WWE Smackdown spoilers & analysis - 23rd June 2015
Spoilers:
-Seth Rollins, with The Authority by his side, kicked off Smackdown with an in ring promo. Ryback interrupts and insults them. Kane v Ryback is announced for later.
-Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler. During the match Rusev came out but soon left when Lana rejected him again.
-There was another backstage interaction between Rusev and Summer Rae.
-Alicia Fox defeated Naomi
-The Prime Time players interrupted a backstage New Day interview and mocked them. Bo Dallas attempted to join New Day but couldn’t get their signature clap right.
-Ryback defeated Kane via DQ due to interference from The Big Show.
-Primetime Players & Lucha Dragons defeated New Day & Bo Dallas when Kalisto hit an impressive 450 splash onto Xavier Woods.
-Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose discussed Bray Wyatt in a backstage locker room segment. Reigns went searching for Wyatt before being kicked out of the building by Kane.
-Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose in a spectacular main event with the Pedigree.
Analysis:
Rusev now appears to have a new relationship forming with Summer Rae which should be interesting. It could turn out to be great for both performers or it could be a complete flop. Hopefully Rusev’s ankle injury isn’t too serious and he may be able to return to in-ring competition sometime soon. Zigglers pairing with Lana also seems to be a permanent move for the time being. Ziggler still isn’t being pushed and rumours have recently arisen that he may not renew his contract when it runs out this September. Hopefully WWE will wise up and start using him properly. Sheamus was able to pick up a good win over Ziggler as well which helps solidify him as a dangerous Mr Money In The Bank. Sheamus was definitely in an interesting/surprising choice for the MITB briefcase, and it will be quite intriguing to see when he cashes in and if he could actually possibly be unsuccessful. A Sheamus vs Lesnar feud could be entertaining but one would assume Lesnar is simply a class above.
The 8-man tag team match will no doubt be a highly entertaining bout. The tag team division has a lot of potential right now with a plethora of solid teams. Primetime Players haven’t exactly excelled as tag champs yet but put up a solid performance especially considering they teamed with the very talented Lucha Dragons. New Day however have been continuing to flourish as heels and hopefully WWE is high about their future.
The divas bout doesn’t look too impressive, especially since Naomi, who was beginning to flourish as a heel, has been dropped from any important storylines and now suffers a loss from the directionless Alicia Fox. Nikki Bella needs to lose the title as soon as possible because she has become very stale. Personally, I believe the only reason she even still has the title is because WWE wants her to pass AJ Lee’s record title reign which if true, is quite pathetic.
The mind games of Wyatt continued to have an effect on Reigns as he desperately searched for him. The personal elements of their feud have really helped it seem interesting thus far. Hopefully WWE will be able to capitalize on the momentum they are building for Battleground and propel both young stars.
The main event is sure to be amazing as Rollins/Ambrose always deliver masterpieces. Rollins continues to build momentum as he prepares for his biggest challenge yet, Brock Lesnar, who he shall face at Battleground. Unfortunately for Ambrose, he is beginning to find himself with no direction as he has no clear feud heading into Battleground and could even be left off the card. For the time being, WWE could do worse than insert Ambrose into a triple threat feud with the already brewing rivalry of Sheamus v Randy Orton. Could Ambrose even possibly win the briefcase from Sheamus? I'm sure that would make a lot of fans happy.
It’s also interesting to note that Jimmy Uso was apparently on commentary for the duration of Smackdown which should be enjoyable. Battleground is still weeks away but so far the event is shaping up to be fairly promising.