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

Downs...

3. Here Come The Goofballs

Nikki Cross Sanity
WWE.com

This won't be a popular stance, but your writer is hoping last night's Nikki Cross appearance was a cameo (a la Pete Dunne on Raw last year) rather than a full-time promotion.

Acts like Cross and the rest of Sanity shatter the suspension of disbelief. They're literally unbelievable, because it's impossible to believe in anything about them, particularly in this 'reality' era. It'd fly in the Attitude Era, when whacky gimmicks were the norm, but their crazed, grimy bullsh*t doesn't hit the mark in 2018, and it's so obviously false that the whole point of professional wrestling is undermined in the process.

Cross got a UK pop, and her "I'll play with you, Becky" line wasn't quite as terrible as the "I knowwwwww!" gibberish that ran NXT's main event scene into the ground. Still, outdated characters like hers belong in the past. The performer is talented and doesn't get enough credit for diving into this stupid gimmick head-first, but she (and the rest of Sanity) deserves better than this.

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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.