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New Day – HIT: I did not like how New Day came into the ring, like his old self, throwing pancakes at the crowd. After starting to talk and started talking, they were much better. I like serious New Day. Xavier Woods and Big E were strong at the microphone. The idea that they were planning to quit because of the way Kofi Kingston was treated was an intriguing device for what would happen when they confronted Vince McMahon. Daniel Bryan was also good in the opening segment. I mocked his suggestion to call three NXT wrestlers to form Fresh Afternoon, who could throw waffles at the crowd. But I did not like how he shut up when Vince yelled at everyone to shut up. That makes Vince the alpha and everyone looks like kids. Vince was not good. He announced that New Day had to run the Gauntlet for Kofi to win his WWE title match at WrestleMania. It was rolling in the eyes. Moreover, it makes no sense that Vince continues to give Fofi a chance if he does not want him in the match. So, I can not give a success to the first segment as a whole, but the role of New Day certainly was there.
Charlotte vs. Asuka – HIT: This Hit is for the quality of the match itself. Charlotte Flair and Asuka had a very good match. This match would have worked perfectly at WM. It should have happened there, not here. This match for the women's title of Smackdown would have felt in place on the biggest card of the year and, with a good build, the fans would have been delighted to see it. And if Charlotte and Asuka had done the same performance here and put that quality of match, the fans would have been delighted.
Female title change – MISS: As I said, this the match should not have happened on this Smackdown. There was no construction to that. There was no explanation of the story for that. I appreciate the fact that advertisers asked why Charlotte was getting the title match, but there should have been an explanation. The other thing is that Charlotte seemed to get this title match as an answer to Becky Lynch's question about what she brings to the WM main event. She even said going to the ring that she was going to show why she deserved to be in the main event. But it's just after Becky's interview where she asked the question. So, there is no way for Charlotte to answer that question by getting a title shot. This match would not happen if Charlotte was not going to win, so the result of that match was very predictable. This turned out to be a very disappointing title reign for Asuka. The main event WM does not need another title. It seemed like a last-minute decision. I hated this change of title.
Angle vs. Styles – HIT: I may be a minority, but I do not care if the WWE announced this game in advance without delivering it. It does not matter that this is the last match announced by Kurt Angle at Smackdown. I do not want to see Angle fight. I was not looking forward to seeing him in the ring with AJ Styles. This allowed WWE to get Angle on the show, while doing at least something to advance the story between Randy Orton and Styles, who had a great time a few weeks ago, but nothing since. Angle is well-rounded to end the segment, but Orton has had some heat for messing up the game. So, I was good with that.
Mysterio & Dominic – MISS: WWE did a terrible job preparing for the US Championship game at WM. I do not understand why Rey Mysterio's son, Dominic, was suddenly inserted into the story. I guess something is going to happen between Samoa Joe and him on the last Smackdown before WM broke the match, but Dominic's introduction has been odd so far. I do not know if we have done enough to put him in touch with the public to ensure that Joe will attack at some sort of attack next week. The two long gauntlets have interfered with WWE's ability to compete in other WM matches and this is an example of the fact that they do not have the time to fully invest in this match.
Miz – Shane – HIT: The Miz continues to do a great job as a baby's face, without totally reinventing itself as a character. It was a pretty credible change. The same can be said of Shane McMahon becoming a credible heel. I do not care about adding a stipulation of Falls Count Anywhere to their match. I do not want to see the game. But the physical presence at the end of the segment helped sell the idea. I did not buy Miz as the kind of babyface badbad who could easily fight a group of security guards and five wrestlers trying to get their hands on Shane. However, the advertisers did a great job showing how Miz's anger at Shane pushed him to do things he could not have done otherwise. They actually added something to the change by making more credible what Miz had done.
The Gauntlet – MISS: As for last week's glove, there were positive and negative aspects with regard to this week. The idea behind this does not make sense. If Vince wanted Kofi to prove that he was above a B + player, how would that help? The idea that the rest of New Day has finally won Kofi's place at WM is disappointing. This glove did nothing for Gallows & Anderson who was eliminated in a minute. The next two matches were good with Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev, followed by The Bar for New Day. These matches were marked by a good fight and did not seem to be such a funeral. But after the bar lost, attacked and put Big E on the table, advertisers talked about the length of New Day in the match, but it was not that long. And the fact that there are two makes it even less special. It did not feel like last week when Kofi was alone in the ring for 30, then 40, then 50 minutes. As was the case last week, it was good for babyfaces to look in the back, rooting New Day with Kofi. But what was Asuka doing there? She should not have celebrated that just after losing the women's title. Why did not Vince put the Hardy in the game? I know it would have made them look bad, but it's a behind-the-scenes answer. What is the answer on the front of the stage? I liked that Usos are lost. It made perfect sense considering their characters and their long history of respect for New Day. It was the best part of that. Will they be punished next week? Having New Day beat Rowan & Bryan in the end made sense. But they could not have Bryan take the loss. And for some reason, they decided to protect Rowan to make it a final victory. It seemed so anti-culminating. The celebration at the end was nice, but I'm still waiting for the other shoe to fall. Vince's interview at the end did not really work. I'm still not completely convinced that Kofi is officially facing Daniel Bryan for the WWE title at WM.
For another point of view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting the "Hitlist" section of prowrestling.NET here.
Jon Mezzera is the WWE Hits & Misses Specialist at PWTorch.com. He gives his point of view on Raw and Smackdown every week. Send him an e-mail at the address [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JonMezzera .
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