4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (June 20)
Carmella gloats, Jinder wins, and Daniel Bryan has a huge decision to make...
WWE had a lot of ground to cover on last night's SmackDown. Money In The Bank saw Jinder Mahal successfully defend the WWE Championship against Randy Orton, and Baron Corbin leave with the men's briefcase, but neither was the real talking point. Instead, the post-show analysis had been dominated by James Ellsworth, who rose to the top in the first ever women's MITB ladder match, sealing victory for Carmella.
It was a hair-brained booking decision, and one WWE had no choice but to follow-up on. They did just that, with Daniel Bryan taking most of the show to deliver a final decision on Ellsworth's actions, leaving little airtime for other major developments across the evening..
In spite of this tedious angle, last night's SmackDown was actually a rock solid affair, and another step forward for the brand's overall quality. The booking still feels scatterbrained, particularly in the WWE Championship scene, but feuds between The Usos and The New Day, plus AJ Styles and Kevin Owens, were all moved forward last night, and while Orton delivered a tepid mid-show promo, his physical response to his latest loss was suitably vicious.
An uneven episode as usual, and one with plenty of highlights to temper the disappointing lows. Which segments soared, and which saw SmackDown hit rock bottom? Let's take a look...