WWE Super Show-Down 2018 is headlined by Triple H vs. The Undertaker, AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe and The Shield taking on the talented trio of Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre in what will be a pivotal show for the company.
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Super Show-Down marks WWE's seconds international pay-per-view of the year, following April's Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia, and the company is reportedly hoping to host more overseas events in the future. While the Greatest Royal Rumble was a huge financial success, it stirred up quite the controversy due to the exclusion of WWE's female superstars and isn't sitting well with some fans. Though Super Show-Down won't have a controversy of that magnitude, WWE is certainly hoping the event gets people talking.
WWE's Australian live event is expected to have 70,000 fans in attendance for a loaded show that also features The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan in a No. 1 contender's match as well as special appearances from huge stars like Ronda Rousey and John Cena. Though Super Show-Down has an odd start time for US fans that may limit the show's viewing audience, that shouldn't prevent WWE from going all out with a well-booked show that sets the stage for Evolution, Crown Jewel and Survivor Series.
Here are five bad booking decisions WWE must avoid at the first-ever Super Show-Down.
Failing To Set Up The Undertaker's Next Match
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Super Show-Down will mark a rare appearance from The Undertaker, who will be wrestling Triple H in a match that really shouldn't mean much in the long run. Unless it does.
The big rumor, of course, is that Triple H vs. Taker will be used to set up Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, possibly at Survivor Series or WrestleMania next year. "The Heartbreak Kid" is indeed expected to wrestle again, likely at WWE's Crown Jewel show in November, where he's expected to do so in a massive tag team match involving The Undertaker and Kane. That means that Super Show-Down is the last big opportunity for WWE to lay the foundation for that match or any other potential match for "The Phenom."
The Undertaker is reportedly expected to wrestle more frequently going forward, and to make the most out of his drawing power, it would make sense for WWE to use Super Show-Down to establish his next rivalry, whoever that may be with. Logic says that will be against Michaels, who will be in the corner of Triple H at Super Show-Down and should do something that leads to their expected future match, whenever that may take place.
Marquee stars like The Undertaker, Michaels and Triple H are there to play a critical role in bringing back lapsed fans, and if WWE doesn't use Super Show-Down as a way to set up their next marquee storyline (and instead books a clean finish that proves the HBK/Taker tease was just that), then that's a surefire way to upset fans given the way this feud has dominated Raw as of late.
Booking The Event Like A Glorified House Show
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
WWE reportedly raked in somewhere in the ballpark of $40-50 million for the Greatest Royal Rumble, which is part of a 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia that will bring more events to the country, including one this November.
With WWE knowing it was breaking the bank for the Greatest Royal Rumble, however, the event was nothing more than a glorified house show in terms of how it was booked. Despite the show featuring a number of part-time draws ranging from The Undertaker to John Cena to Triple H, there was very little in the way of actual storyline development or marquee title changes. WWE took the easy way out by booking non-finishes for Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns and AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura instead of using the platform of such a big show to make a major change or two at the top of the card.
If you missed the Greatest Royal Rumble, you essentially missed nothing because it was booked like a non-televised live event that had plenty of star power but was limited by run-of-the-mill booking. On paper, Super Show-Down looks like it could follow a similar format, with little of importance happening on a show that has bouts like Ronda Rousey and the Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad that could lead to big moments (like a Nikki Bella heel turn) but probably won't.
Should WWE continuously fail to make events like Super Show-Down and the Greatest Royal Rumble inconsequential to Raw or SmackDown, they will lose a lot of their appeal moving forward.
Not Protecting Braun Strowman And Drew McIntyre
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Because it will (likely) essentially serve as a glorified house show, Super Show-Down is shaping up to be a night dominated by babyface victories to send the crowd home happy.
But two heels who must be protected are Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre. After establishing himself as a major draw as a babyface, Strowman is in the early stages of a forced heel turn that must be booked carefully, or else WWE runs the risk of ruining Strowman's drawing power after working so hard to make him a must-see attraction for the past two years. WWE has a difficult time booking heels, often feeding them to top babyfaces, and the company can't do that with Strowman, who is now far and away the top heel on Raw.
Likewise, WWE reportedly has big plans for McIntyre, who apparently has two huge fans in Triple H and Vince McMahon and is expected to be a Universal title contender in the near future. With WWE having such high hopes for McIntyre and needing Strowman to be a dominant heel on a Raw that lacks strong villains, both stars should be protected at Super Show-Down, which means that Dolph Ziggler, whose contract status is apparently still up in the air, should take the pin if and when the trio of heels loses to The Shield.
That way, WWE can move forward with Strowman and McIntyre as its top two heels knowing that they've been protected enough to be taken seriously as antagonists who are viewed to be on the same level as Reigns, Seth Rollins and WWE's other top babyfaces.
Becky Lynch Loses The SmackDown Women's Championship
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Becky Lynch has been called the "female Stone Cold Steve Austin," has been praised by Austin himself for getting so over with the crowd and is generating better crowd reactions than any female superstar in recent WWE history.
If WWE doesn't keep the SmackDown Women's Champion on Lynch at Super Show-Down, that would be a massive mistake. After all, it's incredibly rare to see a superstar get over to the level Lynch is currently at, especially when WWE is still somewhat trying to force her as a heel. There isn't a more popular woman in WWE right now than Lynch, who has been performing absolutely fantastically in the ring, on the microphone and as a character, and should be pushed accordingly.
The only person standing in Lynch's way is Charlotte Flair, who is now a seven-time women's champion and is pushed so strongly because WWE clearly views her as the face of its women's division. However, Lynch is over at a level that Flair is not, and with WWE fans making it clear that they want Flair to be a heel and Lynch to be a face, Super Show-Down should serve as the stage for Lynch to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship and do so by beating the most pushed female star in WWE history.
WWE wants to get people talking about its women's division? Another Lynch victory could do that as the next step in what has been an amazing rivalry thus far.
Samoa Joe Losing To AJ Styles
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
AJ Styles has done a, well, phenomenal job as WWE Champion, but now is time for the Samoa Joe era on SmackDown.
Joe failed to defeat Styles to become WWE Champion at both Hell in a Cell and SummerSlam (even though he almost did at the latter), extending Styles' 300-plus day reign with the title, but now, the company must move forward with Joe as a dominant heel champion on the blue brand. There is plenty of evidence that Joe is a draw and is capable of carrying SmackDown, and he was at one point WWE's No. 2 merchandise seller, demonstrating that he clearly has a connection with WWE fans.
Given how well he's performed in 2018 both in the ring and on the microphone, Joe is a great choice to hold WWE's most prestigious title in route to Survivor Series and The Royal Rumble, and there's no reason to extend Styles' nearly year-long title reign at the expense of another Joe loss. Styles has already had two lengthy reigns over the past couple of years, and it's time for a change on SmackDown, with a well deserving heel reigning supreme as the show's top titleholder.
Joe should leave Super Show-Down as WWE Champion and have a lengthy run with the belt, one that cements him as the dominant champion he deserves to be.
Blake Oestriecher is an elementary school teacher by day and a sports writer by night. He’s a contributor to @ForbesSports, where he primarily covers WWE. You can follow him on Twitter @BOestriecher.
Posting Komentar