10 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 29)

5. Hooray For Surprises

R-Truth Carmella Fabulous Truth
WWE.com

Good for R-Truth for winning the United States Championship, and good on WWE for not only giving the veteran a make-good after Nia Jax stole his Royal Rumble spot, but also delivering a big surprise in SmackDown's first hour.

Few could have predicted Shinsuke Nakamura dropped the US Title to Truth just 48 hours after winning it. The move does diminish the Japanese star's standing, but moments like this are essential, particularly for a company whose storytelling methods fall into repetitive formulae so often. It felt exciting and refreshing, and that's exactly what the writers had planned.

On top of this, WWE put Truth over strong. Yes, his victories came via roll-ups, but he still defeated Rusev and Nakamura in less than 10 minutes of combined ring time. This was one of his most successful nights in years, and while he'll always be a preliminary act, his employers at least gave him a nice little reward for all the entertainment he has provided while teaming with Carmella.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.