Double or Nothing Build Ends on High Note, WWE Booking Woes, More Friday Takes

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Credit: WWE

For the past several weeks, AEW Rampage has moved to various times due to NBA games airing on TNT, and this week was no exception with the show starting at 6:30 PM EST. 

Unlike Rampage, SmackDown aired at its usual time like clockwork, so we had a 30-minute break instead of three straight hours of wrestling. 

Rampage set the tone for Sunday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view by recapping or addressing most of the big storylines while officially adding two matches to the card.

Ruby Soho advanced to the finals in the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament against Britt Baker, and a mixed trios match was booked with Tay Conti, Sammy Guevara and Frankie Kazarian taking on Paige Van Zant, Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page. Darby Allin also challenged Kyle O’Reilly to a match at the pay-per-view.

Over on the blue brand, The Usos proved they can control the crowd as well as any top act in WWE, Raquel Rodriguez teamed up with Ronda Rousey to take on Natalya and Shayna Baszler, Shanky got swanky, and Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens reminded us all why they are two of the best WWE has. 

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This week’s SmackDown opened with The Usos coming to the ring to celebrate becoming both the Raw and SmackDown tag team champions.

This was not the usual Bloodline heel promo. This was Jimmy and Jey expressing sincere gratitude for everyone who has stuck with them throughout their journey. It didn’t take long for an Uso chant to break out. 

However, the twins pulled the rug out from under us and said they didn’t need anyone to get to where they are today. They proceeded to run down the crowd as people booed. 

While this ended up being a heel promo anyway, the first half proved WWE can easily transition The Usos back into a babyface role at any time. And it might be time to consider it. 

The Bloodline has accomplished everything it set out to do. The Usos hold both sets of tag belts, and Roman Reigns is the undisputed WWE and universal champion. We all know it’s all downhill from here.

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When Rodriguez was running rampant in NXT, she was almost a completely different person than what we are now seeing on SmackDown.

She wasn’t smiling or shaking hands or trying to win anybody’s respect. She was destroying every woman who stepped in her way with the kind of raw power few in WWE possess.

Rodriguez can be a babyface if that is what WWE wants, but it feels like she is being asked to make several small changes that ultimately make her feel like a different character. It’s as if somebody told her to smile more. 

Teaming her up with Rousey this week against Baszler and Natalya made a little bit of sense due to both of them being babyfaces who have had issues with one or both of their opponents, but WWE almost completely glossed over the fact that Rousey and Baszler are longtime friends.

Two of the Four Horsewomen of MMA in a match should feel like a big deal, but it just felt like filler. Rodriguez scoring the win at least made her look good. 

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Shanky and Jinder Mahal took on Angel and Humberto in a tag match this week, but it feels like WWE is working toward turning Shanky babyface and separating him from The Maharaja. 

Mahal found his partner backstage dancing instead of preparing for their match, and after the bout was over, Shanky was dancing at the ring announcer, Samantha Irvin. 

This feels reminiscent of a storyline that included Viscera and Lilian Garcia from many years ago, and it also feels like when WWE turned The Great Khali into a dancing babyface.

It’s repetitive and a little lazy, but Shanky might actually be able to pull this off for a short time. He looked like he was having fun with the segment, so the fans are more likely to enjoy it. This won’t make him a world champion, but not every gimmick is designed for a top star. 

Shanky as a solo act is a risky venture since he is still so underdeveloped, but everybody deserves a shot to sink or swim. Let’s hope he knows how to doggie paddle. 

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If you need a segment that is guaranteed to be both funny and entertaining, you call Zayn and Owens.

These two men have been associated with each other for their entire careers. From the indie scene to NXT and onto the main roster, they have been through it all as rivals and best friends at different points.

Their interaction this week might have been the biggest highlight from SmackDown. Everything about it was hilarious, and it effectively furthered their individual storylines.

KO is still feuding with Ezekiel, and Zayn is still trying to get in good with The Bloodline. All of that was addressed, but it was done without Zeke, Roman Reigns or The Usos’ presence being necessary. 

It’s almost sad to think that the best part of a wrestling program was a talk show segment, but when The Great Liberator and The Prize Fighter are involved, how can anyone be mad?

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This week’s Rampage was the go-home show before Sunday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view, so a lot needed to be addressed.

Not only did AEW have to remind people about all of the big feuds through video packages and recaps, but the show featured the usual four matches and a segment that saw Scorpio Sky receive a new TNT Championship and agree to a new match for the PPV.

While AEW is often credited with having good long-term storytelling in certain situations, this show feels like it was built up more quickly than past PPVs. 

Certain storylines were teased before being fully initiated, like CM Punk vs. Adam Page, but MJF vs. Wardlow is one of the only examples of a story AEW has been telling for several months. 

House of Black and Death Triangle have been feuding on and off, so that’s another exception, but something like Jade Cargill vs. Anna Jay only has a couple of weeks of buildup behind it. 

But none of that is going to matter on Sunday when an arena full of fans in Las Vegas is cheering its head off for the in-ring action. So many of the matches on this card have the potential to steal the show, and there are a few dark-horse candidates that could surprise.

AEW has already established that it can put on great shows and pull off long-term stories. It just needs to find the right balance between quick feuds and longer storylines. The company is only three years old, so the fact that it has gotten this far in that amount of time is still impressive.