11 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (24 Sept)

Downs...

3. Closing On A Whimper

Sasha Banks Becky Lynch
WWE

No regular WhatCulture column celebrates deviations from formulae like this one, but WWE's decision to close last night's SmackDown on an interrupted backstage promo didn't quite pay off.

Becky Lynch was in the guts of the building, talking about her Hell In A Cell match with Sasha Banks, when 'The Boss' jumped her. 'The Man' tried to fight, but was overwhelmed almost straight away. Banks peppered her with strikes, tossed her off a wooden board, pressed her face against a steel mesh fence, then called Becky a "nobody," not relenting until Lynch was rolling around in pain on the floor.

This would have come off a little better elsewhere in the show. The beating wasn't emphatic or brutal enough for this spot, meaning that SmackDown went off the air without any kind of "oh sh*t" factor, and that WWE dim the crowd noise during skits like this didn't help either. This production choice meant the show closed without as much as a murmur from the muted audience, and it felt weird.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.