2 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Feb 4)

Ups...

2. Heyman Digs Deep

Roman Reigns Paul Heyman The Usos Bloodline
WWE.com

Not many positives this week, sadly.

One of two came right at the top of the show. There, as a smug Roman Reigns looked on, Paul Heyman delivered one of his typically-stellar promos. He worked his magic and explained WWE's story about why he'd been flip-flopping between Roman and Brock Lesnar with serious panache.

Heyman is so damn good on the mic that he could make even the worst material into something workable. This wasn't awful material, but it could've sounded clumsy coming from someone else's mouth. As he weaved a tale of guilt and dawning realisations, Paul E came across as the right mix of slime ball and smarts.

There are few better at delivering these lengthy speeches than him. WWE should be grateful that they've got somebody who handles swerve-filled booking with ease; Heyman had to dig deep on this occasion, but it's worth seeing him do so if you're only checking out a few segments from the show.

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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.