12 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Mar 12)

6. Rowan: Actually Good?

Rowan Mustafa Ali
WWE.com

Is it perhaps time to reappraise Rowan's skill as an in-ring performer? Because the big bastard actually looked good in last night's tag with Daniel Bryan, regardless of whether he was going toe-to-toe with Mustafa Ali or Kevin Owens. He's an effective bruiser, and while bouts like this will always help hide his weaknesses, he performed well. Not Big Van Vader or Bam Bam Bigelow "well," but well.

Rowan scored the victory for his team. Ali appeared to have the better of Bryan in the ring when the big man barrelled back inside, having disposed of Owens on the outside. He cut Mustafa off, hit his Iron Claw/face Chokeslam/thing, and notched the 1-2-3, proving his worth as the eco-friendly WWE Champion's insurance policy.

The match itself was fine. It gave Ali and Owens something to do while Bryan waits for Kofi Kingston, and nobody looked out of place. Where the non-Bryan pieces land ahead of WrestleMania 35 remains to be seen, but SmackDown has built a rich and exciting WWE Championship scene around 'The Planet's Champion,' and the possibilities beyond 'The Showcase Of The Immortals' look awesome.

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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.