6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (20 March - Results & Review)
Jelly Roll tried, but Randy Orton ISN'T heel; Jade Cargill gets backup; WWE crowns new tag champs.
Serious questions need asked behind the scenes at WWE as to why cameo musician Jelly Roll is better on the mic than half the roster. Jelly showed he belonged last summer, and even managed to play his role perfectly come SummerSlam, but his work on this week's SmackDown took things to a whole new level.
Jelly's promo with Randy Orton perfectly summarised everything that's been going on with Mr. RKO and managed to skirt the tweener line. That took some doing, not least when WWE fans are repeatedly rejecting creative's pitch to boo Orton out of the building for turning on Cody Rhodes and battering the snot out of other babyfaces like Matt Cardona.
Let's just say that 'read the room' is one of the negatives from Friday's show.
Others include a women's division swerve that nobody saw coming for a bloody good reason and a disappointing return match which makes a mockery of recent podcast comments. On the plus side (and there was a lot to like about the 3 hour broadcast), WWE crowned new tag champs, Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu went to war all night, a double turn setup is working nicely, and some of the matches on tap were jam-packed with thrilling action.
WrestleMania 42's build hasn't been ideal, but there's still plenty of time to ramp things up before reaching Las Vegas. Despite the 'Downs', SmackDown showed what's possible if the writing team actually books important story beats interspersed with one of the most reliable, talented rosters ever.
Here's all the yes and no from Smackers.