5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 1)
The first SmackDown of 2021 had returns, big bumps and the worst concert in WWE history.
The first SmackDown of 2021 had some solid wrestling, superb promo work, a possibly major return, awful comedy and one hell of a set piece bump.
WWE's build towards Royal Rumble continued, but the company didn't announce any other names for either upcoming 30-person brawl. Instead, they spent Friday's two-hour broadcast hyping up potential rematches for the Universal, Tag-Team and Women's Titles. That's fine, though the show could've done without Angelo Dawkins playing drums.
One glaring problem with SmackDown right now is that there's a huge disparity between the main event feud and everything else. Most of the midcard pack (like Dawkins and Street Profits pal Montez Ford) come across as an afterthought to the show's creative team, and that's hard to overlook when watching - Bruce Prichard must also be glad he doesn't have Monday's third hour on Friday nights too.
So, SmackDown's latest was ye olde mixed bag. At least there was room for some touching tributes from the roster and the kind of big time conclusion that WWE used to do weekly.
Here are all the 'Ups' and 'Downs'...