Best and Worst of SmackDown Live: May 9, 2017
WWE Superstars and crew left the friendly confines of the Lower 48 and headed out across the pond for this week's edition of Smackdown Live that emanated from the world famous O2 Arena in London.
The fans were extremely vocal and were on their feet from the opening segment, all the way until the very end when Jinder Mahal pinned Randy Orton to help his team win the big 6-man tag main event match. As the weeks progress closer to WWE Backlash, Mahal’s credibility as a threat to Orton’s WWE Championship at Backlash has been increasing.
This week's episode of SmackDown Live was blatantly geared towards the build to Backlash. WWE creative officials are clearly drawing lines in the sand and making a strong attempt to let fans know exactly where things stand, as we head into the pay-per-view in less than two weeks.
Just as we normally do each week, we will now give you the best and the worst from this week's episode of Smackdown Live!
#1 Best: Opening Segment- battle lines were drawn
This week's SmackDown Live kicked off with the entrance of the WWE Champion, “The Viper” Randy Orton. Soon after Orton arrived, his current nemesis made his way out, Jinder Mahal.
One important thing worth noting is just how strong Mahal’s heel work has been lately. His promo skills have proven that he has improved his overall body of work and he is certainly worthy of that main event status that he is currently enjoying.
Not too long after Mahal and Orton had begun their exchange of words, Kevin Owens made his way out, followed by everyone else involved in top Smackdown feuds at the moment. Before the segment was over, we had Orton, Mahal, Owens, Styles, Corbin and Zayn all out, letting the world know where they stood and who they were against.
This was a wise move with Backlash so close, mainly because a lot of casual fans were not aware of exactly where things were, heading into the event. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, it was announced that we would see a 6-man tag main event to close the show, which the fans seemed pleased with.