11 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 4)

9. Take A Drink, Jeff

Jeff Hardy Samoa Joe
WWE.com

Speaking of Samoa Joe, he cut an effective little promo on Jeff's personal problems after the bout, following up on last week's successful, feud-starting angle.

With a pint of beer in his hand, Joe taunted his new rival told Hardy he could have 'a dozen of them' if he wanted to. He then advised him to drink responsibly, making a mockery of Jeff's notable struggles with alcohol, while the former United States Champion watched on from the ring, helpless.

This worked in its bubble. Joe is great at making things personal, fast, and after doing that with AJ Styles, he has now accomplished it with Hardy as well. Still, WWE must be careful going forward. The Styles feud jumped the shark when it got too silly towards the end, and there's a danger SmackDown will take the same route with Joe again. That would only undermine this potentially awesome rivalry, leaving it feeling like a parody of the old Hardy vs. CM Punk programme, so let's hope it doesn't happen.

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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.