Wrestling’s 4Rs: The Right, Wrong and Ridiculous of WWE Smackdown & TNA Impact

How the 4Rs of wRestling Work!
Here is a quick explanation of the 4R’s. The column will run TWO times a week. We will group our feelings on the shows in various categories: The Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right is stuff that worked very well: a great promo, a great match and so on. PuRgatoRy is a section between the right and wrong. It shows equal traits from both sides that cannot be ignored and needs discussed. It is not a bad place per say, as things can get remedied or go the wrong way the very next week. The wRong is what it sounds like: bad matches, bad or boring promos and so on. The Ridiculous is stuff that had no right on TV: Stupid angles and so on. And there is always a possibility of a 5th R, which is as bad as they come. This column is supposed to be analytical, and at the right time very critical of the shows, it was the whole reason it was created. This is not a “mark” column, nor a “smark” column, our goal is to analyze the show from many different fronts, reward the good and call out the bad. We will not apologize for our opinions, they are as they are, whether positive or negative.

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By Pyro Mitchell
Impact 6.17.15
– Eddie Edwards defeated Bobby Roode @ 8:25 via pin
– Bram defeated Joseph Park @ 3:55 via pin
– Awesome Kong and Brooke defeated Dollhouse @ 6:45 via pin
– Jessie defeated DJ Z @ 1:44 via pin
– Ethan Carter III defeated Lashley @ 8:43 via pin

THE Right:
EC3/Angle Contract Signing: Usually the contract signings in wrestling are not very entertaining. This one, however, was actually really good. EC3 would speak first, and he said that he’s been preparing for this moment ever since he stepped foot in the company. He went on to say that standing in front of him was the greatest wrestler that ever lived, and even mentioned a few past foes of Angle’s (saying he’s beaten Dead Men, Guys You Can’t Even See, Phenomenal Ones, and Charismatic Enigmas). But he says they all have one thing in common that separates them from him, they lost. He says he can’t be beaten, and even goes on to declare himself Kurt’s reckoning, end of days, Beelzebub, and the end point of his title reign. He closes by saying that the title Angle has on his arm is more than just a championship, it’s a torch that will be passed to him. He signs the contract and then Angle would get the chance to speak. He says that he’s done this many times, and that the big fights were made for Kurt Angle. He does say that EC3 is talented, spoiled but talented. But he says that just because EC3 is undefeated, that doesn’t mean he’s ready to be champion. He says that all the people Carter defeated, even Angle himself, was then. He says this is now, he’s healthy, and he believes in his heart that he is still the greatest wrestler alive today. He warns Ethan that once he loses, what will happen? He says Carter will have to look at himself in the mirror, and the loss will haunt him for the rest of his life. He says good luck and then signs the contract. But that wouldn’t be all, as Mike Tenay would reveal that, by signing the contract, they had also both agreed to tune up matches in which each got to pick the other’s opponent. Angle gets to pick this week and Carter next week. Angle would pick Lashley, and we have our main event set for the night. Really good opening to the show here, with both guys showing brilliant mic skills. I loved EC3 talking about all the past wrestlers Angle had toppled, from both WWE and TNA. And I also loved Kurt Angle talking about how he’s made for the big matches, and about how he still believes he’s the very best. I’m glad to see this singing didn’t break down, like all other contract singings, and turn into a brawl. This was a great way of generating excitement for the upcoming match, and shows that it doesn’t always have to be constant fighting and brawling. I also really like how important they’re making the world title feel, with EC3 even referring to it as a torch to be passed and, at this point, the TNA world title feels more prestigious WWE’s. Cool way to kick off the show!

