The King of Strong Style
The King of Strong Style made his WWE Smackdown Live debut to kick off WWE Backlash. In what was a smart move, WWE made sure Chicago had a reason to not chant for a certain savior from the very beginning. The match with Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura was a really good showcase of slow, methodical and physical action. I was surprised to see how much offense Dolph Ziggler got in, especially early on. He was able to ground Nakamura, apply some headlocks and really make Nakamura earn his offense. Shinsuke’s offense consisted of knee strikes, elbow shots and a few strong kicks to the sternum. It seemed as if Ziggler knew what was coming the entire time.
The end of the match was all about Nakamura. He kicked out of a Superkick and a Zig Zag. He overcame the offense to unleash his strong skills and hit a beautiful Kinsasha to end the night of Dolph Ziggler. The match was much slower, but I enjoyed the build to the finish. The crowd was into it the entire time and WWE made sure that it was not a squash match at all. The only thing I would have changed is Dolph Ziggler’s gear. He is wearing an American Flag on his trunks as a heel against a relatively new Japanese Superstar to the general audience. Why? How?
At the end of tonight, Shinsuke Nakamura’s in-ring debut was a success. It is one match that was meant to show how strong and powerful he can be. It also showed that Dolph Ziggler can sell any move at any time. Would I have wanted someone more important for him to beat? Absolutely, but I am not going to complain about this very good contest.
Comedy Overtakes Tag Team
Breezango and The Uso’s competed for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships at WWE Backlash. For a comedic relief, Tyler Breeze disguised himself as a Janitor and as a Grandmother during the match. It might sound lame, but it came off very comical. I enjoyed it and laughed a few times, especially because he was able to hit a few nice moves in these outfits. WWE wanted to give us more comedy here, mixing things up a bit from the first match. It worked… somewhat.
The outcome was a Superkick to knock out Fandango and The Uso’s continuing their reign as champions. As much as I enjoyed this comedic act, a loss here pretty much tells you everything you need to know. I hope they continue this development because both men are so talented, but I think it is time to really invest more on the character development of American Alpha. It is a crime that they have not competed on PPV since before WrestleMania. As talented as The Uso’s are, they can put on great matches with American Alpha and sustain more success than they could with Breezango.
