3 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Oct 3)
Sleepwalking towards Hell in a Cell with one of the dullest shows of the year.
Do you like bland, mundane, go-nowhere shows devoid of momentum, intrigue, and suspense? Then last night's SmackDown is definitely for you.
It was like vanilla ice cream, a glass of lukewarm tap water, or toast without butter: acceptable at a pinch, but nothing you need to go out of your way to obtain. Aside from one ill-conceived segment and a particularly obnoxious Superman moment, there was nothing genuinely terrible on the show, but there was nothing great throughout these two hours either.
Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon continued with another promo battle, but the duo raised the stakes this week, taking their war to the concessions area. Elsewhere, Shinsuke Nakamura cut a rare in-ring promo, Bobby Roode and Randy Orton both took a trip through Squash Match City, and Baron Corbin's recent US Title misery continued.
It's hard to feel excited about Hell in a Cell after such a flat go-home show, but here's hoping SmackDown's talented roster can overcome the brand's escalating malaise on Sunday. For now, let's take a look at the segments that almost accomplished this last night, and those that amplified the show's crippling banality...