4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (May 9)

2. RIP Luke Harper's Push

Luke Harper was on the verge of becoming one of SmackDown's hottest acts in March. He was the odd man out in the Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton feud, and was garnering some of the brand's loudest face pops after splitting from his poisoned mentor. Harper vanished when he should have been set-up for a significant upper-midcard push, however, and these days, it's a surprise if he even appears on SD at all.

Last night saw Luke re-emerge from the shadows to wrestle Erick Rowan, his former tag team partner. Unfortunately, the match wasn't exciting at all: neither man worked with urgency, and their work gave no sense of anger or frustration, which is surprising given their shared history. It was 4 minuted 30 seconds of boredom, concluding with a Rowan victory courtesy of a referee distraction, and an unconvincing new finishing move.

Harper barely appears these days, and hasn't won a singles match since last November. Losing to Rowan - a man who has never looked convincing on his own - does him no favours, either. It's clear that WWE have no idea how to get the most out of Luke, who is one of the best big men in the business, but can't catch a break on SmackDown. His push has dissipated in disappointingly quick fashion, and all hope of his elevation has been extinguished.