4 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (April 23)

Ups...

4. Aleister Black’s New Vignettes

Aleister Black
WWE

The jury is out on this one, admittedly.

WWE scripted endless "pick a fight with meeeee" vignettes for Aleister Black a few years ago. They started off well, then got samey and never went anywhere. These new "Tales Of The Dark Father" skits best result in a meaningful push for someone who is, let's be honest, criminally overlooked.

Black is far too talented to rot away on the sidelines doing nothing. On the plus side, this opening salvo was well-done (as you'd expect) and didn't shy away from the more Satanic aspects of Aleister's character. As hilarious as it is to see WWE kid on that this is a "new" gimmick, at least they're trying.

They just need to keep on trying, then mix these promos with some killer matches. Black could become a top star on Fridays if the writers show some patience and consistency here. There's absolutely no reason why he couldn't be in the main event picture by the end of the year.

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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.