3 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Smackville

Downs...

3. Ali vs. Nakamura Feels Wasted

Per reports flooding in from multiple sources and on social media, it appears Finn Bálor's injury announcement at Smackville was kayfabed. According to the internet, he's actually ill rather than hurt, and that's why WWE pulled him from the scheduled IC Title match with Shinsuke Nakamura.

The problem is that they've blown a follow-up bout Shinsuke could've had at SummerSlam.

Had the Intercontinental rockstar won by cheating in Tennessee, WWE could have smartly booked a rematch opportunity for Ali in August. As it is, he lost cleanly at Smackville after a decent TV-style battle and never genuinely looked capable of taking the belt away from Nakamura. So, there's approximately zero interest in a repeat. Shame.

The whole thing feels like a waste. Ali is cutting some damn good promos (when he's given the time), and he's someone who has survived despite being largely forgotten. If he had a storyline plight fans could get invested in, he'd stand a better chance of credibly giving Shinsuke a fright.