Another week means more WWE Network additions are here! Like every week, we had several items added to the video on demand library, while we also had some original content. But was it enough?
It should be noted that there were a few more uploads aside from what you will see below. As always, we had both NXT and Superstars, which were reviewed elsewhere on the site. Beyond that, we saw the Smackdown exclusive No Mercy event, which we reviewed here. But what else was added? And how was it? Let’s take a look:
RAW Pre-Show
The RAW Pre-Show was missing a person yet again. This week’s edition of the RAW Pre-Show featured Scott Stanford, Booker T, and Jerry the King Lawler. Hall of Famer Lita wasn’t in person at WWE Studios because she was backstage at RAW. Her role would be interviewing Charlotte and Sasha Banks on the main show, but she also would chime in from the arena.
All in all, this was a decent if uneventful edition of the show. With no special interview, it did seem less important but it can still be fun. The breaking down of the stories is entertaining, and of course you usually get some special insight or previews for what’s to come. For example, we saw a segment with The Shining Stars, Titus O’Neil, Golden Truth, and Mark Henry. Cool.
Legends with JBL
I’ll keep this brief, since we already had a pre-release review for this episode available here. I liked this. I like every edition of Legends with JBL. With that being said, I felt like a 45 minute look at Bruno’s career just isn’t enough. Two episodes wouldn’t be either, but this seemed like something that should have at least two parts. JBL is still a very entertaining interviewer nonetheless.
Smackdown Pre-Show
The Smackdown Pre-Show was here and it was a solid edition. As usual, it focused on the upcoming Smackdown episode along with the recent events for the blue brand. Unlike with RAW, which is attempting to juggle hype for Hell in a Cell and Survivor Series at once, Smackdown has an easier time with less to juggle. That makes for a more focused show this week.
Once again, Lita was missing from the lineup this week. Instead, she was once again backstage at Smackdown. As a result, the lineup featured Scott Stanford as the host alongside Booker T and Jerry Lawler. Booker T heavily praised Nikki Bella, which received an interesting reaction from Jerry Lawler. Check it out.
WWE Talking Smack
This edition of WWE Talking Smack was another good one. But before I talk about it, check out WWE Network News’ latest poll regarding the WWE Network. This poll asks how often you watch WWE Talking Smack. Be sure to let us know in the comments section what you think of the show!
Anyway, as I said this was a good edition of Talking Smack. The hosts were the usual duo of Daniel Bryan and Renee Young and Daniel in particular got fired up on several topics during this episode, which is always a joy to watch. The guests were the Hype Bros and Baron Corbin, but we also had an appearance by the WWE Champion, who was put into a big match for next week’s show. I really love this show.
This Week in WWE
This Week in WWE was the same as ever. With no pay-per-view or special event this weekend, the focus was less on one particular show and instead looked more at both shows. In particular, they looked at the AJ Styles/Dean Ambrose/James Ellsworth scenario, the Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho/Seth Rollins fiasco, and the Goldberg news. Skip this if you’re up to date on programming, otherwise you may want to check this out.
Main Event
This week’s Main Event edition was the 209th episode of the series. It aired on September 27th of this year and featured two big matches. The first was an NXT rematch between Apollo Crews and Tyler Breeze, while the latter was big in a physical sense as well, as Corbin took on Kane. As always, WWE Main Event is on a delay so I recommend skipping the recap.
Match List
Apollo Crews vs. Tyler Breeze
Baron Corbin vs. Kane
RAW
This episode of RAW aired on September 12th of this year. It was the 1216th episode of this series. This show was centered around build towards Clash of Champions in two weeks. I can’t recommend this episode, as truthfully I didn’t think much of it. Watch it if you enjoy RAW, but otherwise I’d suggest skipping it.
Match List
Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Dana Brooke
Bo Dallas vs. Brandon Scott
Sheamus vs. Cesaro
Alicia Fox vs. Nia Jax
The Club (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) vs. The New Day (Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston)
Jack Swagger vs. Jinder Mahal
Epico (with Primo) vs. Enzo Amore (with Big Cass)
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns
Smackdown
The final update noted on this week’s additions column comes from Smackdown. This episode of Smackdown Live was the 891st episode of the show’s history. It aired on September 13th of this year. The episode was a fun one, and it followed the successful and highly acclaimed Backlash event. Check this out if you haven’t seen it already, and Smackdown is usually worth re-watching if you enjoy it.
Match List
The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) vs. The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder)
Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi vs. Natalya vs. Nikki Bella vs. Carmella
Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor)
The Miz and AJ Styles vs. John Cena and Dean Ambrose
Closing Thoughts
A decent week. I can’t say it is a good or great week with only one piece of original programming, but with the classic content drop beginning, we have a lot more to look forward to. The big focus for me will be on the WWE Network schedule for next week, which will be uploaded and noted here on Friday. Could we get something interesting? I sure hope so.
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