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

Ups...

11. Spirit Crusher

Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

Ali vs. Shinsuke Nakamura is an odd one to review as the match was more than good enough to finish as an Up, with the former 205 Live standout entering a spirited performance against the Intercontinental Champion, though the booking doesn't make a lot of sense.

The 30 July episode of SmackDown saw Ali pin Nakamura in a non-title match. It looked like WWE were heading towards a title fight at the time, but they dialled back, sending Ali back into the shadows while 'The King of Strong Style' focused on other things. Then, last week, the storyline was seemingly revived as Nakamura and Sami Zayn battered Ali, leading to this: a non-title singles match that the former Mustafa lost.

Though the quality of the work sees this bout slide into the Ups by a fanny hair, situations like this are why WWE's creative team get so much flak. They should be doing better.

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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.