11 Ups & 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jul 2)

3. Bryan Battles Big E

Daniel Bryan Big E
WWE.com

SmackDown's best match came via the current Tag Team Title programme, with Daniel Bryan meeting Extreme Rules opponent Big E in singles action, and it was very solid.

Bryan is a certified wrestling genius who has spent his year getting the absolute most out of every opponent (AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble aside). His layouts are close to flawless, and while he didn't need a great deal of help in making E look great here (the big lad is pretty tremendous himself), there's no doubt he helped elevate the match's quality. Whether selling for E's powerful offence or cutting his shine off with chop blocks, everything he did was on point.

Big E almost took the victory with a splash following the belly-to-belly suplex. It was a close near-fall, and Bryan avoided the diving spear soon after. Posted by Rowan, E was taken advantage of, and with Xavier Woods neutralised, the Busaiku Knee Kick finished the beefcake off.

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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.