3 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE SmackDown (12 June - Results & Review)

WWE pushed towards the semi final stages of both the King and Queen Of The Ring tournaments on SmackDown, but a return to domestic soil didn't do much for atmosphere. In fairness, fans in Providence were asked to go crazy for select acts that just don't have a lot of juice in terms of characterisation, and it's baffling that management don't seem to understand what flies around here.

Story and character trump all in WWE. Everyone knows that (apart from the writers, apparently).

It might look like it due to the number of 'Downs' compared to 'Ups' this week, but SmackDown wasn't a total train wreck of a show. There was a little something for everybody, including a nifty portion of comedy involving Danhausen, The Miz and Kit Wilson. That's golden, certainly in light of some recent attempts at 'ha ha' on the blue brand.

Things are heating up in the WWE Title picture too. Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther is set for next week, and none other than Sami Zayn will be the special guest referee for that showdown. Is a title switch incoming, or will Triple H stick with Cody for now? There's only one way to find out. On Friday in Rhode Island, 2 old friends upped the ante with a sensational and believable face to face preview. More, please.

At least one of the negatives could irk a few readers, and that's fair enough. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and it's important to remember that. However, WWE would do well to remember something else, and it's a repeat from earlier in this same intro: Story and character trump all in WWE. All.

Here's all the yay and nay from the penultimate SmackDown pre-Night Of Champions.