17 Things You Probably Missed From WWE SmackDown (Aug 20)

by Jamie Kennedy

2. What WWE Wanted Years Ago

Roman Reigns Pop
WWE

Roman Reigns has WWE's audience on strings.

During the main event face-to-face with John Cena, Reigns turned to the crowd and shouted, "Go ahead, pop!". The place went nuts, and Roman flashed a bit toothy grin back at Cena. Meanwhile, all yours truly could think about was how much Vinnie Mac would've paid to have this happen five years ago.

Reigns would've been booed out of the building had he asked fans to cheer for him in 2016. His ultra-cool heel character owns the place nowadays though.

1. John Cena Confirmed For WrestleMania 38?

Roman Reigns John Cena
WWE.com

Did John Cena just confirm that he'll be at WrestleMania 38 next year? That's certainly what it sounded like when he was bantering back and forth with Reigns towards the end of the show. Cena said that SmackDown wouldn't have a Universal Champ "until WrestleMania in Dallas" once he toppled Roman at SummerSlam.

April 2022 may well be Cena's next WWE date. That's one to keep an eye on - either he f*cked up and gave something away here, or he knows exactly what he's doing. This guy's money is on the latter.

What other hidden gems did you spot on this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out 17 Things You Probably Missed From WWE Raw (Aug 16) and WWE SummerSlam 2021: 10 Things That Must Happen!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.