4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Oct 22)

2. Scared Paul Heyman Is Scared

Roman Reigns Paul Heyman
WWE.com

The way Roman Reigns toyed with Paul Heyman during SmackDown's early minutes was majestic. Credit must also go to Paul E for playing the coward who's deathly afraid of losing his meal ticket so well. He shamelessly ass-kisses where appropriate, and beams with pride when Reigns hypes himself up.

Yeah, this was awesome. That's nothing new for these guys though.

Roman referenced events at Crown Jewel by asking if Heyman wanted to rehearse and try handing him the Universal Title again. That tiny insert expertly discussed Paul chucking the belt into the ring over in Saudi without over-egging things, and it let Heyman play the sycophant yet again.

Some may not like that SmackDown's opening promo run lasted anywhere between 30-40 minutes, but damn...it was good stuff. This wasn't some time-wasting failed experiment. It was more stunning build for Roman and Heyman as characters.

Then, all hell broke loose...

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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.