4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 1)

1. B-Level Setup For A B-Level PPV

Natalya WWE
WWE

The complete lack of Roman Reigns hurt SmackDown.

Maybe that's unfair, because it is true that Roman doesn't need to do something major every single week. However, it would be lovely if he or Paul Heyman were even slightly interested in who's going to win Money In The Bank and theoretically cash in on Roman ASAP.

The Undisputed Champ's clear disinterest in that situation smacks of laziness from the writing team. Even some footage of Reigns keeping an eye on things whilst he trains at a home gym for the SummerSlam match vs. Brock Lesnar would've sufficed. Anything.

The final push for Ronda Rousey vs. Natalya was phoned-in stuff as well. Nattie's promo failed to sell her as any kind of threat at all (WWE moving away from the Sharpshooter thing was a bad idea), and Ronda is never too great on the mic herself.

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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.