7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (20 Feb - Results & Review)
1. Someone’s Slow Burn Continues
Note the italics there. They suggest that WWE could turn either Cody Rhodes or Sami Zayn soon. The babyface (for now) pair had an excellent backstage confrontation on this week's SmackDown. Cody tried giving Sami a pep talk about being unlucky in the Chamber qualifier last week, but Zayn was having none of it. He pointed out that he’d helped Cody by fighting off Drew McIntyre, then Rhodes stuck him with a finisher to take the glory.
Sami’s lines about Cody not knowing what it’s like to struggle, then Rhodes harking back to Germany and his ‘3 Stages Of Hell’ loss to Drew when he did effectively the same thing as Zayn by fighting off Jacob Fatu? Good lord, that ruled. It's always a good thing when workers have real conversations that flow naturally and don't just feel like pre-rehearsed lines, and hearing Rhodes remember when trying to do the right thing blew up in his face shows great continuity for his character.
Sami is clearly heading into heel territory, or is it Cody? The fact there’s a question mark over that is awesome. Tempers flared, then both guys apologised to one another once they'd calmed down. Zayn might be a little baffled that Rhodes slapped him on the shoulder rather than hugging it out though. Don't be too shocked if that comes up down the line.
Both men came out looking like real human beings who are desperate to make their respective marks on WrestleMania season. Go watch this skit if you only read reports and don't watch full TV episodes. You'll be glad you did.
What did you think about this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out The WORST Moment From Every WWE WrestleMania and 5 Things You Didn't Know Were BANNED In TNA!