6 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 28)

Downs...

3. Curbed Momentum

the New Day
WWE.com

Having spent the past few weeks building up Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin as the SmackDown tag division's new alpha heels, WWE made the mistake of having the ascendent tandem eat a clean loss to The New Day last night, with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods putting the duo away in just over eight minutes.

This loss wouldn't be a problem if Benjamin and Gable weren't such a new unit, but it felt like a needless derailment. They don't have an impeccable win/loss record, but if they're going to mount a serious challenge for The Usos' titles, their momentum needs to be maintained. Otherwise, what's the point in elevating them in the first place?

The match itself was fine. All four participants are among the brand's strongest athletes, so they were never going to under-deliver between the ropes. Regardless, they were very much let down by the bookers last night, which marks this as a minor off-week for SmackDown's best division.

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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.