6 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jun 26)

Team Hell No's reunion highlights a run-of-the-mill night.

Kane Daniel Bryan
WWE.com

Well, that was unexpected.

Five months removed from a turgid monster vs. monster program that threatened to completely derail Braun Strowman's incredible main event momentum, Kane returned for one of the feel-good moments of the year last night. Nobody could've foreseen Team Hell No's reunion, and as 'The Big Red Machine' and Daniel Bryan embraced in the ring, it felt like a rare moment of fan service from WWE's higher-ups.

This was SmackDown's biggest talking point, and its only major development. As was the case with Raw, few parts of this show felt like they mattered, but for the most part, it was a watchable affair marred by only a couple of major bumps.

With Shinsuke Nakamura out, United States Champion Jeff Hardy defended the gold against Sanity's Eric Young. Elsewhere, Sonya Deville looked to upset Becky Lynch's winning momentum, James Ellsworth bit off more than he could chew, Rusev's Extreme Rules warm-up tour continued with a match against Xavier Woods, and Andrade 'Cien' Almas reminded the world of his existence.

The lack of top champions AJ Styles and Carmella allowed others to step into the spotlight (including a rare main event for Harper), with only middling results. Let's break it down...

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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.