5 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Oct 10)

Downs...

3. A Doomed Repackaging

Luke Harper and Erick Rowan belong together.

It was abundantly clear that WWE were never going to push the former as a singles act, and the latter's skillset is too limited for him to prosper as anything other than a henchman. Their reunion makes sense, it's great to see them back on television, and their old-school power-brawling style will make them nice additions to the tag division.

The gimmick sucks, though.

Clad like low-rent Fallout Raiders, Harper & Rowan appeared with a couple of goofy, Thor-esque war hammers last night and cut a corny call-and-response promo, promising "broken bones" and "severed spines." It felt like another lame 1980s throwback on a show that's already full of them, and while it'd be wrong to totally dismiss the act before it truly gets off the ground, the duo didn't make a good start last night. "Bludgeon Brothers?" Give us a break...

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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.