4 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Apr 3)
Your ('Mania) Mileage May Vary.
Road Dogg and the SmackDown writing team mailed it in last night.
Why? Because they can. The Network has removed all incentive to deliver a compelling go-home show, because WWE don't need to sell pay-per-views anymore. Throw WrestleMania 34's already incredible hype levels into the mix, and SmackDown was effectively doomed to mundanity before the opening credits, which was exactly how things panned out.
Nothing was exceptional, but nothing was terrible either. For the most part, SD delivered two solid hours of television with minimal peaks and valleys, and few story hooks. It did little to build excitement for 'Mania either, but this is the era we're living in.
The mind games continued between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, who faced Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable in the night's main event. Elsewhere, US Title contenders Rusev and Jinder Mahal met in singles competition, Shane McMahon returned from "injury," Asuka and Charlotte Flair went face-to-face, and Primo Colon somehow made television.
SmackDown, like Raw, was light on content, making it a breeze to consume, but almost entirely skippable. Let's hope that whatever happens at WrestleMania 34 shakes the blue brand from this frustrating rut.
Here's how it all went down...