3 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Aug 4)

2. Bit Long-Winded

Paul Heyman Jey Uso Solo Sikoa Bloodline
WWE.com

Right, so it became obvious as soon as the show went live that WWE was in time-killing mode on SmackDown. They'd already built most of SummerSlam, so there wasn't a whole hell of a lot to do in Ohio on Friday night. Even so, The Bloodline's segment was a tad clunky.

A video package detailing what 'Tribal Combat" means would've been enough without the revolving door in-ring promo skit worked by Paul Heyman, Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa. The latter two were already lined up for the main event, so their work in that earlier segment wasn't really necessary.

Having Heyman pontificate in-ring and in a video package was a little much too. Either or would've been fine, being totally honest. None of this was strong enough to carry without Roman Reigns, sadly, and that's worth pointing out.

Usually, Bloodline biz is fine whether he's present or not. That wasn't the case on this week's SmackDown!

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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.