6 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jun 12)
Perfect mediocrity in Memphis.
Last night was likely the safest show SmackDown's writers will produce all year, with the blue brand delivering few genuine highlights on the last stop before Money In The Bank.
It was the kind of episode best consumed through WWE's own YouTube clips. That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable, but with the promos dull and the angles offering no forward motion for the participants, most roster members were left spinning their wheels. A shame, but such is the nature of the modern pay-per-view go-home.
The women's division took centre stage, first opening the show with a typical pre-MITB bantering session, then closing it with a crowded 10-person main event. Elsewhere, we got a half-injured Jeff Hardy facing Shinsuke Nakamura, Rusev meeting Samoa Joe in another PPV warm-up bout, and Daniel Bryan versus Shelton Benjamin, though the entire tag team division was nowhere to be found.
If you weren't already hyped for Money In The Bank, SmackDown wouldn't have changed that. There was nothing atrocious on this show, but there was little excitement peppered throughout, with most matches and segments sitting only a notch above or below a mediocre line of best fit.
Let's hope the PPV makes up for it...