WWE SmackDown 8/30/2024: 3 Things We Loved And 3 Things We Hated

The final "SmackDown" before WWE Bash In Berlin was met with great excitement from the crowd in Berlin, Germany. For the staff of Wrestling Inc., the show was a mixed bag, some good, some bad, and all of which will be explained forthwith.

While there will not be much by way of explanations of Friday's show, that's what the results page is for. Instead, this will deal with opinion, emotion, and all the other editorial goodness that make wrestling fun. From the raucous crowd to the solid matches, there was plenty to like about the pre-PLE event, but there was also plenty of time-killing.

Without kicking a dead horse, let's get into the good, the bad, and the ugly from Friday's show.

I am a simple man. I like a song with a good beat. I like a movie with good pacing. I like a wrestling show with a hot crowd. It's the thin line that makes a performance entertaining. There are a lot of performances that aren't entertaining and there's a lot of entertainment that aren't performances, but a hot crowd is a hot crowd. There will be lots of valid points brought up by the writers in the following slides, but it must be noted, dear reader, that the crowd in Berlin, Germany's Uber Arena reacted passionately to all of it.

A lot of the global shows, whether televised shows or Premium Live Events look like glorified house shows on paper, but it is truly the pulse and the energy of the crowd that elevates an event like that into the bankable attraction WWE has spun the international shows into. The international shows that WWE puts on are often muted affairs when it comes to newsworthiness, but the blisteringly hot reaction from the crowds -my god the crowds!- have made them all feel like history written in lightning.

Written by Ross W Berman IV

Did the ad breaks feel particularly long tonight? Those weren't ads? Those were several video packages that took so long and blended in with the ad breaks so seamlessly that they felt like ads? Wow!

The blue brand took their talents across the pond and into Berlin, Germany for the final show before Bash in Berlin. There are certain expectations for an international show. A reasonable company would want to pack their card full of can't-miss segments and matches to stoke the passion of the international crowd (and give them their money's worth). There are also certain expectations for a go-home show. Go-home shows are the last opportunity to raise the stakes for the upcoming premium live event, introduce last-minute matches to the card, and put on great segments to hype up the following live event.

This international go-home show should have been a big deal, so why was it so full of videos?

Vignettes are great when used appropriately, and WWE's video packages are incredible quality, don't get me wrong. However, when they take precedence over in-ring segments and matches on a go-home show — again, the last opportunity to add new matches to a card or intensify the already existing ones — it should be a cause of concern.

For those interested in numbers, there were about six segments on tonight's two-hour show (seven if you count that tense confrontation between Austin Theory and Grayson Waller). That's actually not that bad, with an average of three segments per hour. Plus, there were two championship matches on the card — we should've been smooth sailing, right? However, one of those matches was a random exhibition match between Apollo Crews & Baron Corbin and Legado Del Fantasma, so if you're one of the five total people who ride or die for those teams, good on you. The other one was an open challenge from LA Knight, which was fun for fans of Ludwig Kaiser and the entire nation of Germany, but ultimately a championship bout without stakes. That leaves four segments with pertinent ties to "SmackDown's" ongoing storylines, and one of those was an in-ring promo segment. Three matches with relevant ties to a show's storyline ecosystem in two hours is not great. Compare that with the amount of video packages we've had — five or six, from off the top of my head — and the disparity is concerning. Did Berlin pay to see a wrestling show, or did they pay for a ticket to the movies?

I get that this is a go-home show for what is, essentially, a TV show disguised as a premium live event. Still, it's weird to hype up Bash in Berlin as this big deal — decibel counter and all — and then undercut one's own advertising efforts by providing the Berlin crowd and the international watcher a clip compilation, instead of a juicy go-home show.

You know when a teacher is too hungover to teach, so they put on a video? That was this week's episode of "SmackDown."

