10 Ups & 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 19)

6. These Call-Ups Stink

Tommaso Ciampa Aleister Black Ricochet Johnny Gargano
WWE

The out-of-the-blue call-ups handed to NXT's four biggest stars (Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black, and Tommaso Ciampa) are as cold as cold gets, and will ultimately harm the talented quartet's main roster prospects going forward.

This issue wasn't as pronounced on SmackDown as it was Raw, but these guys still don't feel half as special as they should do, and last night's show felt like the writers were working frantically the right Vince McMahon's wrongs from Monday. They didn't succeed, but how could they? This is a mess.

Shane McMahon's explanation that he just decided to invite the NXT invaders to SmackDown after being impressed by their Raw performances was paper-thin. It's confusing, and there's no real reason for these guys to even be here, particularly Gargano and Ciampa, who hold NXT's top two singles titles. They feel like guests on the big show, and WWE should be grateful that last night's crowd were more giving than the Lafayette library was on Monday.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.