Eddie Edwards vs. Bobby Roode: This was an impromptu match. The Wolves came out to the ring and spoke about their desire to be the best. They talked about the different places they wrestled and about the teams they’ve beat (BroMans, Hardyz, Team 3D). But as big as those victories were, there’s still one big question mark and that’s The Dirty Heels. They said that, when they signed up for this best of 5 series, they were looking to find out who was the very best tag team in wrestling. They were not too happy that The Heels had stolen a victory with a steel chair, but ensured that it would not happen again. They call The Heels out to have match 4, but Bobby Roode would emerge from the back alone. He says that Aries was recovering at home, after the match that he had with Angle last week. But that wouldn’t deter The Wolves, as Eddie would challenge Roode to a singles match. Roode would agree but under one condition, the winner of the match would get to pick the stipulation of match 4 in the tag title series. The Wolves agree to that, and the match is on. Roode controlled much of the action throughout, with Edwards having a few brief moments of offense. The finishing stretch saw Edwards land his best moves of the match, before Roode would motion for someone in the back to come out. This person would be none other than Austin Aries, and he had a steel chair in tow. He slides the chair in to Roode, but Edwards saw it coming. Eddie would duck the initial chair shot and, while Roode was setting up a 2nd attempt, Davey would steal the chair away. This distraction was enough for Edwards to roll up for Roode and pull off the upset win. After the match The Wolves would announce the stipulation they chose for match 4 – Full Metal Mayhem. This was a good match that was lengthy and had nice wrestling throughout, and Full Metal Mayhem next week should be awesome.

Marti Belle & Jade vs. Brooke & Awesome Kong: This was a very important match in the Knockouts Division, as revealed by Taryn Terrell earlier on. Terrell said that if Brooke and Kong emerge victorious they would both receive a title shot. But, should they lose, they will not get a shot as long as Taryn is champ. The Dollhouse got the jump on Brooke early, before Kong’s music even hit. But it wouldn’t take The Awesome One long to make it down to the ring, and then the match would officially get under way. The Dolls controlled the match for the most part, keeping Brooke isolated from her partner for a large chunk of time. When the hot tag finally happened, Kong came in like a bull in a china shop, knocking over everything in her general vicinity. The finish came when Kong hit a big Chokeslam on Marti that led to a double team move from Brooke and Kong, that saw Brooke get Kong’s shoulders and deliver a big splash on Marti for the pin. Nice tag match here, and a huge win for Brooke (and Kong). This sets up 2 future title matches (or the less appealing triple threat title match), and Brooke getting to be involved is awesome. The one thing they should address is Brooke always getting her ass kicked, and then pulling off the lucky win (last time it was a roll up and this time it was Kong). But, other than that, good stuff all around.

DJZ vs. Jessie Godderz: This was a quick match that Jessie Godderz would win. DJZ got a quick start to the match, with quick high-risk moves, before a huge Powerbomb would turn the tide. Godderz completely dominated the match before Mr. Pec-Taculer would make DJZ tap out, by way of a Full Boston Crab. After the match Godderz would talk about how, while Robbie E and DJZ were away from the company after the BroMans split, he was training and waiting for this moment. He says that he carried the BroMans, even stating that it was him getting the pin both times that they won the tag titles. He says he felt like a loser before, but that wasn’t going to be the case anymore. He hoists DJZ up over his head before Robbie would make the save. The two brawl and Robbie E gets the better of it. He stands tall in the ring, while Godderz slithers away. The match was too quick to be criticized, but the development of Godderz is very interesting. His transformation into a roid-rage monster has been great to watch, and his mic work has improved tremendously, but again hopefully they don’t drop the ball. If Robbie E comes out the winner of this feud it will severely hurt Godderz, and all this work will have been for nothing.

EC3 vs. Lashley: This was good match, with good wrestling, and a very good finish. Lashley would start strong, landing lots of power moves, before EC3 would get momentum back. A slight distraction from Tyrus was enough for the 1 Percenter to get control, and he held on to it for a good amount of time. Tyrus would eventually try to give a chair to EC3, but would be stopped by the referee. This would begin the worst part of the match. Tyrus tried to get that chair involved multiple times, with the referee saying nothing. And Pope’s statement about Hebner being a senior, thus hindering Hebner’s judgment, was in terrible taste. Lashley actually did run into the chair, right in front of Earl, and there was still no DQ or even a warning. Lashley managed to kick out of a DDT, following the chair shot, and that’s where the fantastic finishing stretch begins. Hebner ends up getting taken out, so Tyrus injects himself into the match. He attacks Lashley and drapes Carter’s arm over him before leaving the ring. Brian Hebner would run down, but Lashley would kick out. Tyrus gets back in the ring, knocks out the younger Hebner, and attacks Lashley again. He drapes Carter’s arm over The Destroyer once more, and Brian Stiffler would run down, but Lashley would kick out again! Tyrus then takes out Stiffler as well, before being hit with a huge Spear by Lashley. But, before Lashley could even find his balance, EC3 would crack him in the back with a chair. This leads to the 1 Percenter and a victory for The Entitled One. Good match here, with the right guy getting the win. And even though Lashley takes a loss here, it doesn’t really hurt him too much thanks to the way the match ended

