The BOK Center wasn't ready for this brand of arrogance

Let's get one thing straight: throwing a guy into the deep end with the Undisputed WWE Champion is a bold strategy. It’s like bringing a kitchen knife to a tank fight, but credit where it's due, the kid has nerve. Watching Ricky Saints walk out in Tulsa felt like watching a guy try to sell ice to a guy who already owns the glacier. He’s got the microphone confidence of a man who hasn't been told 'no' since grade school, but swagger only gets you so far when you’re standing across from The American Nightmare.

Saints came out swinging with the line, 'I’m everything your baby mama wishes you were,' which is the kind of trash talk that sounds great on a highlight reel but usually ends with a loss. The debut sequence felt like a rush job. You have a former NXT champion, someone who dominated the smaller pond, and you immediately bury the momentum by having him take the pin in his first appearance. It’s the classic WWE trap. They love the new shiny toy until it’s time to actually protect it.

The booking math just doesn't add up

If you listened to the post-show breakdown from Wade Keller and Jake Barnett, you caught the vibe: the crowd didn't know whether to cheer or check their watches. We spent half the episode dealing with Gingerbread Man comedy sketches while the main event scene is crying out for actual stakes. Having Cody handle a rookie so quickly might keep the champion looking strong, but what does it do for the newcomer? It turns him into cannon fodder overnight.

And then there was the GUNTHER interference. You have a legitimate monster waiting in the wings, yet the show prioritizes a messy transition out of an NXT call-up angle. The whole sequence felt stitched together by someone working on a deadline. When you look at the results from May 1, it’s clear the creative team had too many plates spinning. You have the Usos-Solo-Fatu drama, Charlotte trying to find her footing against Jacy Jayne, and a debut that needed to be handled with actual care.

Don't talk to me about the Corporate Rock comparisons

Saints is out here telling everyone not to compare him to The Rock, which is exactly what a guy who wants to be compared to The Rock would say. It’s a transparent attempt to control the narrative before the fans turn on him. He’s trying to establish a persona that’s 'everything your baby mama wishes you were,' but that’s barely a character trait in the modern era. It’s just generic tough-guy dialogue that lands flatter than a pancake.

The guy has high-end talent, no question. Watching his work in NXT proved he can go twelve rounds without losing his breath. But if this is the trajectory—a quick promo, a loss to Cody, and a beatdown from a mid-card heel—he’s going to be in the catering line by WWE Backlash on May 9. You don't bring someone up if you aren't going to give them a winnable fight. It’s lazy booking at the expense of a guy who actually has a look.

The bottom line

We’re sitting here on May 3, looking at a roster that feels thinner than a low-carb diet. The decision to throw Saints into a match with the champ was a 0.5/10 on the 'smart move' scale. If they wanted to build a star, they should have had him run through the roster for two months before getting a look at the title. Instead, we got a match that satisfied no one and left the audience wondering why they should even care about the newest acquisition.

The creative team needs to stop treating SmackDown like a variety show where the plot points exist to be forgotten by the next commercial break. They have a 2-hour window to capture the imagination, and yet they spent most of it on half-baked stories. If they keep this pace, even the most loyal fans in Tulsa are going to start asking for their money back.