Written by Angeline Phu

It's time to give LA Knight some credit for his perseverance and staying power. There's a lesson to be learned from his journey that only now, at 41 years old, is he reaching unparalleled career heights. Now, he's no late-to-the-party DDP-type but he is a guy who's hustled at the professional wrestling game for more than 21 years now, and grabbing WWE gold (in the form of the United States Championship) is no small feat given the fact that brief stints in WWE in two previous DECADES didn't turn out the way he'd hoped. But more than that, this run in particular is worth lauding, and not just because he survived Max Dupri (and Vince McMahon). He's remained over (after Dupri anyway) for the entirety of his main roster run and that has shown even internationally, as it did tonight in Berlin, Germany. So, like him or not, props to Knight for hanging in there and making the most of what's been put in front of him during this stretch in his career. If he never goes any further than this, he's done himself proud, and I'm not counting out even topping the US title at this point.

Also impressive, in terms of a current run, is his opponent from tonight's "SmackDown," Ludwig Kaiser, who has emerged from World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER's shadow as a bona fide heel presence who can absolutely challenge for midcard titles now, and very possibly, bigger and better things down the road. It was nice to see, tonight in Germany, the warm welcome for one of their native sons, which also invokes kudos for the professionalism required from a died-in-the-wool heel to shirk that off. It had to feel good and Kaiser kept it 100, as the kids say. The match between Kaiser and Knight tonight, in which the champion retained, was quite good as well, which I should give more love to, but this is more of a longstanding, widespread appreciation, so forgive me. (Plus, tonight's show didn't really matter overall but that's not for me to say here.)

What I'd like to see moving forward, and I think we will, is Knight continuing his version of the United States Open Challenge, with a series of fresh matches and a chance to give back to some up-and-comers always an exciting scenario. And from Kaiser, a continued evolution is on tap, with a returning Giovanni Vinci surely gunning for revenge from his former partner and an eventual hard split from GUNTHER, pairing those two off as adversaries at some point down the road inevitable as well. But that's for the future. For now, big ups to both of these two, who have put in the work, at different stages in their career, and are now reaping rewards.

Written by Jon Jordan

While there was a lot to like about the street fight between Women's WWE Champion Nia Jax and Michin, including a great effort by the challenger who I really wanted to (but knew she wouldn't) win, there was just a lot about this match that kind of irked me to the point of sending me over the line to put it in our "hated" category this week. I'll start by mentioning the return of Bayley, who we haven't seen on TV since she was defeated by Jax at SummerSlam and lost the championship. I love Bayley and I love seeing her back, and I also understand she was on the Germany tour and had house show matches with Jax and Tiffany Stratton, but this just wasn't the place to bring her back on TV. All Bayley did was run out and chase off Stratton, who did have a great fake-out for a Money in the Bank contract cash-in. We heard her music and we saw Bayley, but she didn't do much at all.

The street fight stipulation did this match no favors. Jax seemed to be pretty unprepared for the hardcore stipulation at the beginning of the bout, from not coming out with a weapon like a kendo stick to combat Michin's shopping cart full of "goodies," to pushing a table back underneath the ring and even trying to put the ring apron straight again. Thankfully, she got into the groove of a street fight as the match went on and maybe it was more of how the beginning of the match was produced, but I didn't find it too thrilling.

Overall, Michin was going to thrive in street fight rules, and it initially made Jax look a little weak before Stratton came down to beat down Michin with the Money in the Bank briefcase and turn the tides in Jax's favor. I like the fact the cash-in storyline is continuing, but for it to bring out Bayley and go nowhere on the actual premium live event tomorrow seemed pretty silly, though it does make me more excited for "SmackDown" next week. Jax ended the match in a pretty great manner by putting Michin in the trash can and smashing her inside it by hitting the Annihilator, but it also makes me a bit upset because I'm worried this is the end of the line for Michin's push. I hope she gets a match against Jax on an upcoming PLE, which would be Bad Blood. I don't think they're going to put Stratton and Jax in a singles match anytime soon since Stratton has the briefcase, so here's hoping we get Michin and Jax in a Hell in a Cell match, because they would absolutely tear it up. I'm not confident in that, however, after the way things were booked tonight, and I would put money on seeing a tag match pitting Bayley and Michin against Jax and Stratton very soon.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Carmelo Hayes and Andrade have, once again, been the highlight of the blue brand's men.

