13 Ups & 1 Down From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 26)

4. Vince McMahon: Professional Troll

Vince McMahon
WWE.com

This new version of Vince McMahon isn't anything we haven't seen in the past, but it's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

The Chairman has once again become a professional troll. It began with the Charlotte Flair/Becky Lynch/Ronda Rousey storyline on Raw, with Vince suspending 'The Lass Kicker' and installing 'The Queen' as her replacement, putting heat on Charlotte and sympathy on Becky. That move is already paying dividends; the raucous "triple threat!" chants on this week's show are proof of that.

Now, he's doing it on SmackDown, with Kofi Kingston in the Becky role and Kevin Owens playing Charlotte. Kingston was replaced by the returning 'Prizefighter' because the boss feels the Canadian is "more deserving and more qualified," despite Kofi's recent excellence. A glorious d*ck move from one of the most effective wrestling heels of all time.

WWE can take this character in dozens of different directions, particularly as Shane and Stephanie didn't look best pleased with their father's actions. It's great, great stuff, and proof that the McMahons can be effective TV characters in 2019, provided they're scripted in the right way.

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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.