10 Ups & 1 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Sept 4)

1. Bryan Vs. Almas Delivers... Again

Booking concerns aside, Daniel Bryan vs. Andrade Almas was a cracking singles match and the best slice of content SmackDown had to offer, outdoing their previous encounter on every level.

Though gutted by a commercial break, there was enough here to suggest that the duo would tear the house down if given 20 minutes. Their chemistry shone through in every trade of holds, momentum swing, and big spot. There was solid week-to-week psychology too, as Almas countered a number of signature spots, including Bryan's running knee (the first attempt, at least). Daniel did catch his leg on a suicide dive, but fortunately didn't face-plant like Brie on Raw.

Still, that was the bout's only technical hitch, and Almas looked decent enough in defeat. He's below Bryan in the pecking order, so while him defeating Daniel (via distraction or otherwise) would've benefited him immensely, 'Cien' falling to one of the brand's most popular stars isn't a calamity itself.

Bryan has become SmackDown's king of good-to-great TV matches. It's a solid use of him, as while we're still waiting for that one blow-away post-return performance, he's still among the best wrestlers in the promotion. Jeff Hardy, The Miz, AJ Styles, Rusev, and now Almas have all proven themselves worthy foes, with Big Cass the only anomaly. Let's see who they feed him next...