4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (April 25)
Downs...
3. Michael Jackson Jokes
WWE have done little of note with Shinsuke Nakamura since he joined the SmackDown roster, but that's fine. The former NXT Champion is so over that all he really needs to do to pop the crowd is make his entrance, confuse a heel, then leave. That's pretty much been the formula for the past three weeks, but it's not something WWE can maintain forever, and sooner or later, they have to start using 'The King of Strong Style' in a greater capacity.
Last night was their first attempt at doing so, and it flopped. Originally set to open the show with an in-ring interview, Nakamura was interrupted by his new rival, Dolph Ziggler, and was then subjected to some of the worst jokes WWE Creative have concocted since Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson were playing comedy goofs last year. Ziggler's Michael Jackson rhetoric was unfunny, cringe-worthy, and did absolutely nothing to build interest for a match between him and Nakamura.
The segment ended in violence, with Ziggler bailing before Shinsuke could hit the Kinshasa, and the feud continues. This should be a decent introductory program for Nakamura, but WWE are going to have to do much better than this to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, Nakamura's first main roster storyline already looks like a dud.