4 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Feb 25)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Roman Reigns Loses His Cool

Paul Heyman Roman Reigns Jey Uso
WWE.com

If you only watch one segment from this week's SmackDown, make it the "main event" contract signing.

Paul Heyman set the table by taking credit for the end of The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak, then Brock Lesnar came out with a smile on his face. Basically, Heyman's attempt to stir the pot didn't work, 'cause Lesnar is so accustomed to Paul E's way of doing business. That was a neat touch.

Similarly, seeing Roman Reigns get wound up by Brock's laid-back approach was wonderful. The 'Tribal Chief' lost his composure, and everyone did a nice job of hinting that he's slowly falling into Lesnar's trap. WWE's contract signing segments are normally boring, but this was well-produced and executed.

The pretence that Brock vs. Roman is the biggest 'Mania match of all time is a little much, and it won't appeal to those old enough to recall the greats. This is what WWE do though - they ignore history (when it suits) and present modern times as infinitely superior.

At least the banter between Brock, Reigns and Heyman was good.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out 3 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Feb 18) and Cesaro In WWE: Where Did It All Go Wrong!

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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.