4 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Dec 24)
Paul Heyman refuses to phone it in; Ricochet shines; WWE's Christmas doesn't totally suck.
WWE's holiday-themed episodes are typically an excuse for the company to phone it in and put on lazy brawls like the 'Miracle On 34th Street Fight'. 2021 had one of those, but...the two-hour special didn't totally suck. That, considering the poor quality of most Christmassy attempts from yesteryear, came as a neat surprise.
SmackDown had a Women's Title bout, a bumper 12-man Gauntlet and the lure of follow up after Roman Reigns kicked Paul Heyman's ass to the curb on last week's show. Not everything clicked, hence the near-parity between those counts for 'Ups' and 'Downs', but the good definitely outweighed the bad.
Heyman, Ricochet and Sami Zayn can accept praise for most of that.
The talented trio worked overtime to ensure that this "Merry Christmas" edition was worth checking out. Honestly, despite the fact that most wrestling fans probably ditched the show on Christmas Eve (especially in the UK, where staying up until 3am isn't for everybody), there's a lot you need to see from this festive edition.
If nothing else, check out the Gauntlet and Paul E's genius. You need to witness that last one...