So the Smackdown falling in this thread (4/14 air date) featured a pair of really good television matches. Emma vs. Paige was probably the best TV outing from the women in some time and held back solely because they only had a few minutes to work with.

 

I get that Charlotte is the lead heel, Sasha apparently the house favorite and Becky the the charismatic babyface, but 3 chicks does not a division make. These two should absolutely be pushed enough so that they can credibly be slotted into a second women's match on a PPV as they can hold their own and probably ensure a solid, 8-12 minute undercard to further storylines, build card depth and avoid repeated matchups.

 

AJ vs. Del Rio was the best thing Del Rio's been a part of since his return and better than every single match in the Jericho feud, plus it featured a well executed and very much non-standard WWE finish.

 

Leave the rest of the show in your DVR abyss, but I was pleasantly surprised to find these two matches on there before clearing it out.

Was the AJ match substantially better than the Kalisto pre-show match?

In any case, Alberto's return run has been a big disappointment so far. I just can't imagine THIS is what either side had in mind when they came to terms on an agreement.

I mean, I guess Berto's fine with just making his dates and raking in the money for a few years. But surely they pitched SOMETHING to get him to sit down in the first place. It's not like the guy was struggling out there, doing his own thing.

 

But what the hell do I know? It could have been all about them matching a certain number & nothing else.

You're right, I forgot about the Kalisto match. Very different matches but both were good. Probably preferred the dynamic of the 2/3 falls match because of how they used the booking, but can't go wrong with either.

I've been catching up on wrestling (haven't watched much of anything since Mania), and I thought the Kevin Owens-Dolph match on Main Event during this week was simply fantastic. Great overall heel performance by Kevin. It's definitely worth watching if you have not seen it.