4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (19 Dec - Results & Review)

Downs...

5. Cody Goes Far Fetched

Granted, this could feed into something from the 'Ups' section long term, so please keep that in mind.

It was difficult to enjoy the pre-taped segment involving Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and Nick Aldis though. Cody has been flirting with little shades of grey here and there for a while now, but he’s a family-first babyface so probably wouldn’t invade Drew’s home. The whole thing was a little OTT and unbelievable, and the jerky/cinematic filming style made the scene play out like a mid-90s daytime drama. Again, there's time yet for things to develop and the violence to justify that segment, but it fell a wee bit short as part of this week’s episode.

Nothing much actually really happened either. McIntyre wants another match with Rhodes, but doesn’t want Cody to touch him before it or he’ll be stripped of the WWE Title. Aldis wasn't keen to bow to those demands, but eventually agreed if it'd get the match in the ring. Ready for a repeat question? Why is Nick so eager to play ball with Drew when the big Scot has been a thorn in his side for ages and has even attacked referees?

It's easy to see what the company were going for here, but it was more 2020 cinematic fare than something solid which fits at the tail end of 2025. Maybe go with music that's less cheesy next time too, and play more to the strengths of both guys as characters. After all, McIntyre looked like the more sympathetic figure than Cody, because he was outraged that the champ had come to his house when he'd agreed with the GM not to get physical before their next match.