#LAWTAKE - WWE SMACKDOWN 3/22/24
I’m back, I’m back! I have a full Friday to digest this episode of Smackdown with no Rampage or Collision on the AEW side due to March Madness. Sit back, relax & enjoy the review.
Rey Mysterio vs Santos Escobar on this random Smackdown was a treat. In more of the same ol names recurring in the Latin American Division of Smackdown, I wasn’t upset at this. I just wish they got to handle this at Mania in a straight up quality match, not a faction warfare which I feel we are going towards with Dom intervening.
Santos picks up his biggest win yet if we’re being real. Now the rest of the j-brone’s around Rey and Santos should do the same and actually look credible.
Rey Mysterio 100% plays the Bryan Danielson role of willingly putting someone over and I’m never bothered by this. It in fact makes me more surprised and contrnt when he does win. Jon well.
Dom showing up to help LDF just makes me feel Judgment Day are closer and closer to ending for good.
Dom needs something to do for WM40 so joining the Latin American Division in a feud is best.
Gallows & Anderson being featured on Smackdown was very refreshing. Them losing via a roll-up was repetitive. Even worse, they’re one of the number one contenders for the NXT Tag Titles! Literally any other interchangeable team on Smackdown could have been in this place.
Now that Grayson Theory have qualified for the qualifier, I expect them to make their way into the Ladder match. We need a really obnoxious heel team in and since Pretty Deadly are cooked, I’m taking A-Town Down Under.
AOP remind me of Indus Sher, or The Ascension, or AOP post-NXT during the McMahon heyday. These guys are cooked. Street Profits qualify and we all know this feud is far from over. More faction warfare.
The police department having body cam footage of a fight at AJ Styles’ house that LA Knight caused was very cool to see. We don’t see this angle and I appreciate them adding more spice to this feud. To me, it’s more ammo for the video package they show the night of their match at WrestleMania.
With Bayley being attacked backstage by Io, Naomi was at it alone tonight or so she thought.
Naomi vs Io was better than expected. Necessary match for Naomi to showcase she can go just like how she did in TNA. She had to lose, but with the emphasis on all the names that matter for Mania already in motion perhaps Naomi gets her time to shine post-Mania. I still have hope.
You know we have more wrestling on tonight’s program because Io had her music playing so long when she was on camera, from backstage to entrance to post-match.
This is the most emphasis Io has her on her entire reign and I’m still ready for it to end via Bayley.
Naomi left originally because she didn’t want to be in a tag team, now it seems that’s the direction she’s going back into. But the question is who will be her partner?
Enter Bianca Belair. She’s not fucking with this group at all and rightfully so - she’s been in a revolving door with them for the last 8 months. Bianca needs new.
Enter Jade Cargill. From Bianca hitting the Jaded blatantly out of nowhere when she saved Naomi, I believe Jade either comes to the aid of Bianca and Naomi now that she’s socially on Smackdown or she still kicks Bianca’s ass and feuds with her. Either way, it’s something fresh for Bianca.
I feel ANOTHER faction match at WM40 coming with all the ladies just mentioned against Kabuki Warriors and Dakota.
A Smackdown with more wrestling than usual, which is great for a wrestling program, but included with that were fluky finishes and post-match beatdowns.
Roman/Cody in fact felt like a promo built around Number 2. From the rehashed promos, diarrhea, to the feeling of their whole feud when you take The Rock out. Cody/Rock really has most of the attention, with Seth having the third most attention because of his double duty. Roman feels like the least exciting person here and that’s interesting to say for a change.
The road to WrestleMania is finally winding down with one more full week of this back and forth to go. I have heard everything there is to hear from both of these two in the last two years.
After this one-on-one feud ends, I really don’t want to see the trilogy for another year. Please do not run Cody/Roman back a third time immediately after WM40.
Cody has to win. Or Roman has to surpass Hulk Hogan’s reign. Only one finish can happen on Night 2.
An overall 7/10 show for me. We had wrestling on a pro-wrestling show and for a change every scene, match and association made sense. I wasn’t a fan of the cheesy endings to most of the matches and most in quick fashion but we can’t win ‘em all.