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

by Andy H Murray

1. Bait & Switch

Kevin Owens Vince McMahon
WWE.com

Vince McMahon replacing Kofi Kingston with Kevin Owens in the Fastlane pay-per-view main event was classic, classic pro-wrestling, and another well-executed bait-and-switch just 24 hours removed from Batista's brutal, sinister interruption of Ric Flair's 70th birthday celebration.

People are p*ssed off about this. Good, they should be. That was WWE's intention. They have successfully manipulated a sizeable chunk of the fanbase by cheating Kofi out of a well-earned pay-per-view spotlight, and, in the process, opened themselves up to a number of exciting storytelling possibilities. It's now a non-linear path to WrestleMania 35, and the writers deserve credit for last night's shake-up.

Fastlane always felt like a lukewarm spot for Kingston vs. Bryan. Given how hot Kofi has become in recent weeks, hosting his big moment on a B-level pay-per-view didn't feel fitting. Now, WWE could conceivably put their bout on 'Mania instead, without having to go through the screwy finish/rematch rigmarole at Fastlane, because there's no way they'd be dumb enough to waste his momentum. Not after recent developments.

Owens, too, is a fresh, exciting challenger for Bryan, given how long he's been away. That'll be a great bout, and there's always the prospect of a Triple Threat as well. What a time to be alive.

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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.