2 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Nov 13)

1. Raw > SmackDown?

Roman Reigns Drew McIntyre
WWE.com

It's totally fine that WWE want to promote Drew McIntyre's title rematch against Randy Orton on the next episode of Raw. It really is. However, build for that match kinda' turned SmackDown into a glorified hype piece for another show. That's not cool when they're supposed to be separate entities.

This made SmackDown look second rate.

Of course, WWE went ahead with it knowing that'd be the case. They're more focused on pretence that Drew vs. Randy could have Survivor Series implications and lead to Reigns vs. McIntyre instead. Again, fine, but making one brand look like the other one's bitch so you can big up an exhibition bout on pay-per-view isn't great.

Roman even said early in the program that nobody watched Raw anymore. Then, the 'Tribal Chief' happily sat back (and played his part) in some Monday night hype. WWE might as well have dusted off Mark Lloyd and called this Bottom Line.

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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.