There are times when within the two or three hour frame of broadcasting that WWE gets this whole storytelling thing right. There exists an eternal struggle between having some kind of temporary resolution within the show that doesn't interfere with the longterm arc being crafted for a bigger payoff down the road. Smackdown tonight was a perfect crucible of setup and payoff within the grander scheme of things, a realization of promise that maybe even last year wouldn't have happened even with two of the best all-rounders on the roster driving the action.
It's almost taking CM Punk and Alberto del Rio for granted that WWE could put them in a show-long arc and I'd expect them to elevate two hours on my Friday night into something more than background noise. Making such an assertion feels dismissive in a way without analyzing why. The whole mindset takes for granted their talents, and it even demeans when the writing and story construction isn't total grandstanding horseshit and actually makes sense. CM Punk went onto Smackdown and hijacked the show open. del Rio took issue because Punk never stoops to work on Fridays while he often pulls double duty. Tempers flared, and boom, we had ourselves a main event. That's the simplest story to tell in wrestling, of course, so giving the writers credit here might seem damning, but hey, they didn't get in their own way.
Sometimes, letting your star performers do the things that star performers do is the best route to go. On the microphone, Punk is always at his best when he has a real life thread to bat at, and like a patient cat, he saw del Rio's false adoptive patriotism towards the United States dangling in the air and batted it around. It's just as del Rio is at his best as the suave kingpin, full of himself to the point where he'd actually believe that anyone who didn't appear on his show regularly would have to pay him tribute, one easily excited when provoked. Sure, I'm a huge fan of when El Patron condescends to the people and acts like he's doing them a favor by being himself while his personal court jester Ricardo Rodriguez buttresses his smugness with fawning obsequiousness, but sometimes the traditional beats are the most effective. Sharply-dressed (and don't let Punk's "cheap suit" comment sway you, del Rio looked sharp) and quick to fly off the handle crime lord suits del Rio to a tee.
The two also have such amazing rapport in the ring, a big reason why their feud arc at the end of '11 didn't totally go tits up. On the surface, the bulk of the match and the finishing sequence didn't have much to do with each other. Most of that prelude saw del Rio work the arm and Punk play the role of gutty, come-from-behind babyface to keep the World Champion from locking in the crescendo of that limb work. To end the match with del Rio sacrificing the winner's purse just to fuck with Punk's head felt incongruous on the surface, but again, del Rio is kayfabe-wealthy. HE could afford to keep his options over. The arm was one means to an end, and again, Punk was gutty, full of heart. He wasn't staying down, so if you can't put him in the cross-armbreaker, goad him into shifting gears and in the process, get to smack around an old fat guy. When Chris Jericho does it as a babyface, it's shoot reprehensible. When Alberto del Rio does it as a heel? It's brilliant storytelling because it's kayfabe-reprehensible. Get the difference, and get the nuance.
Punk's freakout over Paul Heyman's accostment was punctuated more by the little things. It was the fortuitous close up on Punk's face at the moment he realized Heyman had been struck. It was his disbelief at the referee announcing a no-contest, that he had been deprived of that win that would have further validated his claims as "Best in the World." It would be one thing if it were John Cena, because Cena doesn't need to win matches anymore. The narrative dictates whether he's had a good year or not, and that narrative is mostly artificial. But when Punk is at his best, the story is legit. Everything makes sense, not only because the writing is there, but because he sells it through body language, facial expression, and action. His words, often reputed as his biggest asset, are often the least important thing to his motivations when he's on.
The best television shows have one main arc in a given episode that's advanced with subplots that provide other forms of catharsis or satisfaction. Smackdown tonight felt like it hit all those notes, not only with the Punk/del Rio mini-novella, but with the wrestling interspersed between the opening and closing segments. The entire show felt important, an aura missing from the atmosphere for almost a year now. I don't want to go on some philosophical rant about how this needs to happen every week, but you know what? It's nice that WWE could at least for one week make the best use of all their television time.
It's almost taking CM Punk and Alberto del Rio for granted that WWE could put them in a show-long arc and I'd expect them to elevate two hours on my Friday night into something more than background noise. Making such an assertion feels dismissive in a way without analyzing why. The whole mindset takes for granted their talents, and it even demeans when the writing and story construction isn't total grandstanding horseshit and actually makes sense. CM Punk went onto Smackdown and hijacked the show open. del Rio took issue because Punk never stoops to work on Fridays while he often pulls double duty. Tempers flared, and boom, we had ourselves a main event. That's the simplest story to tell in wrestling, of course, so giving the writers credit here might seem damning, but hey, they didn't get in their own way.
Sometimes, letting your star performers do the things that star performers do is the best route to go. On the microphone, Punk is always at his best when he has a real life thread to bat at, and like a patient cat, he saw del Rio's false adoptive patriotism towards the United States dangling in the air and batted it around. It's just as del Rio is at his best as the suave kingpin, full of himself to the point where he'd actually believe that anyone who didn't appear on his show regularly would have to pay him tribute, one easily excited when provoked. Sure, I'm a huge fan of when El Patron condescends to the people and acts like he's doing them a favor by being himself while his personal court jester Ricardo Rodriguez buttresses his smugness with fawning obsequiousness, but sometimes the traditional beats are the most effective. Sharply-dressed (and don't let Punk's "cheap suit" comment sway you, del Rio looked sharp) and quick to fly off the handle crime lord suits del Rio to a tee.
The two also have such amazing rapport in the ring, a big reason why their feud arc at the end of '11 didn't totally go tits up. On the surface, the bulk of the match and the finishing sequence didn't have much to do with each other. Most of that prelude saw del Rio work the arm and Punk play the role of gutty, come-from-behind babyface to keep the World Champion from locking in the crescendo of that limb work. To end the match with del Rio sacrificing the winner's purse just to fuck with Punk's head felt incongruous on the surface, but again, del Rio is kayfabe-wealthy. HE could afford to keep his options over. The arm was one means to an end, and again, Punk was gutty, full of heart. He wasn't staying down, so if you can't put him in the cross-armbreaker, goad him into shifting gears and in the process, get to smack around an old fat guy. When Chris Jericho does it as a babyface, it's shoot reprehensible. When Alberto del Rio does it as a heel? It's brilliant storytelling because it's kayfabe-reprehensible. Get the difference, and get the nuance.
Punk's freakout over Paul Heyman's accostment was punctuated more by the little things. It was the fortuitous close up on Punk's face at the moment he realized Heyman had been struck. It was his disbelief at the referee announcing a no-contest, that he had been deprived of that win that would have further validated his claims as "Best in the World." It would be one thing if it were John Cena, because Cena doesn't need to win matches anymore. The narrative dictates whether he's had a good year or not, and that narrative is mostly artificial. But when Punk is at his best, the story is legit. Everything makes sense, not only because the writing is there, but because he sells it through body language, facial expression, and action. His words, often reputed as his biggest asset, are often the least important thing to his motivations when he's on.
The best television shows have one main arc in a given episode that's advanced with subplots that provide other forms of catharsis or satisfaction. Smackdown tonight felt like it hit all those notes, not only with the Punk/del Rio mini-novella, but with the wrestling interspersed between the opening and closing segments. The entire show felt important, an aura missing from the atmosphere for almost a year now. I don't want to go on some philosophical rant about how this needs to happen every week, but you know what? It's nice that WWE could at least for one week make the best use of all their television time.