puRgatoRy:
Chris Melendez/Eric Young Segment: Chris Melendez came down to the ring to express his frustration with EY. He spoke about EY ripping his leg off during The Hardcore War, and about how those actions disrespected everything that Melendez stands for. He goes on to say that, despite being on one leg, he wants to fight and actually calls out EY. Young comes out and says that Melendez is a living breathing American Hero, but he 100% doesn’t care. Young says that he only cares about himself before declaring himself the 5 star general, the one calling the shots, and even a god. He speaks of how he is a world-class wrestler, while Melendez is at the very bottom, before talking about ripping Melendez’s leg off. He asks if Melendez really wants to be in the ring, alone, with a world-class maniac. Melendez answers by saying that he agrees with EY that he’s at the bottom, but he definitely wants to fight and it’ll happen next week. This was an alright exchange between the two, but Melendez did seem to stumble a bit over his words. That may be due to him not really cutting any promos before though, so we’ll have to see if he gets better as this feud rages on.

Magnus/James Storm Segment: Magnus came out as PO’d as ever, and demanded that Storm come out to the ring. At one point he even looked towards the main camera and spoke directly to TNA management, saying that he wouldn’t leave the ring until Storm came down. That would prompt security to come down, right before Storm would show his face. Storm says that, despite Magnus trying to tell everyone that he was the bad guy, Magnus came out looking like the bad one. He said Magnus was jealous of him, that’s why he hit Storm with a guitar and hired a camera crew to follow Mickie around. Storm then asked Magnus what he thought Mickie was doing when the cameras were off, which led to Magnus leaving the ring. He attempts to rush Storm, but the security team is there to hold him off. Storm then goes into the back and comes out with a stroller, supposedly holding Magnus’ son. Magnus breaks free and manages to land a few right hands on Storm, before security could restrain him again. Magnus would break free again, however, and stalk Storm up the ramp. But, before Magnus could do anything, Storm would kick the stroller off the stage and run. Magnus ran to tend to his son, but the only thing in the stroller was a fake baby doll. This segment was ok, much better than the Storm/Mickie interactions, but was just not very entertaining. It had all the right ingredients, but they just weren’t put together correctly.

THE wRong:
Bram vs. Joseph Park: This was, in my opinion, not very good. I like the idea of Bram challenging all the past TNA stars, I think it could do wonders for his career (much like Randy Orton and his Legend Killer persona). But the best past star they could think up was Joseph Park?? And what made it worse was that they completely forgot that EY already exposed Park as Abyss. Not even the announcers acknowledged that, with them talking about what Park’s been up to since being gone from TNA. The match was just OK, but Park got in way too much offense. He never got in that kind of offense before, and it made Bram look weak. Plus the match was never announced as no DQ, but that’s exactly what it was. Apparently all the challenges that Bram issues are no DQ, even the one last week. That should probably be announced in the introductions for the match, that way we don’t have to figure it out by listening to the incompetent commentating team. Bram would eventually get the win, after a spear through a table, but this match should never have taken place.

