The balancing act that has to be maintained after a major pay-per-view is challenging, to say the least. Major rivalries often reach their peak or even conclusion, leaving several top stars needing opponents.
At the same time, you don't want to throw away all of the hard work, time and effort you've put into the build-up to a show like that, especially if it's one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year, like WrestleMania or, in this case, SummerSlam. Sometimes the answers aren't so clear-cut.
SmackDown Live finds itself in a much different position from Raw in its first show back from SummerSlam. Tuesday's show didn't have to deal with losing a top champion to injury for up to six months the night after introducing a new title, but it did have to take on a few more subtle challenges.
An underwhelming world championship at SummerSlam, the time Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler had to tell a story and a laundry list of other issues left its two competitors heading in different directions. Ambrose came out smelling like a rose, every bit the champion he's asserted to being, and Ziggler was seemingly left to return and languish in some nebulous position between the midcard and the main event.
Within the first two minutes of Tuesday's episode of SmackDown Live, it became clear they were going to address some of those issues. The show opened with several superstars aimlessly hanging around the locker room. Enter AJ Styles, the conquering hero (or villain, depending on your perspective) who dispatched John Cena in a 23-minute match that stole the show Sunday night in Brooklyn. As popular as Styles has been since his January debut at the Royal Rumble, and through multiple title matches with Roman Reigns and several other high-profile opponents, nothing quite elevated "The Phenomenal One" like pinning Cena in the middle of the ring, no strings attached, at one of the biggest WWE shows of the year.
Styles wore the "Never Give Up" headband Cena ceremoniously left behind in the middle of the ring after their epic clash and immediately set about telling anyone who would listen that he was now "The Face that Runs the Place," taking up Cena's mantle. Ziggler sat dejectedly in his seat as this went on, but when Styles got in his face, it was all he could take, triggering a brawl between the two that spilled through the next two hours.
The pair fought through the end of the presentation of the two new SmackDown-exclusive titles and set up general manager Daniel Bryan to lay down the law; Styles' victory was an impressive enough showing that he had earned his way into a WWE world championship match against Ambrose at Backlash, but Ziggler had shown himself worthy enough to have a chance to earn his way in -- and beating Styles would be his ticket.
This main event match featured much of what makes a showdown between two dynamic and physically gifted wrestlers great -- high-risk maneuvers, incredible agility and styles that mesh well together. There was also a simple story to follow -- either Ziggler would redeem himself and earn another shot at Ambrose or Styles would notch yet another impressive victory and further confirm his status as clear-cut No. 1 contender with a one-on-one opportunity at the champion.
Styles picked up the victory, and it once again came in a straightforward manner without a hint of cheating or nefariousness -- leaving no doubt as to his position. For Ziggler, it seems he's only just begun to experience the downward spiral that almost certainly lies ahead -- and with each loss, the chatter of his inability to "win the big one" will only grow louder.
Introducing the SmackDown women's championship and tag-team championships
SummerSlam's introduction of the Universal championship checked about every box on reactions that are best avoided at all costs. That didn't just apply to the reaction to the bright new red belt -- a clear variant of the existing WWE world championship -- but that vitriol disrupted an otherwise compelling match between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins.
SmackDown seemed to avoid that with the introduction of its new women's and tag-team championship titles. First off, they were out on display rather than set up for a big reveal. There was no promise for a particularly crazy design, and therefore they didn't have impossible expectations to meet.
Second, and perhaps most importantly, these alterations offered either a lateral move (in the case of the SmackDown women's championship) or a significant upgrade over the originals (the SmackDown tag-team championships) over their Raw counterparts. In the case of the latter, the titles currently held by the New Day, which feature copper plates on a black leather belt, have long been derided as the least visually pleasing among all of the WWE titles.
The method by which each championship is to be decided added further excitement to the reveal. The tag-team tournament is a great touch, allowing all of the teams an opportunity to show off, setting up a chance for the victor to claim superiority over the entire division. It also fills the need for some must-see content each week on SmackDown, leading to its first brand-exclusive pay-per-view, Backlash.
