Match Ratings For WWE Smackdown 1/31/20 From Sean Ross Sapp

Top Contender Match
Miz & Morrison defeated The Revival, Lucha House Party and Heavy Machinery
5/10

• The Smackdown tag division has really been given a boost thanks to Miz & Morrison. The brand needed another big team.
• Metalik hits a great run up sunset bomb on Morrison. He continues to impress by doing an outside-in huracanrana on the apron onto a pile.
• Revival hit a superplex splash, but Dash lands weird on Dorado.
• This is insanely fast paced.
• Morrison misses Starship Pain by a mile again, but pins Dawson.
• Miz & Morrison facing New Day at Super Showdown
• After the match, Heavy Machinery is backstage. Otis asks Mandy on a date. Mandy’s busy next Friday, but not on Valentine’s Day. Mandy should have been like “you know we work Fridays, right?”

Bliss Cross Applesauce defeated Fire & Desire
4.75/10

• This match is not gonna set the world on fire, based on the opening minutes.
• It doesn’t. Bliss and Cross win with their finishing moves.
• This was really nothing, but it was just there. I guess it advances a contender for Kabuki Warriors? But we saw that feud a few months ago.

WWE Intercontinental Championship
Braun Strowman defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (c) (w/ The Artists) to become champion
5.25/10

• No way we get a real finish here, right? Strowman vs. Nakamura gotta happen at least four times.
• Zayn keeps getting involved. Strowman misses a boot and gets kneed.
• Strowman does his holding strike and mows Nakamura down.
• Strowman avoids the exposed turnbuckle and Nakamura hits it. Powerslam!
• Braun Strowman is the new Intercontinental Champion!
• Sami Zayn is not happy backstage. He goes off on a reporter after the match
• Elias interrupts all the way in the ring by playing a song.
• Elias and Sami Zayn argue.
• Cesaro comes out to the ring and we probably have a match
• Alas, we don’t. Elias stands tall though.

Sheamus defeated Shorty G
5.5/10

• Shorty G attacks Sheamus, EMBARRASSING Sheamus. They love running that angle with him. I do like that a babyface did it instead.
• Sheamus pulls off an inverted Wasteland.
• Gable hits a nice moonsault.
• Sheamus ends up winning with a Brogue Kick
• Did we need this again? Probably not.

Bayley & Naomi

• Bayley comes out and says she ended Lacey Evans’ title hopes and gained revenge on Lacey taking Sasha out of the Royal Rumble match and injuring her.
• Bayley wants Charlotte to come out and make her challenge because she’s beaten everyone.
• Naomi is out with LED light up head gear. How can she see!?!? With some changes I think this could be a big time entrance.
• Naomi says Bayley hasn’t beaten everyone, especially her.
• Bayley cracks her with the microphone, but Naomi fights back with a flying kick.
• Naomi meets the Usos on the ramp, who are our for their match.

The Bloodline defeated King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Bobby Roode
5.25/10

• Roman Reigns and the Usos are out. Pretty soon after, King Corbin, Ziggler and Roode join.
• After some back and forth, a challenge where the loser eats DOG FOOD is made.
• Corbin isn’t happy, but accepts.
• We need Daniel Cormier calling this sports-centric show.
• There’s a nice spinebuster outside the ring, and they talk up the dog food A LOT.
• Roman Reigns runs WILD but gets cut off by Corbin, who then LEAVES THE RING to look at the dog food.
• Reigns missed an uppercut by a mile. That doesn’t happen a lot. Superkick and Deep Six doesn’t win it.
• The Usos fly into Roode, Reigns pins Corbin with a roll up.
• As dumb as this is, Corbin and Reigns’ facial expressions were great
• Usos shackle Corbin and Reigns spears him.
• They throw dog food all over Corbin.

Rating Guide
10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor

Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a “star rating,” which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive “TV match” lands at a 5. The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.
These are opinions, and incredibly inconsistent ones that may change upon a second viewing, or sitting on the match for a period of time. Don’t take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!