3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (April 7)

Triple H announces WWE's next Draft; Kevin Owens gets taken out; Matt Riddle's revenge.

by Jamie Kennedy
Jey Uso Solo Sikoa
WWE.com

Everyone rolled into Friday's SmackDown with one name on their lips: Vince McMahon.

Would the returning WWE boss tear up the blue brand script like he did for the flagship on Monday's Raw, or would Triple H be the man in charge of creative? 'The Game' was on FOX - he was there to pat WWE on the back for a brilliant WrestleMania 39 weekend, then move onto coming business by announcing the 2023 Draft.

Fans were...less-than-thrilled by the thought of another Draft, but nobody can blame them for that. WWE largely forgets about brand exclusivity weeks after the fact these days anyway, and it feels like most are ready for crummy Raw vs. SmackDown rules to disappear.

One need only look at the counts for those 'Ups' and 'Downs' to see this wasn't a fab show, but it did have fun moments. Sami Zayn and Jey Uso produced the goods, for example, and there was more Sheamus vs. GUNTHER merriment to enjoy on the undercard.

Sadly, wrestlers warring over broken PlayStation controllers, crappy timing from the writers and an odd amount of silence for Judgment Day hampered the episode.

Here's all the yay and nay from it.

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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.