4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Aug 6)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. ‘No Smiles’ Finn Bálor

Finn Balor
WWE.com

Thank. The. Wrestling. Gods.

Finn Bálor was dead in the water as a character when he started smiling every damn week on TV a few years back. NXT changed all that. It turned Bálor into a much more serious, grounded personality, and he's carried that over onto SmackDown without still running with the concrete heel stuff. It's an improvement.

Finn even referenced his previous smiler role, but said those days are over. This is the right way to book him; Bálor has a subtle heelish edge without going over-the-top with it, and the lure of seeing him wrestle a peerless Roman Reigns post-SummerSlam is enticing.

However, WWE do have a task on their hands to pivot away from John Cena quickly. Tampa's masses chanted, "Cena! Cena! Cena!" over and over even after Finn's defiant shove on Reigns. Thankfully, Florida was right back behind the Irishman by the time Roman and The Usos kicked his head in.

The timing of this is slightly regrettable, but Finn and Reigns are slick enough to make it work.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 30) and Every Champion In WWE (And Who Should Beat Them)!

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Contributor

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.