4 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (13 Dec - Results & Review)

1. Simple But Effective SNME Garnish

Cody Rhodes cut an unusually rattled figure once the penny dropped that Kevin Owens wouldn't come to the ring for an incident-free interview before they collide at Saturday Night's Main Event. Some of his banter with fans came across as a little stilted, but that might've been deliberate. After all, Cody is supposed to be frustrated and thrown off his game by KO's actions. That's the whole point.

Owens laid a trap for the champ by firing zingers from his car. A clever heel like Kev knew Cody wouldn't be able to resist coming backstage to find him, and that's what he was banking on. The pair then worked an intense brawl with the usual pull apart spot, and KO blasted Rhodes with the WWE Title before standing tall. You really can't argue with this sort of stuff.

It was an old school wrestling angle leading into a hot main event showdown for SNME, and it was a vast improvement on last week's in-car bit with Michael Cole. Love to see it. To be fair, the skit would've bagged an 'Up' for Kev's Stardust t-shirt alone. That's top class trolling from one of the best at taking potshots and winding everyone up with minor details. Few pay better attention to that side of the game than KO. Well played, good sir. Or...bad sir. Whatever works.

WWE could've reached Saturday's show without airing this segment, but now Owens has a far more cerebral air to him and Cody is totally bewildered about how to approach things. SmackDown showed KO as someone who has both a physical and mental advantage over Rhodes, which is interesting.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 50 Things You Learn Binge-Watching Every WWE Royal Rumble and WWE Saturday Night's Main Event 2024: 5 Things That NEED To Happen!