THE Ridiculous:
NOTHING

The 411:
This was another very good episode of Impact. EC3 and Angle kicking the night off was great, and their upcoming match is going to be ridiculous. Eddie Edwards and Bobby Roode had a nice little match to set up match 4 in the best of 5 series. And now that it’s going to be Full Metal Mayhem, it’s just going to be that much better. Bram continued his quest to conquer all the past TNA stars, but his opponent was not the right choice. Even still it ended up being an OK match, and hopefully they get someone better next week. Chris Melendez and EY had a nice exchange of words in the ring, and their match is one that I’m actually really looking forward to. Jessie Godderz got to show more of his Roid- Tacular side, and him beating Robbie E seems like an inevitability at this point. If he were to lose this feud, I don’t see him bouncing back very well at all, and that would be a waste. Magnus and Storm continued to be a thorn in each others side, with Storm perhaps going a bit too far when pretending to kick Magnus’ infant son off the stage. The closing match between EC3 and Lashley was very good and, despite the referee shenanigans, ended being fight of the night. Totally intrigued to see who EC3 picks as Angle’s opponent next week! Overall this was a very solid edition of Impact.

Show Rating: 7.8

As a reminder, I will be going by the 411 scale…

0 – 0.9: Torture
1 – 1.9: Extremely Horrendous
2 – 2.9: Very Bad
3 – 3.9: Bad
4 – 4.9: Poor
5 – 5.9: Not So Good
6 – 6.9: Average
7 – 7.9: Good
8 – 8.9:Very Good
9 – 9.9: Amazing
10: Virtually Perfect

Pyro Mitchell
Smackdown 6.18.15
– Sheamus and Kane defeated Dean Ambrose @ 1:30 via DQ
– Brie Bella defeated Paige @ 5:25 via pin
– Dolph Ziggler defeated Bo Dallas @ 1:10 via pin
– Neville defeated Xavier Woods @ 2:55 via pin
– Non-Title Match: Champion Kevin Owens defeated Cesaro @ 9:05 via pin
– Sheamus and Kane defeated Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose @ 9:20 via

THE Right:
Dean Ambrose vs. Kane & Sheamus: Sheamus came out to kick off the show this week, and he spoke about winning the Money in the Bank. He asked the fans how stupid he looked now, before saying that he would become WWE Champion again. He says that Seth Rollins, The Authority, and even Brock Lesnar are all factors that he will use to get back to the top of the WWE. He then goes on to say that there is no one that can stand in his way of doing so, prompting Dean Ambrose to make an appearance. Ambrose reminds Sheamus of two things – that he pinned Sheamus this past Monday on RAW, and that Sheamus wouldn’t even be Mr. MITB if it weren’t for Bray Wyatt. Ambrose then says that perhaps he should go and beat Sheamus again tonight, and then bring the briefcase back to its rightful owner Roman Reigns. Sheamus would invite Ambrose into the ring, an invitation that The Unstable One was going to accept, before Kane would come down. Kane would make a 2 on 1 handicap match, pitting himself and Sheamus against Ambrose, that would take place right now. Ambrose actually started off in control, dividing and conquering Sheamus and Kane, before the numbers game caught up to him. But as soon as it did, Roman Reigns’ music would hit. Reigns and Ambrose would clear the ring and stand tall, as Kane and Sheamus staggered to the back. This was a fun way to open the show, and overall pretty enjoyable.

Seth Rollins Promo: Seth Rollins came to the ring to talk about the next challenger for his title, The Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar. He says that at first he was shocked that The Authority had picked Lesnar, but soon enough that shock had turned into understanding. He understands that it has to be this way because, well, who else is left? He says he has defeated every single person that they have put in front of him, and that beating Lesnar will cement his legacy. He said the reason that Lesnar did nothing on RAW, when they were in the ring together, was because Lesnar was scared. He said Lesnar remembers WrestleMania, and remembers how dangerous he can be. He says that, come Battleground, he will shine brighter than he ever has and that he simply can’t wait to fight Lesnar. This was a really good promo from the silver tongued Rollins, and it shined even more light on an already very bright match. Good job!

Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro: This match was made official earlier on in the night, when Cesaro interrupted Owens’ backstage interview. It was there that he would state his intentions of answering Owens’ open challenge later on in the night. The match got to a quick start, with both guys getting off big moves. But Cesaro taking a header into the ring post would turn the tide in Owens’ favor. He kept control for a while, before a huge powerslam style move rocked Owens. The King of Swing held on to the momentum for a minute, with a couple big uppercuts, before Owens found his way back into the match. A big German Suplex led to a Cannonball from Owens that hurt Cesaro, but didn’t put him away. The men would trade moves for a short while before, after being low blowed by the top rope, Cesaro ran into the Popup Powerbomb for an Owens victory. Really good match here in which both guys got plenty of time to shine. Owens pulls off another victory after another great match, and he definitely looks like he could be the next US champ.

Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus & Kane: This match was made because of what happened earlier in the night, when Reigns interrupted the 2 on 1 handicap match. Sheamus and Ambrose started this one, and Sheamus took control early. But, soon enough, The Lunatic Fringe would take back the match before him and Reigns cleared the ring entirely. This would not last, however, as Ambrose was scoop slammed onto the announce table by Sheamus. Kane and Sheamus would do a great job of keeping control after that, by cutting Ambrose off from his partner. He would eventually get the hot tag though, and Roman Reigns would come in absolutely on fire. That fire would be doused by Bray Wyatt, via a video on the titantron, and that would lead to him being on the receiving end of a big Brogue Kick. After the match, on the titantron, Wyatt says Happy Father’s Day to Roman before telling him to run. The lights go out and, when they come back on, Reigns is left in the ring with a picture of himself and his daughter. This was a good tag team match, with a dynamite finish, that also continued the feud between Reigns and Wyatt. Not really sure how Kane fits into everything, but this was still good.

puRgatoRy:
Xavier Woods vs. Neville: This was another short match that really meant nothing. Woods and Neville traded control a couple times, before the other members of The New Day attempted to get involved. The Primetime Players, however, were not about to let that happen as they rushed down to even the odds. The match went for a bit longer before Neville could pick the win, by executing The Red Arrow. The match itself was alright, but it didn’t really mean anything nor did it really help anybody. But there was good wrestling involved, so I can’t put in the wrong.

THE wRong:
Paige vs. Brie Bella: This was another good Smackdown match with an under whelming finish. Brie Got control early and actually maintained it for much of the match. Paige did manage to get in small amounts of offense from time to time, but the match was Bella’s from the beginning. The ending came when Paige attempted to go high risk, but was pushed off the top rope by Alicia Fox. That would lead to a Face Buster from Brie that would get her the victory. So apparently Fox is still angry with Paige for no reason, and now she’s joined The Bella’s. This made no sense, not even the commentators could make sense of it. And Paige continuing to lose again and again just makes her look like less and less of a threat to The Bella’s.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Bo Dallas: This was a very short match that did nothing to help either competitor in any way. Before the match, Bo Dallas would talk to Lana about her decision to leave Rusev for Ziggler. He says that, if he had come across Ziggler’s profile, he would’ve swiped left and continued to look. Then he says that the right guy is out there, all she has to do is Bolieve! Dallas would control literally all of the short match that ensued, before being done in by a Zig Zag. Ziggler looked weak throughout the whole match, and Dallas looks weak because he was beaten by (again literally) one move. But the mic time that Dallas got before the match was good, so at least it has that.

THE Ridiculous:
NOTHING

The 411:
This was actually a pretty darn good edition Smackdown. Sheamus and Ambrose kicking off the night was decent, and it led into a decent rest of the show. Paige and Brie Bella of course was the big letdown of the night, with Alicia Fox inserting herself into this feud for no reason. There were a couple nothing matches, like Dallas/Ziggler and Woods/Neville, that were there just because. But that was ok because they were actually somewhat fun to watch. Rollins coming out and talking about Lesnar was fantastic, and it was nice to see him finish speaking without getting interrupted. Kevin Owens and Cesaro put on the fight of the night, and just tore the building down. Why couldn’t they have given Owens a match like that for his first time on Smackdown? The end match between Reigns & Ambrose and Kane & Sheamus was a very good one, with both teams given time to shine. And Wyatt showing up on the titantron at the end was awesome, and the Reigns/Wyatt feud has the potential to be something very special. Good episode of Smackdown this week, and I’m surprised to see two good editions in a row. Perhaps not having to try and cram a bunch of shit into one episode, because of a looming PPV, was better for them. Still a couple of lows, but overall pretty good.

