4 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Feb 17)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Sami Zayn’s Fire

Sami Zayn
WWE.com

The love pro wrestling fans currently feel for one Sami Zayn is really heartwarming. Everyone's on board with his push, and there's real scope to continue his rise post-Elimination Chamber even after he loses to Roman Reigns. Oh, the 'Tribal Chief' wasn't on SmackDown this week, and his Bloodline was totally absent too.

This was all about Sami.

He was greeted like a cherished legend returning to WWE after years away. That'll only make it even more heartbreaking when he inevitably stares at the lights for Reigns, but Zayn showed tremendous fire during his promo, and it succeeded in painting him as the ultimate underdog against the peerless champion.

Giving Sami the mic, and letting him bask in adulation from the Canadian masses, was a fine way to close out the show and make the Chamber pay-per-view look like a bigger deal than PPV stops right before WrestleMania normally do.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out WWE Elimination Chamber 2023: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True and WWE 2K23: 21 Wrestlers Making Their Series Debut!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.