5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 12 - Results & Review)
Roman Reigns' absence doesn't hurt WWE; Factions get named; SmackDown's scary accident.
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking episodes of SmackDown without Roman Reigns are useless. Admittedly, WWE's own creative team is guilty of phoning in some content whenever the 'Tribal Chief' skips a show, but that wasn't the case this past Friday night.
In fact, SmackDown did a wonderful job of keeping things ticking along without the main man. Credit must go to Bloodline troops Paul Heyman, Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso for that, and to the babyface trio of AJ Styles, LA Knight and Randy Orton - everyone played their roles to the hilt, which in turn ensured that Royal Rumble wasn't hampered by Roman's lighter schedule.
Elsewhere, a rejuvenated tag-team showed what they're capable of, WWE named not one but two different factions, and The Brawling Brutes experiment seems to be ending. Long time fans of Pete Dunne will be pretty chuffed about what's coming next.
Several high-quality scraps helped give the show an in-ring edge too. Of course, some small issues (one outwith WWE's control) threatened to throw cold water on the party. Let's just say it's great to report that both affected workers from one scary incident are alright.
Here's all the good, the bad and the ugly!