5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 27)
1. Thanks For Coming, Karrion Kross!
This loss to Rey Mysterio does Karrion Kross no favours.
Listen, losing to an icon like Mysterio isn't really the problem. The bout was just way shorter-than-expected, especially after quite a lengthy bit of build. Also, shouldn't Kross have made a strong statement here and forced Rey to fight from underneath? They went with Mysterio getting the upper hand instead.
That's...an interesting strategy, and a risky one considering Kross still needs to properly establish himself on WWE's main roster. Nobody's saying Karrion should've squashed Rey like a bug (they'd have nowhere to go if he did), but he didn't need to lose a subpar seven-minute match.
This was the first encounter between these guys, but it already feels like the story is close to finishing. Scarlett failed to make an impact around ringside too, meaning Rey has already figured out both heels as a combo. That's pretty worrying for them.