12 Ups & 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jun 25)

5. Commercial Contrivances

The Miz Elias
WWE.com

Vince McMahon deciding that he doesn't want actual wrestling to take place during commercial breaks is a mixed bag. On one hand, it means the end of exciting one-fall bouts being cannibalised by ads and force the company to come up with new, creative ways to cut away, but that, in itself, is a problem. WWE just aren't very creative in 2019.

The methods WWE are taking to build matches around commercials are already wearing thin. This show had a couple of 2-out-of-3 falls matches and a restart, with Daniel Bryan & Rowan vs. The New Day's post-bout brawl leading to the 8-man tag. Both were designed to work around the commercials, both are transparent, and both felt artificial.

It'd be wrong to ether the company so soon after the change and they deserve a chance to figure it out, but it all feels so contrived at the moment. Ideally, viewers should want the show's structure to serve the creative side, not the business side. The opposite is happening here.

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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.