Show Rating: 7.5

As a reminder, I will be going by the 411 scale…

0 – 0.9: Torture
1 – 1.9: Extremely Horrendous
2 – 2.9: Very Bad
3 – 3.9: Bad
4 – 4.9: Poor
5 – 5.9: Not So Good
6 – 6.9: Average
7 – 7.9: Good
8 – 8.9:Very Good
9 – 9.9: Amazing
10: Virtually Perfect

Tony Acero
BONUS SMACKDOWN 6.18.15
Kane and Sheamus Defeated Dean Ambrose via DQ [NR]
Brie Bella Defeated Paige [*]
Dolph Ziggler Defeated Bo Dallas [1/2*]
Adrian Neville Defeated Xavier Woods [*1/2]
Kevin Owen Defeated Cesaro [***]
Kane and Sheamus Defeated Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns [**1/2]

THE RIGHT:
TONY TIME: This column that you are reading is the 1,000th of its kind. Let that settle in for just a minute…1,000! That’s a freakin lot, and when I saw that the milestone was coming, I asked Larry if I could do them simply to say thank you to everyone reading! We writers here at 411 are constantly under scrutiny, and whether you’re Wes Kirk or Len Archibald, there will always be those that hate and those that love. After five years, I’ve officially become a veteran of the site, and can now talk about those young whippersnappers trying to live up to the glory days. While we may miss the Archibalds, Dunns, Prags, and Slimmers of the world, I do want to also say that there is something to be had here, guys. Something for everyone, and honestly, from the bottom of my AJ-filled heart, thank you for reading. Whether you joined us on the first Rs, or this is your first read, we appreciate you. Keep reading us, and we’ll keep writing for you. Our words are yours…except Watry…don’t know what’s wrong with that guy.

THE DEAN AND REIGNS SHOW: This week’s edition of Smackdown revolved around two former Shield members, Ambrose and Reigns, and although there were a few missteps, it was relatively entertaining as a whole. They’re a modern day Riggs and Murtaugh! The open lead to the tag match at the end of the show which was a serviceable match that did a bit more to cement Sheamus in the main event, and thankfully gave him a win. We’ve seen the damage that briefcase can do to wrestlers, and I feared they’d go that route with Sheamus, but so far, so good. Back to Dean and Reigns, who have a nice chemistry that seems relatively organic and real. If anything will help Reigns as a character, and to create more likeability, it’ll be putting him with Dean as an equal, not as a savior, and they’re doing that really well. Good on them.

OWENS IS GOD: And Cesaro is a demigod. First, the interview. Kevin Owens is the freshest breath of air ever, as he continues to be very unique on the microphone. He doesn’t break down fourth walls, he doesn’t do impressions, he doesn’t speak methodically or anything like that. If anything, he is bringing a semblance of realism to the WWE with his promos. His snark is not unnoticed! And when he told Renee to say that he beat Cena? Beautiful! The man is great, far greater than I think we have fully seen, and I can’t wait to continue to watch him impress. This cannot continue without giving Cesaro credit, either! While I don’t think this is a start of a push for Cesaro, I would also question why the hell not after this. That brass ring Vince was talking about? I think Cesaro is grabbing the hell out of it. His little touch during the interview only accentuated the match itself, as Cesaro put it all out there for us to enjoy and for Owens to take ie. He LAUNCHED himself to Owens more than once, and that Springboard Uppercut was a thing of beauty! Match of the night, for sure.

NEVILLE IS SHORT: Honestly, if Neville came out, gave a Red Arrow to a box of Cheerois, and left, I’d probably put it in the right. The dude is just so crisp! So we’re getting some tag team action spilling into this match as The Primetime Players come out to help even the odds that were against Neville. I don’t know if taking the belts off of New Day was the right choice, but at least they’re not being pushed aside as easily. There’s a program here, and they’re seemingly going for it, so I’ll take what i’m getting.

