3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (April 9)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. A Man Who Isn’t At Peace

Edge WWE SmackDown
WWE.com

Edge topped it.

Bryan looked happy at the start of his promo and motivated by the end of it. Meanwhile, Edge's current character is just tortured and bitter that someone like Dan is even involved in his business. What a world class performance the Canadian gave around mid-way through SmackDown.

This was a man losing his mind over the thought of losing his dream. Edge spoke of walking away on his own terms, fighting back against the cruelty of retirement, dealing with painful neck surgeries and more. He vowed to end this waking nightmare in Tampa and cement his legacy forever as the only guy to perform at this level after those injuries.

Wow.

The contrasts between all three men involved in the Universal Title scene are stunning. Bryan is a passionate underdog, Roman Reigns an over-confident champion and Edge a desperate man trapped between peace and war. His character development is immense.

What did you think of WWE SmackDown's go home for WrestleMania 37? For more, check out WWE WrestleMania 37: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True and 10 Biggest Holy Sh*t Moments From NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 1!

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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.