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

1. Momentum? Pfft...

Shelton Benjamin Jeff Hardy
WWE.com

If Shelton Benjamin vs. Jeff Hardy happened 10 years ago with triple last night's runtime, we could be looking at a sure-fire match of the month contender. Instead, we got a dull-as-piss four-minuter between two 40-year-olds.

Benjamin is fine. His athleticism has obviously declined with age, but his fundamentals are solid, and his instincts far stronger than any ground-up Performance Center product. Jeff Hardy is fine. The problem with him is that he's clearly working hurt, and, while still capable of popping the crowd with his signature offence, likely needs some time off to heal his wounds.

The bout was designed to give Hardy a tune-up victory ahead of his United States Title challenge at SummerSlam. Again, this is fine in theory, but isn't the concept of "momentum" a fallacy in a company where wins and losses don't really matter? SmackDown's lead writer has even said it himself.

Jeff was attacked by Shinsuke Nakamura post-victory, but dropped the champion with a Twist Of Fate and Swanton Bomb, which all but guarantees 'The Extreme Enigma' loses at the weekend. 50/50 booking, ladies and gentlemen! Another bloody formula...

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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.