4 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (2 Oct - Results & Review)
Downs...
2. Get What They Were Going For, But…
...that revolving door promo train involving Sami Zayn, Je’Von Evans, Penta and Trick Williams was literally just everyone other than Sami saying they were going to win Money In The Bank. That was it. Look, it's understandable that WWE wanted to heap more pressure on WWE Champ Zayn’s shoulders, but there wasn’t enough meat on the bone to any of this and it actually felt kinda phoned in.
Also, can we drop the “gingerbread” jibes? They do get a reaction from live crowds, which is exactly why Trick keeps firing them out there, but not every worker who comes up against Zayn needs to insult his appearance. Evans did the same thing right beforehand too, which only made Sami look like somewhat of a sympathetic figure and multiple babyfaces look like bullies. There needs to be a good reason for that kind of aggro, otherwise dudes like Je'Von just feel like they're piling on for the sake of it.
The only one who shone on the mic here was Sami, and that's because his character is the best-developed and most interesting. Penta maybe gets a pass because of the language barrier (he did do well with the material he was given), but Williams going "gingerbread man" yet again feels like a backwards step for him as a personality. If that's all you've got to say when stepping to the reigning WWE Champion, then get to the back of the queue.
WWE fancied spotlighting the chasing pack, which is fine, but there were far too many swing and miss moments in this promo train overall.