WWE Week in Review (9/10/18 – 9/16/18)

Welcome to this edition of the WWE Week In Review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and thanks to Phil, we can just jump right in and get to work. Phil covered for me while I was and am still recovering from a twisted knee/pulled calf muscle injury and the minor cold I got along with that injury. I’m still on a cane with a knee brace to boot, but I’ve healed enough that I can get back to writing regularly. Thank you Phil and it’s nice to be back.

Worst Promo:

Triple H cut a promo on The Undertaker that was from the old “screw the business” book that Triple H wrote in 1999. The idea here was to bury The Undertaker as weak and pathetic. Sadly, some of the crowd actually cheered for Triple H in this tirade. The goal appears to be to make Triple H the hero, which is as dumb a decision as any other that involved Triple H winning the title. The idea that Triple H is seeking revenge for The Undertaker disparaging Shawn Michaels feels cheap. This match worked far better when it was just about the spirit of competition. Hell, Triple H even cut this promo in the stupid suit, which took the edge away from it, immediately.

Best Promo:

Samoa Joe took more bad material and made it into gold. This family angle is boring, but since Joe is so talented, the delivery made the package more exciting than what was actually inside the box.

Worst Moment:

Finn Balor had to revive the crowd to get the main event some attention. There are other wrestling leagues that have stellar main events that the crowd can’t shut up about. Maybe, Vince should call one of those other promoters and get a reminder on how to book the finale of a wrestling card? I felt bad for Finn, who never had to resuscitate a crowd just to get them to react to a match when he was in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Best Moment:

Renee Young became the new, permanent commentator for Raw, replacing the frequently awful Jonathan Coachman, who still has not answered for his sexual harassment accusations to the court of public opinion or of our country… at least without an arrogant/elitist attitude. Renee will need some time to get really good at her job, but she has the foundation to be an excellent commentator.

Worst Trend:

The women were marginalized to a certain extent this week. From the Mae Young Classic going short in the match length to The Bellas getting more attention than the regular women who might just draw a buck or two, the women were used as filler, more or less.

Best Trend:

The women, despite being used poorly in many ways, also ruled the roost this week and dominated the television time that people will remember. From Becky Lynch to Ronda Rousey or Mickie James, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, the women made the most of their shot and made a real impact.

Worst Wrestler:

Elias – Elias is getting better, but he could make sugar taste like salt with his wrestling technique.

Best Wrestler:

Ronda Rousey – Ronda, for all of her progress that she has yet to make, sure does come across as a complete athlete when she’s in the ring.

Worst Match:

Kevin Owens versus Tyler Breeze – This could have been a great contest, but instead was a piss-bucket parade.

Best Match:

10. Andrade “Cien” Almas versus R-Truth (Smackdown)
9. Charlotte Flair versus Sonya Deville (Smackdown)
8. Deonna Purrazzo versus Priscilla Kelly (Mae Young Classic)
7. Buddy Murphy versus Gran Metalik (205 Live)
6. Drew Gulak & Gentleman Jack Gallagher versus Cedric Alexander and Akira Tozawa (205 Live)
5. Mercedes Martinez versus Ashley Rayne (Mae Young Classic)
4. Nikki Cross versus Bianca Belair (NXT)
3. Jeff Hardy versus Shinsuke Nakamura (Smackdown)
2. Rusev Day def. The Bar (Smackdown)

1. Ronda Rousey & Natalya versus Alexa Bliss & Mickie James (Raw)

The women really did rule the roost this week with an excellent match that should have been the main event.

Worst Show:

Raw – Are you surprised? Who is Batman? Is it live or is it Memorex? Who shot JR? Got Milk? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop?

Best Show:

Smackdown – There was actual wrestling on the damn thing, so that helped. I still can’t believe there was only five on a two hour wrestling card, but that is what Smackdown is stuck with lately. Fortunately, most of the matches had heft and meant some-thing, while the build to Hell in a Cell was excellent on the blue brand. Smackdown, as Phil put it, took it for the week.
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Final Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a dull week for the WWE, but the women got a lot of television time while the other divisions had a chance to shine, even if only for a brief moment.