11 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jul 16)

Kevin Owens Vs. Everybody.

by Andy H Murray
Shane McMahon dead
WWE.com

That last night was supposed to be the first episode of SmackDown produced under Eric Bischoff's guidance brought a sense of curiosity to the show, but it wasn't paid off.

Per Dave Meltzer in today's Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online daily update, Easy E wasn't there. "He had zero impact on tonight's show and wasn't involved in any creative meetings putting it together," said the writeup.

This is only a moderate disappointment. While it would've been exciting to see Bischoff's take on WWE's superior main roster brand, SmackDown still delivered two hours of solid, consistent entertainment, though its slew of unengaging talking segments and rematches dragged it down a peg or two.

The build was all about two things: Shane McMahon's "Town Hall Meeting" and a "career-altering announcement" from Daniel Bryan, though only one of these promises was actually fulfilled. Elsewhere, we got Kevin Owens raging against the machine as McMahon's army of goons assembled against him, Ember Moon and a mystery partner facing off with Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, plus new contenders for the WWE and SmackDown Women's Championships. Oh, and R-Truth got himself stuck inside a kitchen appliance.

Let's break it down...

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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.