11 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (July 30)

4. Brief & Bitter

Ali Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

Last night's SmackDown saw Ali defeat Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match that should earn him a shot at the gold in the near future. Concerns regarding title-holders losing such bouts aside, that's simple, logical booking, and an acceptable way to move Ali towards such an opportunity.

So why's it a Down, then? Because it was way too brief to resonate.

Ali put Nakamura away in just two-and-a-half minutes. It was short, farty, and forgettable, and WWE went for the grating "he stole one!" trope, too, as Ali cradled 'The King Of Strong Style' for the victory.

Like the night's other Downs, the match wasn't awful and certainly not worth tearing apart; rather, it was just something that could have been done a whole lot better. A justifiable nitpick.

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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.