A JUSTIFIED HEEL: There is truly nothing better than a Heel that believes in everything he says (read: Owens). Seth Rollins continues to show why he deserves the spot he’s put in with an interview that didn’t break any new ground but did stress the importance of Seth’s reign. What’s better is that the promo was somewhat truthful, as he brought up Brock’s former actions and how little his return to the top made sense. There was also a sense of urgency. Sure, it was no Stone Cold “I need to beat ya,” but it was along the same lines, as he essentially said “I have to beat Brock.” This is no longer a chicken shit heel, this is a man hell-bent on proving to NO ONE but himself that he’s worthy.

PURGATORY:
#GIVEDIVASACHANCE: So, Alicia Fox is heel again, guys, and it may make sense that she has aligned with the only other females that turn more than she does. If I were to ask you to raise your hand if you cared about this feud, I would assume that they’re still scrolling along your phone, or checking your pocket for feet pictures (I’m lookin at you, AG Awesome). Point is, you don’t care. I don’t care. And the only reason why this is considered puRgatory is probably also the only reason why you would consider this worth watching – the possibility of an NXT call up or two. IF The Bellas are building a mini squad of nobodies, then it’s possible that Paige won’t be bringing just one lady from NXT, but a few more, and THAT is worth it, I think.

BO-LIEVE DAT: Oh, Bo…haha. The match was average, and served only one purpose – which had nothing to do with Bo Dallas. I’m glad that Rusev hasn’t disappeared, and I’m anxious to see the match between him and Dolph. I still don’t think they know what they’re doing with the story, though. And it’s really unfortunate that Lana has become an afterthought – a pawn, almost, in a story between Dolph and Rusev. I know the injury derailed their story, but there were so many other directions they could have gone. This one just seems a bit too stalling for my liking.

THE WRONG:
NOTHING

THE RIDICULOUS:
79 Days. 11 weeks and 2 days. 1,896 hours. 113,760 minutes…: This is how long it’s been since AJ Lee has retired, and I still have trouble sleeping. I am at odds with myself, as there is simply not enough AJ content on the Network. These are dark times, my friends…

The 411:
Smackdown was good wrestling-wise, and even good story-wise, but it felt relatively average. They’re still a long ways away from making Smackdown a must-see show. It’s still very much an extension of RAW, and while every show should be that, there should be an identity as well, one that differentiates it enough to make the fans feel like they HAVE to watch the whole show, nut just a clip or a Kevin Owens match.

Show Rating: 6.5

As a reminder, I will be going by the 411 scale…

0 – 0.9: Torture
1 – 1.9: Extremely Horrendous
2 – 2.9: Very Bad
3 – 3.9: Bad
4 – 4.9: Poor
5 – 5.9: Not So Good
6 – 6.9: Average
7 – 7.9: Good
8 – 8.9:Very Good
9 – 9.9: Amazing
10: Virtually Perfect

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A message from Larry Csonka on the 1000th edition…

Back in August of 2004 I took over the reigns as editor of the 411 Wrestling zone. I was given freedom to hire who I needed to, to write what I wanted and one of the first things I did was bring the “3Rs of Wrestling” to 411. It was a column I had started before I started at 411, and something I felt would be a success. And thanks to you the readers, it was. For almost 11 years the Rs have come to you at least one a week, most times two and there were even PPV editions back in the day. A column like this doesn’t stick around on 411 unless you guys read it each and every week, and you keep doing that, so I want to thank you for making this column a success. Also a special thanks to Trent and Lino, they were the men who first gave me the freedom at TWTF to write what ever and when ever I wanted. This column originated there and wouldn’t be here without them.

I also need to thank guys like Nick Marsico, Geoff Eubanks, Steve Cook, Tony Acero, Jeremy Thomas, Chad Nevett, Shawn Lealos, Daniel Clark, Steve Cook, Jericho Ricardi, Greg DeMarco, Jack Stevenson, Jack McGee, Michael Ornelas, Irfan Alam and Pyro Mitchell who have been contributors to the column over the years. I may have brought the column to the site, but the contributions of these men kept the column going and always allowed for a fresh perspective on the shows.

Over the years there have been many pretenders to the throne, but each and every week since August of 2004 the Rs have been an institution here at 411Mania and I am very proud of that fact. So again to you the readers and each and every person that participated in the column over the years I just want to say thank you.