12 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 5)

5. Hail Destroyer

Samoa Joe
WWE.com

SmackDown's 'Destroyer', Samoa Joe, came off extremely well last night, inflicting beautiful violence on his upcoming Elimination Chamber participants not once, but twice, making time to spit a few backstage bars along the way.

Joe's first act saw him out-Outta Nowhere Randy Orton after his win over Mustafa Ali. A surprise Coquina Clutch downed 'The Viper', robbing him of his moment of glory, before Joe booted Ali, his old(er) enemy, out of the ring. The way the commentators put this over as "vengeance" suggests their rivalry has now concluded.

The big man re-emerged after Bryan vs. Hardy, throwing Rowan into the post before locking the WWE Champion in the Clutch. Orton dashed out for revenge, and so did Mustafa Ali, who downed both men before diving on Joe. Joe would then have a knee driven into his skull by the angle's "winner," AJ Styles. He finished the night out of the count, and it didn't even matter, such was the impact of his prior maulings.

There isn't a more effective wrecking ball in WWE at the moment. All hail the 'Destroyer.'

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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.