4 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (July 25)

3. Kanellis Loses Again

Mike Kanellis Sami Zayn
WWE.com

Mike & Maria Kanellis are already worthless. At Battleground, Mike’s previous win over Sami Zayn was wiped off the board by 50/50 booking when the former NXT Champion pinned him in a bland bout. The duo were placed in opposite sides on a tag match last night, and it happened again: Sami tagged Tye Dillinger, hit the Helluva Kick, and beat Kanellis for the second time in three days.

The match itself was perfectly average, but the outcome makes little sense. What’s the point in bringing a guy in then positioning him against one of your most natural babyfaces if you’re going to immediately turn him into a loser? There isn’t one, and Mike is already starting to feel like an enhancement talent.

Perhaps he and Maria never stood a chance with that awful gimmick, but WWE could have at least tried to get them over. Sami is an underdog who works bet in losing situations: he could easily have handled a couple of falls to Kanellis here, but WWE went the opposite route instead. It’s too early to call him a total bust, but at this stage in his WWE career, Mike couldn’t be lower.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.