It doesn’t really matter if you’re buying what Bray Wyatt is selling, it can never be said he doesn’t keep things interesting.
He made his return to Friday Night SmackDown on this week’s show just under a week removed from his big return to WWE at Extreme Rules and he was wildly cheered once more. He’s got what sounds like a cool new entrance theme, he’s got the cool dreadlocks, and he’s still Bray Wyatt.
Pretty cool!
And then he cried.
It was strange. He struggled through a promo he claimed was driven by nerves because for the first time it was the real man simply standing in the ring delivering a message to his fans — a heartfelt thank you for helping get him through one of the most difficult times in his life. He lost a couple people close to him, he lost his self-confidence, he lost his way. And every time it was the fans who found him and just refused to let him fall away for good.
Then, this:
As is usually the case with Wyatt, even when we think we have the answers he goes and changes all the questions.
What’s going on here?
No idea.
Am I interested enough to want to tune in for more to find out?
You’re damn right.
I’m a big fan of the Mysterio family feud, and have been openly wondering how exactly they would manage to move things along with Rey’s insistence that he won’t strike his own son, Dominik.
We got our answer on this show.
Rey tried to quit the company altogether but was talked out of it by Triple H, who asked for five minutes of his time to try to work something out. That something turned out to be simply moving Rey over to the blue brand, leaving Dom and the rest of The Judgment Day to run wild over on Monday Night Raw.
Everybody wins!
On top of that, Rey replaced Karrion Kross in the Fatal 4-Way match to determine the next top contender to the Intercontinental championship, a match he would go on to win thanks to The Bloodline and The Brawling Brutes having one hell of a go at each other. There’s little reason to believe Mysterio is going to be the guy to beat GUNTHER for his title — because, I mean, come on — but they needed a story beat like this to get as much from the feud as they can.
Putting some distance between the two and letting it breathe for a bit will do wonders for it. We’re still on track for a WrestleMania match I’m sincerely hoping happens.
Hey, no one seems to adhere strictly to the brand split anyway. Surely we’ll see Dom and his pals on the blue brand in the near future.
All the rest
Is it really Triple H’s WWE without copious parking lot shenanigans? This show got a cold open with Karrion Kross having been involved in a car crash and Drew McIntyre jumping him, presumably as the guy who did the crashing? That part wasn’t clear. Either way, wild stuff! “This is just the beginning,” promised McIntyre as he was dragged off by staff and security alike. I really think WWE is the embodiment of the “how I wake up knowing my enemies are ontologically evil and there is no act against them which is wrong” meme.
Jey Uso was once again tasked with helping Sami Zayn win a match, this time against Kofi Kingston of The New Day. He actually managed to put differences aside this time and ensured Zayn won via pinfall. Except Zayn didn’t see as much and refused to, ahem, acknowledge that fact. Solo Sikoa also didn’t see it, because he was paying attention to Zayn. “I could learn a lot from you,” he told Sami, while Jey looked on incredulous. Even when Jey gets it right, he’s treated like he got it wrong. Who is the babyface here?
I quite like having Braun Strowman just trash a couple of local athletes in handicap matches. Getting wrestlers over this way works every time, even the established ones. Meanwhile, Omos arrived to make clear he wants a piece of the big man and I am now unreasonably excited for the monstrosity of a match that will surely be. I hope you share my enthusiasm, dear reader.
LA Knight is back — YEAH — and after winning his first match he instantly grabbed a microphone and reminded everyone he’s still a heel and we shouldn’t be cheering him. LET ME TALK TO YA. I wonder how far he’ll go, all things considered, but I’m excited to see him try.
Roxanne Perez came to SmackDown, where she chose Raquel Rodriguez to wrestle Cora Jade on NXT next week. Bayley was upset about it, thinking her an idiot, so they had a six-woman tag match pitting Perez, Rodriguez, and Shotzi against Damage CTRL. Bayley pinned her in that match. It was what it was, a way to introduce Perez while also furthering her story with Jade. In fact, this felt like an easy in to Jade picking Bayley on Raw next week. We shall see.
Hit Row and Legada Del Fantasma reignited their rivalry, with the latter scoring a clean win over the former. It didn’t feel like the kind of match that left the door open for a return bout but it damn sure put over the new group in their first official match on the main roster.
Sonya Deville said some negative things about Liv Morgan so the former champ absolutely beat the hell out of her. That included going way too high up and putting Deville through a table with a senton. She’s well and truly snapped, folks.
