4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Nov 5)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Drew McIntyre’s Open Challenge

Drew McIntyre Ricochet
WWE.com

Praise the grappling overlords for Drew McIntyre.

His open challenges have become a real highlight on SmackDown over the past few weeks, and everyone knew they were in for a good time when Ricochet answered the latest. These dudes have had a few tasty little TV matches on Raw over the past few years, and it's so obvious they enjoy working one another.

The big man vs. little man dynamic works for both of them, and they deserve a pat on the back for constantly coming up with inventive little spots. Here, Rico went for a moonsault but got his head/chest caved in by Drew's Claymore kick right after rotating. That, ladies and gents, was awesome.

WWE's next challenge is building on this for Ricochet. He badly needs more to do, because he always excels when he's on screen. A simmering mini-feud opposite Mustafa Ali is one everybody should reserve judgement on. They could have some in-ring belters if WWE let them.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out 3 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Oct 29) and 18 Wrestlers WWE Just Released!

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.