Match Ratings For WWE Smackdown 5/8/20 From Sean Ross Sapp

Sonya Deville defeated Mandy Rose
5/10

• We see Mandy and Sonya both cutting promos with Otis and Ziggler respectively, backstage.
• Mandy clocks Sonya with a knee right out of the gate. Mandy lands the Bellasawa forearm, too.
• This feels like a PPV match and probably should have been.
• Sonya takes over and talks trash to Mandy. Usually I would hate that, but it fits the character and feud.
• Mandy says BITCH. She beats up Sonya a little bit and drags her in the ring.
• Instead of doing a feud blow off, they do a sneaky win. Hopefully they protect Sonya from here on out.
• This was too short.

Miz & Morrison, Forgotten Sons (w/ Jaxson Ryker) defeated Lucha House Party & New Day
6/10

• The babyfaces all do dives before we head to commercial.
• There’s some back and forth before another babyface dive ahead of the commercial.
• The work is good here, previewing this weekend’s tag match.
• Lucha House Party get some good shine with their high flying offense, but the pin is broken up.
• Forgotten Sons do their finish to Big E outside, and powerbomb Kofi onto them.
• Miz gets a Skull Crushing Finale on Dorado for the win.
• This was good.

Jeff Hardy

• Hardy isn’t sure how much he has left or what he’s going to do in his career.
• Sheamus isn’t happy that Jeff Hardy is back. He talks some trash and says he should take Hardy out once and for all.
• Hardy beats him up with a Whisper in the Wind, Twist of Fate, Swanton.
• This is the same old “Sheamus, a bully, gets punched in the nose and how he will BE ANGRY!!!!” booking.

Braun and Bray

• Braun Strowman is tired of words and gifts, he calls out Bray Wyatt.
• Bray wants Braun to come home. Braun says he is home, and he’s the champ.
• Braun’s BYE SEE YA SUNDAY really tones down the importance of the match somehow. But I like that he’s fearless. But it probably shouldn’t border trolling.

Tamina & Lacey Evans defeated Boss N’ Hug Connection
5.25/10

• Bayley and Sasha Banks are great heels, but even they have a tough time making me believe Tamina and Lacey can and will beat them long-term in a feud.
• Bayley flies into Tamina’s fist for a nice spot.
• The ref doesn’t bother keeping Sasha or Bayley out of the ring, so why doesn’t Tamina come in?
• Tamina catches Sasha outside and slings her into the barricade.
• Bayley to Belly on Tamina. Flying Elbow Drop hits, and Tamina kicks out. They sold me a ticket on that one.
• Tamina catches Lacey off guard and wins with a Superkick and Samoan Drop.
• Sasha and Bayley did everything they could in this match, and it ended up working out.

Other Stuffs

• King Corbin is interviewed by Kayla Braxton. He talks about Sunday and how he’s going to make Otis feel like a loser.
• Dana Brooke and Carmella both cut promos together backstage about Money in the Bank. Just watch our interview instead.
• We see the hacker pointing out teams dissolving.

King Corbin, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Drew Gulak, Otis & Daniel Bryan
5.5/10

• Otis is the mystery partner for Gulak and Bryan.
• Gulak doing that scoop slam on Cesaro was hoss territory
• Gulak is getting a whole lot of shine, especially with Cesaro. He applies a submission hold but has to fight all three guys off.
• Corbin does the Deep Six for the win. Love the Deep Six getting a win. There are some elements of Baron Corbin that I really like — protecting his finish and establishing his setup move.
• Corbin sets up a ladder to climb it. For some reason Daniel Bryan actually gives a shit about this. Bryan gets LEANED off the ladder and knocked Daniel Bryan off.

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!