4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 15)

Ups...

4. Opening With A Match

It's an unwritten rule that every major WWE television show must open with a lengthy talking segment. The days of The Authority boring the audience into submission with the same droning, 30-minute promo are gone, fortunately, but the structure persists through the New Era, and it's not going away anytime soon.

Fortunately, SmackDown broke the habit last night. Okay, so Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon were out first, but they only hung around for a few seconds. When they were done, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler kicked things off with a tremendous Intercontinental Title match, and after some typical Spirit Squad/Maryse chicanery, Miz is the new IC Champion.

It's a shame to lose Ziggler vs. Sami Zayn at Survivor Series, but there's no better way to open a wrestling show than with, you know... wrestling. Anything that breaks convention must be seen as a good thing in WWE's increasingly formulaic universe, and it helps that Miz and Ziggler had the best match of the night. They set the show off on a high note, and while the rest couldn't quite match their quality, SD made a great start.

This is Miz's sixth Intercontinental Title reign, and the finish means his rivalry with Ziggler will likely rumble on. Few will complain about this: they duo have been warring for months, but they're both putting forth some of the best work of their careers at the moment. There's plenty of gas left in this particular tank, and the IC scene will remain strong for as long as they're involved with it.