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, Ben Williams, and Jordan Chaffiotte will be giving their thoughts on WWE Extreme Rules 2019!

It’s the most dangerous night of the year. There will be a lot on the line, especially everyone’s careers. It’s Extreme Rules. What match will steal the show? Let's discuss…


WILLIAMS: Definitely not. Whilst Samoa Joe is an incredibly gifted performer in every sense of the word, WWE already refused to allow him to become WWE champion a year ago against an incredibly stale champion in AJ Styles. On top of that, not only is Joe a Raw superstar, he only recently dropped his United States title to Ricochet a matter of weeks ago. While I for one would love to see Samoa Joe as WWE champion, I just can't see WWE having more belief in an injury-prone veteran over a red hot star in Kofi Kingston.

CHAFFIOTTE: Absolutely. Joe has proven time and time again he's the real deal. If anything, facing off against Kofi Kingston may be his best shot at the world title. Kofi is a competitor driven by emotion. He's fueled by a career of being second best and overlooked. It's worked for him this far, but it's dangerous. Any shmuck can manipulate that passion and force him to make a mistake. Samoa Joe is no shmuck. He knows what he's doing and I think he knows exactly how to get under the skin of Kofi Kingston. If he can weaponize that raw emotion against Kingston, he will walk out as WWE Champion.

DEFELICE: Samoa Joe never wins the big one. I don't see that changing here.


DeFELICE: This on-screen pairing is odd. They don't seem to have much chemistry and it seems to be weighing down on Seth Rollins in particular.

CHAFFIOTTE: I have, and for one very simple reason: because they are clearly enjoying it. The two are having a grand old time and from all accounts are in control creatively. This storyline is nothing other than what they want it to be. For what it is, I think it has its hits and its misses, just like anything else. They might still be finding the sweet spot of leaning in but not too far. Sometimes they take a joke a little too far and need to learn when to stop selling. Personally, I'd like it a bit more if they relied more on subtext than coming out and hitting us over the head with it. Still, I don't understand how anyone can look at them and not see two people who are completely in love. The world is a depressing place, let's enjoy the light where we can find it.

That said, I don't think it's going to last much longer, certainly not with them losing the titles at Extreme Rules. Instead, I see them beating Lacy Evans and Baron Corbin, having one last celebration in the ring and then moving to the periphery of each other's programs. They won't disappear completely, WWE loves their power couples and the two seem to really enjoy being out in the open. I expect it'll be more subtle and only occasionally brought up in actual wrestling feuds. The success of this may bring back the Mixed Match Challenge, which I would definitely enjoy.

WILLIAMS: Initially when the relationship was hinted at, I thought it was incredibly smart business to capitalize on the two most popular stars on TV today. However, in recent weeks we’ve seen both Rollins and Lynch forced together into every segment of theirs, eventually leading to a mixed tag team feud against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans. To me, this is a waste of two performers who are quite capable of dominating their respective divisions on their own. Also, whilst it is clear that both superstars are enjoying working together on TV, there is the looming threat of either of them losing their edge and credibility amongst fans. One particularly corny segment and the WWE universe could quickly turn on this fiery duo.


CHAFFIOTTE: There's a lot of things that I'd like to see to make WWE programming more engaging for me personally. Assuming that I'm not getting everything I want here, the top priority is putting more trust into the hands of talent. Like I mentioned in the last question, Becky and Seth are reported to be controlling a lot of their storyline. Paul Heyman, in particular, is known for having a really keen eye for talent, recognizing potential before most others do. If there starts to become a culture where creative leads give the opportunity to talent to shape their characters and their stories, I think WWE will be far more enjoyable across the board. With an extra step between them and Vince McMahon, this is a perfect time to shift into this approach.

WILLIAMS: I’m excited at the thought of what both men could bring to a struggling WWE product in 2019. Personally, I think WWE is losing steam with its “women’s evolution” campaign as, since Wrestlemania 35, we have seen a significant decrease in both women’s feuds and televised matches. If someone like a Paul Heyman can give the women’s division a much-needed injection of fire it could really benefit the TV product as a whole. A new format to Raw and SmackDown would also be a welcome change as the standard, promo segment setting up a tag team match formula is wearing very thin as the weeks go on. In an era full of ROH’s and AEW’s, WWE is smart to utilize two experienced players to help get their weekly product back on track!

DeFELICE: I'm so excited for this new regime. The most I can hope for is a change in production value. Particularly, I'm hoping for individual stages for both weekly television shows and all pay-per-view events.