5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (3 July - Results & Review)
Ups...
5. The Upside Of The Opening Segment
Now to focus on the good, and there's a healthy serving of it.
Sami Zayn was in top form on the mic during SmackDown's opening promo. His ‘Last Real Good Guy’ character has really been a hit for him, and the way he cut through the insincerity of both Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso wishing him well as WWE Champion was realistic and the right call. That led to Adam Pearce setting up a number one contendership match between Cody and Uso for later in the night.
For reference, Pearce is temporarily calling the shots on Smackers due to Nick Aldis having a little falling out with Gunther after Night Of Champions. WWE might well be readying the blue GM for his first match in the company. Wouldn't that be something unique for SummerSlam? Gunther vs. Aldis sounds like it'd be a hell of a lot of fun.
As the intro stated, Sami and Cody have a lot of chemistry with one another on the mic. Both know how to bridge logic gaps by leaning into their characters, and they always come across as real human beings having a conversation rather than 2 pro wrestlers running through some catchphrases. That's why Jey Uso's portion of the opening promo train received a 'Down' - he held things back.
Zayn's WWE Title reign could be a real 'blink and you'll miss it' situation, and that'd be a crying shame. It's clear he has so much more to offer on top of SmackDown, so hopefully he won't be in the hot seat for a week at most before Hunter reverts to Cody.