If you doubt how well a tournament format like this works, just look at the CWC and the impact it has had through its first six weeks.
The women's championship six pack challenge makes each woman a legitimate title threat right off the bat, presenting a chance to establish a true hierarchy in the division among the six participants.
Hits and misses
Heath Slater made an appearance toward the tail end of the ceremony celebrating the reveal of the new titles and staked his claim for a shot. Even as a three-time WWE tag-team champion, Slater was once again forced to jump through hoops for the chance of a contract. This time around, he'd have to find a partner and, with that done, win the entire tournament.
While there weren't nearly as many failed attempts throughout Tuesday's broadcast, it was a well-executed "rule of threes" as Slater unsuccessfully asked both The Miz and Arn Anderson to be his partner. Finally, Rhyno, who had previously prevented Slater from winning a contract, offered his services as a tag-team partner to lock the pair into a spot in the tournament.
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt is a compelling direction to go in for both men. After Wyatt's involvement with Ambrose and Ziggler seemingly fizzled out, at least for now, he was left off the SummerSlam card entirely. Orton had an unfortunate ending to his showdown with Brock Lesnar, and both superstars are angling for a move to bigger and better things. Each has something to prove, and if this works out correctly they should both get the chance.
SmackDown's first match (out of just four actual bouts on the show) was a short showdown between Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss. While it seems Bliss still needs some work on moving more smoothly in the ring, she hit a few spots over the course of the match that showed her potential. The match scheduled between Carmella and the returning Nikki Bella never began, as Carmella attacked Nikki from behind to start what increasingly seems like a more sinister turn of character for the "Princess of Staten Island." More on that later.
Two of the four opening-round matches in the SmackDown tag-team championship tournament took place Tuesday night, with the prohibitive favorites to win the tournament each advancing to the semifinals. It started with The Usos grabbing a victory from The Ascension, which was followed by a somewhat surprisingly compelling match between American Alpha and Breezing. Rather than feeling like a throwaway situation, the seeds for the beginnings of the tag-team division on the blue brand can be tied back to conscious efforts at SummerSlam, even in something as seemingly innocuous and disposable as a 12-man tag-team rematch.
EXCLUSIVE: "We didn't come here to have great matches, we came here to WIN TITLES!" @WWEGable @JasonJordanJJ #SDLive https://t.co/FBmeirMHcU
- WWE (@WWE) August 24, 2016
The insinuation of a future showdown between Lesnar and Shane McMahon could be among the most compelling possibilities for the future, given the right circumstances.
"Talking Smack" is on fire
"Talking Smack," the 30-minute post-show for SmackDown Live hosted by Daniel Bryan and Renee Young that airs every week on the WWE Network, has taken significant and worthwhile steps toward completing two noteworthy tasks -- getting fans to head back to the WWE Network to watch new and live original content and blurring the lines between what's real and what's fake.
On Tuesday, it began with Nikki Bella casually discussing the severity of her neck injury in great detail until she was blindsided by yet another attack from Carmella. They were followed by the Usos, who discussed a wide variety of topics, including the acknowledgement of how being paired with Roman Reigns has affected their crowd reaction.
@WWEDanielBryan says @MikeTheMiz "wrestles like a coward." And the IC Champ explodes on #TalkingSmack! #SDLive https://t.co/hgarcKmuj4
- WWE Network (@WWENetwork) August 24, 2016
It all led up to The Miz and Maryse invading the "Talking Smack" set. Having not been used for anything on Tuesday's broadcast, other than a quick spot in Slater's comedic search for a tag partner, Miz came out guns blazing demanding an answer as to why that would be the case for the Intercontinental champion. After Bryan took some seemingly cheap shots at Miz, he unleashed a tirade proclaiming his value to the company. In the process, he used the word "coward," which was part of Bryan's initial comedic response. The Miz cut one of the most memorable promos of his career on Bryan and eventually left him walking off the set.
It's exactly the kind of content the WWE craves -- the kind that goes viral and tests the boundaries of real and fake.