5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 12 - Results & Review)
4. Tidy Work All Over
Yours truly thought WWE achieved a ton during the actual in-ring opener on SmackDown.
Cruz del Toro and Joaquin Wilde have been background figures at best since day one, but they actually got to look more competitive than usual during this match vs. Angel and Humberto. Meanwhile, the heel duo's tag moves looked amazing, and creative even kept issues between Carlito and Santos Escobar ticking along.
The way they worked in that brawl between ex-LWO stablemates without throwing the match out with a bogus DQ/non-finish was appreciated. Cruz, Joaquin, Angel and Humberto deserved the floor to show what they're capable of, and Triple H will be proud of their efforts. This was really, really solid.
You've got to give it to the writers here. They've managed to keep Santos going despite Rey Mysterio's injury shelving plans for an LWO vs. ex-LWO explosion. Now, thanks to a reinvigorated Angel and Humberto, Escobar has some new backup that's arguably better than his last.