10 Biggest Talking Points From WWE SmackDown (Aug 16)
2. What A Difference 10 Months Makes
The main event of Smackdown pitted John Cena against Alberto Del Rio, and it was hyped throughout the show - specifically, the announcers and video packages referenced Hell in a Cell 2015, when Del Rio made a surprise return to the company and defeated John Cena for the United States Championship.
Del Rio was brought back with a lot of fanfare (and reportedly, with a huge paycheque), but his push didn't last long. Fans soon stopped caring about him, he lost the title in a feud with Kalisto, and since then, he hasn't done much.
Still, the match here was strong. Both guys had a lot of time to work the crowd and build to something good, and there was even a callback to the Hell in a Cell match - Del Rio used a superkick on the kneeling Cena to try and score the pin (it worked at HIAC), but Cena kicked out.
Despite the quality, there was really no question who was going to win. Del Rio and his bulletproof move have both fallen far since last October, with no redemption in sight.