12 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 6)

5. Roman Is Sorry, Joe

A reminder that Roman Reigns can do this talking thing pretty well when not handed sh*tty material came in SmackDown's first hour, as 'The Big Dog' sat down with Kayla Braxton to comment on the recent attempts on his life.

Reigns was solid and composed here. He said that despite every obstacle or piece of adversity he has ever faced, he has always known who was attacking him and what was going on. In this case, he doesn't. When it comes to the collapsing scaffolding and the previous night's vehicular ambush, he's "in the dark," and while it's one thing to try and hurt him, the way the assailant has gone about things has affected his ability to provide for his family (a stretch, admittedly).

The best part came towards the end, with Roman apologising to Samoa Joe for the scrutiny he'd come under over the past week. Reigns said sorry for dragging his name through the mud. The crowd liked this, and as with Joe's concern for Roman on Monday, it's nice to see two rivals putting their beef aside for a bigger matter. Three-dimensional characters are good.

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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.