3 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 8)

Owens stirs the pot, Ellsworth returns, and Orton wrestles Mahal... again.

AJ Styles Shane McMahon Kevin Owens
WWE.com

Leave it to WWE to follow one of the year's best episodes of SmackDown with a total stinker. Last week's strong in-ring focus, excellent main event, and lack of filler segments made for two triumphant hours of television, but the company abandoned that format last night, resulting in a show well beneath the brand's average quality levels.

The United States Title scene brought a strong in-ring segment, The Usos picked up a solid midcard win, and the David Lynch-inspired Fashion Peaks returned. These were the show's biggest highlights, but they couldn't compare to last week's strongest moments, and while last night's show won't go down as one of the year's worst, It was hard not to feel disappointed by its downturn.

John Cena's SummerSlam direction was made clear, and Randy Orton had a shot at redemption in the night's main event. Elsewhere, Lana's quest to be taken seriously continued, Carmella stepped into the ring with the SmackDown Women's Champion, and Rusev made his presence felt. There was a lot going on, but most of it failed to deliver, sadly.

What dragged the blue brand down from last week's lofty heights, and which segments saved it from being a complete shambles? Let's take a look.

Downs....

5. The Burial Continues

Charlotte Lana
WWE.com

Last night’s SmackDown saw the continuation of Lana’s character arc, with ‘The Ravishing Russian’ once again desperate to prove her worth to the brand’s more experienced competitors. This meant wrestling against Charlotte, and Lana’s performance was predictably meek, with her falling to the former Raw Women’s Champion in just over two minutes.

Lana caught up with Tamina later in the evening. Frustrated with her latest loss, Lana was mocked at first, but Tamina quickly turned it around. She said she’d help her earn another title shot as the short segment came to an end, and several weeks after their apparent split, it looks like the duo are back together.

It’s good that WWE are investing time in these two, but is this really the right story to tell? Lana, again, came off like a complete loser, and the most incompetent wrestler in the world. The company have done nothing but bury her since she started wrestling, and unless her fortunes (and in-ring abilities) show improvement over the coming weeks, it’s going to be hard for anyone to get invested in her.

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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.