4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 8)

1. Adam Bloody Pearce?!

WWE Royal Rumble 2021
WWE.com

Behold.

No, that's not a dodgy photoshop effort. It's actually the graphic for one of the 'World Title' matches on tap for this year's Royal Rumble. You know, the Rumble - only one of WWE's biggest pay-per-views each year and the launching point for the 'Road To WrestleMania'.

In 2021, WWE will present Roman Reigns vs. Adam Pearce for the Universal Title. That's the kind of thing one might tolerate at TLC or Backlash. Not at the Rumble though. Again, this is not meant as a dig at Pearce's abilities. He's a five-time NWA Champion and had a fine career outside WWE before his latest gig.

That's all well and good, but Pearce vs. Reigns is not the kind of title bout this company needs to be running on an 'A' level show when it looks like Bill Goldberg will be in the other one. Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg and Reigns vs. Pearce might be the weirdest WWE and Universal Title combo ever.

At the Royal Rumble!

Advertisement
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.