Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Robert DeFelice, Andy Sahadeo and Callum Wiggins will be giving their opinions on what they expect from the quite hastily booked WWE Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2017!

Tables and ladders and chairs and Rollins and Ambrose and Roman and Braun and Sheamus and Cesaro and Miz and Kane! Oh my! I'm dizzy. Let's get this over with…


DeFELICE: I'm disappointed in the decision to go with Emma as Asuka's first opponent. This is exactly what they did on NXT and we already know how it goes. Maybe they will wait until WrestleMania but she could be champion as soon as Survivor Series. As for Emma, she's unfortunately been relegated to high-level enhancement talent status and I don't see that changing anytime soon, but maybe someday. We all know that she more than deserves it.

SAHADEO: Personally I hope it's a long build till she wins the Raw Women's Championship. After being built up so perfectly dominant in NXT, I would rather see her chase the Women's Championship on the main roster. Think back to Paige really quick. After Paige won the Divas Championship on her first night, it was as if she peaked because she had no championship to chase. Also to add on, Asuka never faced any managerial pressure on screen from William Regal down in NXT, so maybe Kurt Angle can impose some barriers for Asuka to "prove herself" on the main roster (albeit being a face).

As for Emma's career, we all know why she won that Fatal 5-Way on Raw. It was simply because she was the most disposable on the roster to feed to Asuka, which is a shame because I have supported Emma since day one. I don't think she's disposable in terms of wrestling ability, but definitely by booking ability. She's been reduced to a Zack Ryder-esque wrestler, in which they possess talent but constantly get held down by questionable booking decisions. I don't think Emma's booking will improve, but at least she gets bones thrown to her here and there.

WIGGINS: Unlike Mr. DeFelice, I am very happy with Asuka's first opponent being Emma. I fully believe that their match at NXT Takeover London was the match of the night, and I'm interested to see whether they'll be able to repeat the feat at TLC. For Emma, I believe she will be stuck firmly in the middle of the Raw women's division for eternity unless she moves to SmackDown in the next shake-up. A partnership with fellow Aussies Billie Kay and Peyton Royce could be a stroke of genius.

As for Asuka, I covered in great detail how I would book her rise on Raw in another article, which you can check out here (cheap plug alert). Long story short, I see her winning the rumored Women's Royal Rumble match in January, leading to her inevitable coronation as Raw Women's Champion at WrestleMania 34.


SAHADEO: I have to give Bray Wyatt so much credit for being able to put up with such ridiculous booking decisions throughout the years. As for the Sister Abigail character, I do think this is a step in the right direction by making her an alter-ego/possession of Bray Wyatt, rather than a physical incarnation. The concept of Sister Abigail is one of such myth and mystery that I don't think any woman can uphold that. It's not like this is the 1990s where Kane being introduced and actually working could fly today. I remember reading that Sage Beckett from the Mae Young Class teased her being Sister Abigail and I was just shuddering at how badly that could've gone.

Perhaps this possession of Bray Wyatt can finally do something to add another facet of his character. I love Bray Wyatt, but his promos tend to be long-winded as he goes on about his ramblings, which ultimately lead to him losing his matches. Wyatt does need a big win so perhaps this will finally give creative a reason for him to win. However, this will come at the expense of Finn Balor, who is another star being mishandled by creative – but that is a whole other argument for another time.

WIGGINS: This storyline… I don't know where to begin. Honestly, I think if handled correctly, the idea of Bray Wyatt and Sister Abigail being split personalities is very intriguing. But this is WWE and Bray Wyatt we're talking about here, so I'm refusing to get my hopes up. Everything else surrounding this feud has been horrendous, from Finn Balor's hokey acting to Wyatt's typically meandering promos.

Wyatt needs a big win, so maybe this change in persona can lead him there. But, years of conditioning mean I have next-to-no faith he can or will win. Therefore, I'll just wait for another lukewarm match which further dissipates the aura of Finn Balor and leaves Bray Wyatt even more of a joke in the eyes of fans.

DeFELICE: I'm not as upset as others are by the decision to make Bray Wyatt himself Sister Abigail. I am more bothered by the years of creative abuse to the Wyatt character. Since 2013, he's had three different family incarnations, two singles runS, and now this. I think that he works best when is the leader of his Wyatt Family, but I'm open to this idea. It adds a new layer to his character and if they can give them some high-profile wins, starting with The Demon, maybe we can have something special here. Really, for me, it's all about whether not he can start to rack up some victories that he has been sorely missing and overall just inconsistent booking has hurt his character as a whole. Unfortunately, I definitely see him losing to The Demon, so that they can get Finn ready for a showdown with Brock Lesnar. That match doesn't excite me in the least, but more on that when the time is upon us…


WIGGINS: Is it too soon? Probably. But that doesn't make the Shield reuniting a terrible thing. I just don't really understand why this feud or the match at TLC. Are they really going to have the Shield defeat four superstars, including the monstrous Braun Strowman and Intercontinental Champion The Miz? Most likely, and that is what I'm most fearful of. The Shield reuniting is exciting, but it's the impact they'll leave on the rest of the roster that leaves me somewhat melancholy.

As for Brock Lesnar's absence, I don't think TLC will miss another main event match that fails to live up to expectations. Plus, SmackDown Live has been coping without a real World Champion for months now, so I'm sure Raw won't miss one PPV without the Beast Incarnate.

DeFELICE: I love these guys together in anyway shape or form, so I am very excited for this. I kind of wanted to be like DX in 2006 where they just stay friends and come back together at random times when necessary. Unfortunately, I think it's going to be more like DX in the year 2000. They haven't been broken up long enough and I think it is just a quick fix so they're not gonna care when I have to break them up again.

This is a downside to having Brock Lesnar as Universal Champion. I'm kind of excited for when this whole part-time era is fully done within the WWE, but unfortunately, I think it's too ingratiated into the culture now and will probably always be a factor. For now, I'm just going to enjoy the shield for as long as I can and hope they stay together even longer.

SAHADEO: WWe all know the reason why The Shield reunited – it's just to get the Big Dog over before his inevitable match at WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar. It sucks that that's the reason why they reunited, but I still think it's cool to see them back on my screen. The idea is iffy, but the execution was pretty cool to see.

As for them being enough to forgive Lesnar for not showing up, no. Nothing can forgive that amount of laziness and lack of dedication. You have a roster with guys like Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, even Roman Reigns – guys who are there week in and week out who should be fighting for the top title but are aimlessly floating around due to not having anything to fight for. Lesnar has held the title hostage for far too long and after he inevitably drops it at WrestleMania, things will finally look up for WWE. Hopefully this Shield reunion is enough to hold us over.