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

4. Happy Rusev Day

SmackDown's Tag Team Title contendership tournament continued with another Triple Threat last night. It wasn't quite on the same level as the previous week's offering, but it was still a fun midcard bout between three of the brand's best duos, and the outcome helped push Rusev and Aiden English's ongoing storyline forward.

Rusev Day, The Usos, and Sanity kept a brisk pace, trading momentum several times throughout the 12 allotted minutes. Each team worked as hard as you'd expect from a bunch of guys who don't often get to show their worth in the ring. Killian Dain looked particularly strong as he battered his smaller foes around, though he was ultimately let down by partner Eric Young, who ate the decisive pinfall.

Sanity's leader almost stole victory with a roll-up on Rusev, until English came in for the save. One Machka Kick later, and 'The Bulgarian Brute' had taken the 1-2-3, thanks, once again, to his partner's involvement.

This story is hitting the mark at the moment. WWE have convincingly portrayed Aiden working his way back into Rusev's good books after a series of high-profile botches, and they've now earned a shot at tag title contention. Whether or not the company decide to pull them apart again remains to be seen, but them vs. The Bar should be a cracking bout, regardless of the outcome.