4 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (March 7)

2. The Slow Start Continues

Nikki Bella John Cena Carmella James Ellsworth
WWE.com

SmackDown got off to an absolutely dismal start this week, and after the authority figures' introductory segment, the show bled into John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. James Ellsworth & Carmella. The match came about through a backstage confrontation last week, and the foursome "treated" the audience to seven minutes of absolute drudgery.

With The Miz & Maryse on commentary, Bella and Cena overcame their lowly opponents with a highly-coordinated finishing sequence that saw mistimed stereo Five Knuckle Shuffles, an AA/Rack Attack 2.0 combo, then dual submissions for the win.

The match should have been a basic squash match, but went on far too long considering the gulf in credibility. WWE fortunately kept the Cena vs. Ellsworth section short, but Miz's burials on commentary were far more entertaining than anything going on in the ring.

The action did nothing to build excitement for the forthcoming Cena/Bella vs. Miz/Maryse bout at WrestleMania 33. It existed only to set-up The Miz's fantastic post-match promo, but WWE could (and should) have accomplished this in a fraction of the time rather than clogging-up SmackDown's first half-hour.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.