5 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (29 Nov - Results & Review)

4. Cody Shuts Carmelo’s Mouth

This wasn't the random match it likely appeared to those who didn't watch everything on last week's show with eagle eyes. An angry Cody bumped into the snarky Carmelo Hayes backstage, and they wound up having an altercation in the heat of the moment. GM Nick Aldis was on hand to make the match in an attempt to nip things in the bud and stop yet another backstage fight from happening on his watch.

Personally, this writer wouldn't have drawn attention to this being some 'seven month evaluation' of how far Hayes has come since jumping up to SmackDown. Corey Graves did. It's cool that he was trying to put Melo over, but it did the opposite. He hasn't quite found his footing on the main roster despite excellent matches vs. Andrade, and is actually at a creative standstill overall.

Corey's commentary exposed that.

Being fair, Carmelo did look decent against Rhodes again here. He is going to need something soon to build momentum and find his place on the blue brand though. Speaking of which, that’s what this exhibition-style match was all about for Cody: Building momentum towards that much-anticipated title defence vs. Kevin Owens at Saturday Night’s Main Event and letting some anger out on an obvious heel.

The quality of ring work and the fact this wasn't a totally random/cold match sneaks it into the 'Ups' territory. Cody's star power is such that he could play tiddlywinks and get a reaction. There was enough throughout to look on the positive side and ignore the negative (that Hayes has become someone who piggybacks on other people's feuds for a week or two).