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, Callum Wiggins, and Ben Guest will be giving their thoughts on what may happen at the inaugural WWE Super Show-Down!

For 28 years The Undertaker has stood atop of the WWE. With his match against Triple H at Super Show-Down being billed as the last one-on-one encounter between the two, now seems like a good time to assess The Phenom's career from our perspective. So, who is Undertaker's greatest foe? How should it all truly end? Let's discuss…


Wiggins: If Samoa Joe does lose against AJ Styles here, I don't think it invalidates him from holding the WWE Championship a couple more cycles down the road. But this situation isn't really about their faith in Joe or how valuable they consider him to be, it's what legacy they want to give this current Styles title run. At the end of the day, if they want Styles to be the longest reigning WWE Champion of the modern era, they'll do it and sacrifice whoever they need to along the way.

Sadly, I see Samoa Joe as the latest stepping stone in this process, and I expect AJ Styles to retain in Australia and carry the gold until the Royal Rumble at the very least.

DeFELICE: If Joe does not win here, then I don’t see him becoming champion anytime soon, if ever. I think that this rivalry has gotten a little too personal simply because I think that the audience just wants to see them go out there and top each other in terms of athleticism. I don’t know why they do this weird thing with AJ where they try to give you the dream match but then they throw a whole bunch of sports entertainment gaga around it which does work but not with a guy like AJ Styles and not with an opponent like Joe. It’s worth noting I think that whatever happens in the match between Daniel Bryan and The Miz Will have a Lee play a role into the outcome of this match and I think Daniel Bryan victory is the only chance in hell that Joe has as being booked as the victor of this match. I really do think Joe is overdue but they may see him as one of those guys who doesn’t need a championship to validate his career.

GUEST: I’m fairly confident Joe will win the title at some point, but I think they either want Styles to break Punk’s record, can’t figure out who should take the belt off him, or a mixture of both. It’s a shame they’ve made Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe look worse than they needed to since WrestleMania,but I’m happy to see Styles hold the title.

I’m fairly confident this is just another glorified house show and title changes will be few and far-between (Murphy is winning), the good thing is that I’m happy with Styles or Joe winning, as long as they have a good match and the feud ends soon.


GUEST: The problem with saying the women need to impress, is that it sets expectations very high, for a card where there probably aren’t going to be many amazing matches. I think Evolution is going to be a lot of matches similar to the NXT classics, and that will be where we get the real women’s action. Don't expect much from this show, remember how disappointed you all were with Greatest Royal Rumble?... yeah.

WIGGINS: I'm pretty sure they'll view it as just another show, and as such an opportunity to stand out on a big stage. I would be surprised if what happens at Super Showdown plays into the plans for WWE Evolution, as I'd think they'd have the layout for it already nailed down (although maybe that's giving WWE too much credit).

Regardless, it's a big night for the various performers. Ronda Rousey features on another big stage with the Bella Twins, The IIconics finally get to perform on a special event for the first time since joining the main roster (in April) and I have no doubt Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair will continue to build on Hell in a Cell's stellar performance.

DeFELICE: I truly feel like all of the women on this card need to shine big time. There are three women’s matches on this card and all feature women that are very much deserving of a spot like this. However, with Evolution around the corner, Crown Jewel just added as another show where the women cannot compete, and now all of the Brie Bella drama, the women are definitely fighting an uphill battle. That being said, Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest draws on this card, The IIconics are sure to get a startling ovation, and Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte could easily be the match of the night. So with everything that the women have going against him in the eyes of some, there is no better opportunity for them to shine and they do have a lot of their best pieces in play. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what they can come up with.


WIGGINS: As for the match itself, it will probably go as many will expect - it's a 53-year-old Undertaker with a recently replaced hip slogging it out with a 49-year-old Triple H, pulling out their greatest hits surrounded by a ton of smoke and mirrors. And the saddest part of all of that is it's likely the match most people are looking forward to above all others

That's because these four are real stars, which are found few and far between on today's roster, but I can't blame these four. I mean it's not like one is a key executive of the company that can influence these decisions or anything… This match should be a pleasant nostalgia trip and plant the seeds for Shawn Michaels' inevitable return at WWE Crown Jewel and beyond. Beyond that, I'll just wait another decade for WWE doing the same thing with all four of these guys on zimmer frames.

DeFELICE: So much of this, and what is rumored to come out of it, feels like a fever dream. It feels like I’m playing universe mode and I’m just letting the child in me run wild. I love all four characters involved here so it’s not like I’m really going to down on this match. But I don’t care for is the fact that all of these men feel so much more important than the main roster. You have guys busting their ass and sometimes it just feels like it doesn’t matter and they will never come close to the folklore that these four men have. That being said I think it will be a very fun match and I see Triple H winning with enough shenanigans to get a Brothers Of Destruction versus D-Generation X match at WWE Crown Jewel. Lord help us, Triple H and Shawn Michaels are going to look so old trying to do the DX schtick.

GUEST: Again, this is a weird mix of “look at our big shiny thing” and “don’t worry, none of this really matters”. These guys will draw big numbers, they have an established name and will help sell-out a huge arena. I’d also love to see Brothers of Destruction vs DX and if we’re bringing back older guys, this is pretty much all I could ask for.

As for them “taking the limelight”... the current roster is in the spotlight of 99% of pay-per-view matches, it’s okay to have the legends put on a show every now and then, and at least they’re all in one match, not spread out across 2 or 3.