4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (15 May - Results & Review)

4. This Tag Story Needs Some Movement

Priest vs. Tama Tonga didn’t ever feel like it properly got going before Priest won with South Of Heaven.

It’s weird that much of SmackDown fell right off a cliff after the opener between Trick Williams and The Miz, not least because that match was a placeholder for Trick itself. Yep, Priest needs a new wrinkle going forwards, and Tama’s tension with Solo has been going on far too long without much payoff. It honestly feels like every side of this coin needs some shining.

There was an annoying stumble from Damian when he lost his balance on the top rope before Tonga could cut him off as planned, but they worked through it. That slight botch aside, it's true to moan that the pair lacked true intensity as they were slugging it out. The wheels have come right off Priest as an ongoing concern - he doesn't feel like a main event level star at all now. At times, he's barely thriving on the midcard.

Meanwhile, Tama's drama with Shinsuke Nakamura has been trundling along as a side quest with no light at the end of the tunnel, and there's nothing to him defying Sikoa's orders because Solo has no authority in the eyes of the fanbase. Everything about this match, the backstory behind it and the feuds these guys have going on is paper thin, and that's problematic.

Priest vs. Talla was way better than expected last week, but he couldn't carry that momentum into this bout with Tama on Friday night. That's a pity.