Words fail to continuously express how good Hayes and Andrade are in the ring. Most matches take a bit of a warm-up period to really immerse the audience — mat work, storytelling elements, all of that. Hayes and Andrade take no time to warm up, they take their flying lap right away and set the bar high, with immediate brawling and high-octane leaps to the outside. They do not risk losing your attention in the beginning moments of the match. The hook is fast, it sinks deep, and it keeps your eyes on their flying bodies for the first act. By the time the match phases into its next chapter, you have already been captivated.

What is especially impressive is that they continue their intense fighting, and make liberal use of the ropes, of the outside, and of other elements such as turnbuckles and the apron, in order to give their matches dimension. The reason that Hayes and Andrade's matches seem to be full of life, so much so than other men's matches on the card, is because they are willing to use every inch of their space — emotional space to act out their vitriol to each other, mental space to innovate creative spots in a no-weapons match, and physical space, both with their bodies and with the ring — to create a match that feels bigger than itself.

That multidimensionality can also apply to their feud, as a whole. Sure, on paper it reads just as an egotistical heel takes on a humble babyface. However, they have been able to expand their hatred towards each other in several ways, so the feud does not feel stale. Andrade is continuously getting wins? Let Hayes get the win, but make it so that it is indecisive — alright, there is the set-up for your next match. Are the backstage interviews between these two getting old? Have Hayes poke Andrade with his disrespectful post-win celebration, so that Andrade has the motivation to completely gun it for him at their next meeting. There has been, comparatively, not a lot of variation in the segment type between these two (few in-ring promos, no other segments like celebrations or contract signings), but the two men have taken advantage of that triteness to make the little things matter. They make this feud feel bigger than itself, while still keeping it very grounded.

Hayes and Andrade's feud has been so interesting to analyze, both from an in-ring perspective (provided by their multiple clashes) and a narrative perspective. As we near the end of their feud, one can defensibly claim that Andrade and Hayes' feud is on par, if not better, than "SmackDown's" more high-profile storylines, like Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens. That is an accomplishment and not hyperbole.

Presumably, there is one more, tie-breaking match. No matter what, this feud will set Andrade and Hayes apart for a long, long time.

Written by Angeline Phu

Long-term storytelling has done WWE well in what many have called "The Paul Levesque Era" so faith in most eventual outcomes is warranted. Unfortunately, with "SmackDown" bereft of legitimate heels at the moment (outside of The Bloodline, of course) desperate times (I guess?) call for desperate measures such as friend vs. friend at Bash In Berlin in the form of Kevin Owens challenged Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The match will be fine and all, as is the premise at its core, but when you don't REALLY have any beef, eventually, you're going to get to the point where fabrication is unavoidable. Sure, I get it, wrestling is all fabrication. (And before any "Dr. D" David Schultz types come after me, I didn't use THAT "F" word.) But any perceived ill will has to be rooted in some sort of legitimacy, at least in the storyline.

Tonight, the grasping at straws for last-minute hooks for the Owens/Rhodes match tomorrow reached new heights, recapping live event show results and referencing knee injuries that surely have no grounding in reality. It was random, to say the least, with Owens' hardest evidence coming in the form of asking Rhodes why he didn't kneel during his entrance "like [he always does.]" That may very well be true but come on, guys. We would have been better off, at this point, if this had been a legitimate friend vs. friend, in-the-name-of-competition-type affair. Now, instead, we've referenced Owens' history of turning on every friend he's ever had, and Rhodes even had to go back to the well AGAIN talking about leaving WWE and going elsewhere, to places where Owens has been, with people with whom Owens had run, and blah, blah, blah. I can't imagine who actually might be into this outside of those (like me) who just want to see what's next.

And what's our go-home moment? Cody asking, "Will we still be friends?" and Owens responding with a Rock-esque whisper into his ear that tells us absolutely nothing other than ... actually, nothing. This can't end soon enough, at which point, a retaining Rhodes will then meander over into Bloodline business, which is hopefully when business, as they say, picks back up.

Written by Jon Jordan