SMACKDOWN 23/08/2016 - All New Everything

Finally! Last week I mentioned how over the last few weeks Smackdown has very slowly, but surely been getting better each week, well it looks like Smackdown has finally hit the nail on the head as this has to be considered the best Smackdown since the drafts in July. Not only was there a brand new set (a type of set I originally envisioned the show having) but the stories were good and the wrestling was just all there. So let me go and layeth the most glorious Smackdown on this week's review.


New Championships
Before the show aired, Daniel Bryan announced via Twitter that they would be revealing the brand new tag team and women's championships. I didn't quite know what to originally expect and actually feared that the belts would look like their respective counterparts - which they actually did, but I'm not mad about. While these new championships' designs are the same, the colours are different (Tag Team is now silver and Women's is blue) and they actually look tons better than their counterparts - I almost feel like the RAW titles are the titles that need a new look. Anyway, the show kicked off revealing the new championships and the ring was filled with the entire Smackdown tag team division as well as the entire Smackdown women's division. After the reveal, it was announced that all six women would be competing at Backlash in the first ever women's six pack challenge, and the winner would become the first ever Smackdown Women's Champion. As for the tag team division: They would be competing in a tournament that will culminate at Backlash. At this point Heath Slater would come out and say he's had his contract taken away from him the last two weeks and deserves to be on the roster fighting for a title. This would lead to Daniel saying if Heath can find a partner by the end of the night he can join the tournament. Shane would then expand on this and say he would be able to join the tournament but to be on the roster full time, he has to win until the end. Heath would agree and would go backstage. AJ Styles would then come out and start to complain about the backstage altercation with Dolph Ziggler, but would shortly be attacked again by Ziggler which was very quickly broken up. This was all done really well and it was a good start to the show.
Rating: 8.5

Becky Lynch VS Alexa Bliss
I can't really say much about this match as it wasn't very long and not much really happened. What I can say, though, is that I really enjoyed seeing these two in the ring together. I mentioned this in the RAW review, but I feel it is necessary to mention it again: the Smackdown women are being treated absolutely superbly! I don't really feel like any specific one of them are being shown as a top star as they are all being shown as top stars and we are always getting different matches. I can't wait to see the six pack challenge at Backlash.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: 7.5

The USOs VS the Ascension 
I had some pretty good feels going into this match and I was really expecting some really cool stuff to be shown. This match in itself was actually pretty good - I enjoyed watching it - and I think the only really big complaint I have about it is the fact that the USOs won. You have the USOs who really haven't done all that much in the years they've been in the company and who have gotten really stale the last little while. Then you have the Ascension, a top team that was brought up from NXT early last year, who have been massively under-utilised since their debut. They were the longest reigning tag team champions in NXT and were a force to be reckoned with, and as soon as they made their main roster debut they were treated as jokes and have ultimately been glorified jobbers. This was the opportunity for WWE to reinvent them, allow them to bring back the great tag team known as the Ascension, but then they decided to drop the ball. Instead of allowing the Ascension to win and making us, the customers, the viewers, happy, they decide to bullshit us and let the USOs win. I'm a very unhappy man because of this.
Winner: the USOs
Rating: 8

Phenomenal Promo

AJ Styles would come to the ring for the second time on the show and he would deliver a really great promo about how he beat John Cena and how he's now the guy to beat and no one can beat him. He would say Dolph Ziggler is a loser and couldn't lace up his (Styles) boots. Dolph would come out which would almost result in the two brawling. Daniel Bryan would come out before anything could happen and mention that Styles is correct in saying he is number one contender for Dean Ambrose's WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and also mentioned that Dolph came that close to winning the title at Summerslam. Daniel would then propose that the two face off in the main event and if Ziggler wins, he gets added to the championship match at Backlash and it will be a triple threat match.
Rating: 8

The Double Turn

This was originally meant to be a match between Nikki Bella and Carmella, but Rene Young thought that an interview in the ring before the match itself would be a good idea. Nikki was busy answering about how great it feels to be back and have the support of the WWE Universe, when the unthinkable happened: Carmella attack Nikki from behind and gave her a bonafide beat down. This was truly awesome to see as I highly doubt anyone in the arena or watching at home was expecting that to happen - and if you say you were, then you're probably a liar. It was really awesome to see and I look forward to seeing if something develops past Backlash.
Rating: 8.5

Orton-Wyatt Confrontation
I know that Brock Lesnar is called the beast and all, but I actually feel like Randy is more beast than Lesnar is just by the fact that Randy is still on Smackdown TWO DAYS after having his head sliced open! Even though this was just a promo, I give huge props to Randy for still showing up and doing something. Randy would do a short promo (about what, I will admit I can't remember) but this was then followed by Bray coming out and doing his own little promo. It looked as if the two were about to go into battle with each other when the lights went out and he was gone when they turned back on. I'm very interested and intrigued to see how this rivalry will develop, although I have my doubts that any match between them will occur at Backlash unless Randy gets his head fixed up by then.
Rating: 8.5

Breezango VS American Alpha
This would be the second match in the qualifying round to occur. I just want to mention that before the match, it showed Rhyno approaching Heath Slater and saying he will be his partner, which means we are going to see these two as a part of the tournament which means the tag team match at Backlash will be a fatal four way tag team match - I wonder which team will go against Slater and Rhyno next week though. Anyway, onto this match. We all know American Alpha are extremely talented and can put on great matches. Tyler Breeze, who has to be the most under-utilised superstar called up from NXT, proved why he should not only be a singles competitor, but deserves to be in high-profile matches - damn Breeze is great!
Winner: American Alpha
Rating: 8

AJ Styles VS Dolph Ziggler (Dean Ambrose on Commentary)
Wow! That is all I can say about this match because it was really just an awesome one! These two really gave each other their all. I will admit that I was hoping Dolph Ziggler would win because I think a triple threat match at Backlash for the title would be great, but at the same time I am perfectly happy having it be one-on-one with Ambrose and Styles. Could we be seeing a new world champion in AJ Styles? Where does Dolph Ziggler go from here?
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: 9

With only one match being rated below 8 out of 10, it is very clear to see just how great this episode of Smackdown really was. With this being the highest Smackdown has set their bar since the draft, will they be able to do it again and beat that bar? I sure can't wait to find out as Smackdown might just become my favourite show again, just like I've always wanted it to be. With there only being one more Smackdown show until Backlash, what's lies in store next? And what's in store for us after that PPV? There's only one way to find out.