10 Ups & 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 19)

4. Miz Gets Hammy

The Miz Shane McMahon
WWE.com

Look, this Miz/Shane McMahon deal is still pretty good. This column hasn't turned on it yet, so please keep those "WhatCulture is biased against Shane" comments at bay for now. That being said, it'd be dishonest to ignore legitimate criticisms in a net positive storyline, and the hammy, on-the-nose material Miz was made to perform this week needs to be pointed out.

There's no subtly to what's going on here. Miz's performer was strong, but his deep, emotional apology for what happened at Elimination Chamber, followed by the announcement that his Dad would be at ringside for their rematch, makes it blatantly obvious to see what's happening next (as if it wasn't already). 'The Best Tag Team In The World' will lose to The Usos at Fastlane, Miz (or his father) will flip out, and the WrestleMania 35 match will be booked.

Adding further fuel to this fire is Shane, who has shown no indication of turning whatsoever. He'll be painted as the sympathetic character in all this, and until it happens, we have more D-tier soap opera writing to look forward to, presuming this angle's creative has now jumped the shark.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.