5 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Dec 25)

WWE's Christmas special played out like a mini-pay-per-view on Friday night.

by Jamie Kennedy
Roman Reigns Jey Uso Paul Heyman
WWE.com

If one of your Christmas wishes was to see Big E get a singles title or Daniel Bryan motor back towards the main event scene, then SmackDown was the show for you.

Both those things happened, and there's now a decent chance that fans will see Bryan challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 37. Don't get too excited though, because D-Bry has to navigate January's Royal Rumble first. Can he do it? Well, why not? Bryan would be a fine choice to win the men's match.

SmackDown's festive special only had four matches, but they were all solid efforts that deftly avoided the usual 'Miracle On 34th Street Fight' "hilarity" WWE typically provides around this time of year. There was a much more serious vibe to the program overall actually, and that helped make it an easy watch.

The only downsides came from one specific backstage skit and a division that just can't seem to get going despite starring some big names.

Here are all the 'Ups' and the 'Downs' from the final SmackDown of a weird 2020...

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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.