Shinsuke Nakamura has his debut match on the main roster, the three faces of Tyler Breeze
unveiled, and Jinder Mahal just became the new WWE Champion.
I’m Oli Davis, that’s insane, and this is WWE Backlash 2017...in about 4 minutes.
Shinsuke Nakamura beat Dolph Ziggler WWE surprisingly opened the show with what
could’ve been the night’s main event - Dolph Ziggler vs Shinsuke Nakamura.
Tom Phillips asked early on in the match: “which man will suffer most for their art?”
That artist stuff ain’t going anywhere.
The two had a good 15 minute match, with Nakamura kicking out of the Zigzag and a brutal looking
kick to the back of the head.
But really, is a drawn-out, competitive opener really what you want for Nakamura’s debut
fight?
Considering the five-week-or-so build, that Shinsuke was all over the poster and how much
his in-ring skill has been teased, this should’ve been a dominating 5 minute win for Nakamura.
Instead, both men come out of this at exactly the same level they started.
The Usos beat Breezeango When Tyler Breeze came out as his Fashion
Files master of disguise character, dressed like a janitor, I let out a heavy sigh.
When he first tagged into the ring against the Usos still holding his mop, I sighed even
harder, and then tweeted Kenny Omega about gimmick infringement.
But then something unexpected happened - Breeze started making me chuckle with his rolling
away comedy spot.
That’s the good kind of unexpected.
Not the sort where Jinder Mahal suddenly becomes WWE Champion.
Breezeango not only got Chicago behind them, they gave the Usos major heat when the mop
was eventually snapped, and when Breeze’s subsequent grandma dress was thrown into the
crowd, it accidentally hit JBL in the face at ringside, prompting his brilliant line:
“last time that happened to me, I had to pay for it.”
Which was met by the crowd’s even better line: Fire Bradshaw.
The match shifted into serious gear for the final exchange, ending pretty hot with the
Usos retaining.
This was only ever a filler feud, with The New Day’s imminent debut on Smackdown Live,
but they managed to put on the best comedy match in WWE for a long time.
Sami Zayn beat Baron Corbin Sami Zayn finally got a significant victory
on Smackdown, getting a decent match out of Baron Corbin.
The announcers did a good job protecting him in defeat, pointing out the Lone Wolf’s
inexperience for why he lost.
The Welcoming Committee beat Charlotte, Becky Lynch & Naomi
Becky Lynch tapped to Natalya’s Sharpshooter in the first collision of The Welcoming Committee
and...the rest of the Smackdown Women’s division.
It was a strong win for the heel faction, but really it was only Natalya who looked
any good.
After the storyline’s initial promise, this now feels like a filler feud.
The real money is having Naomi, Charlotte, Lynch and Natalya all fight over the title.
Kevin Owens beat AJ Styles Kevin Owens retained against AJ Styles in
the match of the night, built around The Phenomenal One’s phenomenal selling of his knee.
The finish was rather innovative, with Styles getting his leg stuck in the monitor hole
of the announcer’s table, tangled up in wires, and losing via countout - which probably
means a rematch between the two while the main event is dominated by...WWE Champion
Jinder Mahal.
Luke Harper beat Erick Rowan Luke Harper won his match!
Which is great - I think he’s got a lot more potential than his former Wyatt Family
brother.
But then why build up Erick’s character so much on Talking Smack as of late if you’re
not going to capitalise on it in the ring?
I doubt the creative team gave it that much thought, as this was only ever a buffer between
Styles vs Owens and the main event...
Jinder Mahal beat Randy Orton Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton started off like
a hot blood feud, with The Viper going straight for The Maharaj before the bell even rang.
The following ten-or-so minutes, however, weren’t as good, with few being able to
buy into Jinder as a main eventer.
The finish exasperated this even further, with Mahal beating Orton with help from the
Singh Brothers.
Jinder is your new WWE Champion, a rather obvious ploy to expand into India.
Unfortunately, the move is not without potentially harmful side effects.
Jinder’s win now subconsciously positions Smackdown very much as the promotion’s B-Show
for mainstream viewers, the champion never shaking his career-long undercard tag - devaluing
not just the belt, but all those now beneath him on the blue brand’s roster.
Also, intentionally or not, it also rather cynically exploits the nastier side of current
socio-political trends, casting a foreigner who preaches diversity - whether it be a hypocritical
preaching or not - as the heel.
WWE have an uncomfortable history of putting those from Jinder’s home country as the
villains: Canada.
So that was WWE Backlash 2017 in about 4 minutes.
Here’s Smackdown Live’s ratings recap from top to bottom: SmackDamn, Smacktastic,
Smack Bang In The Middle, Ellsworthy and Raw.
I’ll reveal my score very shortly, but first, vote in the poll above my head to give it
your own rating.
I’ll announce the results in tomorrow’s WrestleTalk News.
As expected, the AJ/KO match stole the show, but a huge amount of credit must go to The
Usos and Breezeango, who easily had the most entertaining fight of the night.
The rest of the card was unfortunately forgettable from the in-ring standpoint.
Nakamura’s debut was good, not great; like the anticipation warranted.
And Jinder’s title win - while fresh and new, and they’re trying to build a new star,
yadda, yadda, everything we kind of asked for - just doesn’t work, and somewhat harms
the brand overall.
Backlash 2017 is Ellsworthy.
How would you fantasy book Asuka’s main roster debut?
Luke Owen and I pitch our ideas in the latest WrestleRamble.
And is there backstage heat on Randy Orton?
Click the videos to the left to find out, press subscribe, and support WrestleTalk on
Patreon.
I’ve been Oli Davis and that was wrestling.