruction and DX at Crown Jewel now after this.
For more opinions on the show as a whole, check out the latest edition of the Smark Out Moment wrestling podcast SMACK TALK as the panel reviews Super Show-Down with our immediate reactions following the event before the dust has fully settled.
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