Articles
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown: 5 Hits & Misses (November 21)
WWE’s next big event is right around the corner, and with only one more week of shows to build towards Survivor Series, tonight’s SmackDown needed to do its part and put some fire behind the event’s more anticipated match-ups. That’s why tonight’s show heavily focused on the Men’s and Women’s WarGames matches, but it still balanced other ongoing storylines as well as The Last Time Is Now John Cena tournament throughout the episode. We’re breaking down all of the biggest moments of tonight’s SmackDown and weighing in on whether they were big hits or unfortunate misses, so let’s get started with the first match of the night.
5. Hit: Ilja Dragunov’s SmackDown Reign
Ilja Dragunov once again held one of his WWE United States Championship challenges, and like the ones that have come before, it was pure gold. Dragunov is on a monster run since he returned from injury and joined the SmackDown roster, and while not every Championship reign should go with this same Challenge style, it’s producing big results for Dragunov.
Dragunov is someone who gets over with the crowd with a mix of ferocity and hard-hitting matches as opposed to on the microphone, and WWE has leaned into this throughout his time on SmackDown. While he had solid matches on Raw when he first moved to the main roster, that run doesn’t hold a candle to his time on SmackDown, and this is part of why he also got over in NXT. Dragunov thrives when he’s able to showcase his intensity in the ring, and that mix of old school style with modern technique and athleticism allows him to shine amongst the rest of the roster and give the crowd something different, which is perfect for a United States Champion. Hopefully, this run continues for a while, because there’s no reason to fix what isn’t broken.
4. Hit: The Last Time Is Now Finally Gets Inspired Winners
The matches throughout The Last Time Is Now tournament have been stellar, with some inventive match-ups along the way. Unfortunately, the results of those matches have been truly predictable, with some of the choices inspiring more apathy than excitement. That finally changed during tonight’s two tournament match-ups, and the winners of those matches are breathing some life into the bracket.
Tonight’s SmackDown featured a battle between Penta and Finn Balor as well as a match between Carmelo Hayes and Bronson Reed, so both were already fresh match-ups to start with. Both matches delivered thrilling battles throughout, with Penta vs Balor showcasing innovative offense and counters all along the way, while Reed vs Hayes was woven into the big ongoing story involving The Vision to help decide a winner.
Now we have Hayes and Penta both moving on in the tournament, and while they may not win, their presence alone feels like a welcome shakeup to the tournament. The current bracket now has Jey Uso vs Rusev, LA Knight vs mystery opponent, Penta vs Solo Sikoa, and Gunther vs Carmelo Hayes.
3. Hit: Welcome Back Cody
The babyface team of the Men’s WarGames match got owned to kick off the show, with Drew McIntyre leaving Cody Rhodes bloody on his bus before the show even started. There’s also been talk online of Rhodes almost being a side character in this entire WarGames feud, especially after the return of Roman Reigns. Tonight, however, Rhodes once again stepped into the spotlight and got some major payback to give his team a much-needed boost.
Rhodes would make a return to the ring after being brutally attacked earlier in the night, and he would do it at the perfect time. Rhodes would interrupt the match between Reed and Hayes to hit Reed with a Cross Rhodes, and not only did he save Hayes from being slammed into the announce table, but he then threw Hayes back in the ring, leading Reed to be counted out of the match and Hayes to be declared the winner. Rhodes is not a side character, and tonight was a welcome reminder.
2. Miss: Where Are Giulia and Kiana?
Some of the biggest questions of the night involved the sudden disappearance of key superstars, and one such example of this is the random vanishing act of Giulia and Kiana James. SmackDown made a big deal of showcasing Giulia when she first moved up to the main roster, and soon paired her with James, who was returning after a lengthy absence. Since then, James has suffered multiple losses, and Giula had a rather sporadic Title reign before losing the Title to Chelsea Green.
Now, both superstars are just out of the mix completely on WWE TV, with neither even getting a backstage segment or a video package to tee up their next story. Most of Giulia’s main roster run has been underwhelming, and the same goes for Kiana, and neither story will improve if they aren’t on TV.
1. Hit: Women’s WarGames Is All-Star Level
The Women’s WarGames match was a primary focus for tonight’s SmackDown throughout the show, including a full vignette featuring Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley. After they came to terms, Ripley finally revealed the fifth member of the team to be AJ Lee, only to have the welcoming party completely crashed by the heel team and their new fifth member, Becky Lynch.
The various storylines happening amongst all of the competitors in these matches make this WarGames match must-see TV, and the addition of Lee and Lynch raises the potential for this match tenfold. The ending brawl suggests that the babyface will leave victorious, but it’s not going to be an easy battle, and with the talent involved, the match could easily steal the show when it’s all said and done. Also, Sky is totally doing a spot with a trash can at WarGames, right? It’s like a tradition at this point.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
The post Tonight’s WWE SmackDown: 5 Hits & Misses (November 21) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
