7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 14)

Downs...

2. Tired Trash Talk

Rusev Lana
WWE.com

There's no denying Rusev and Lana's respective charisma levels, and they have bags of chemistry as a double-act, but their post-Almas vs. English promo didn't come across well.

It started with Zelina Vega delivering a typically fiery diatribe against the couple. Out came the popular duo, with Rusev running though clichéd trash talk lines ("your luck runs out on Sunday"), Lana promising to "crush" their pay-per-view opponents, then a forced, stilted, and unnatural shoehorning of their two big catchphrases ("SummerSlam falls on Rusev Day"/"Lana is the best, Lana is number one"), because branding.

Though this interlude lasted no time at all, the delivery was distractingly poor. Why don't feuding wrestlers on this show ever do anything other than talk at each other these days? It's an issue prevalent through all levels of the card, and Almas, Vega, Rusev, and Lana will be better off when this story concludes (even if the past few weeks have been mostly positive).

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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.