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

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Main Event Moment

Big E Intercontinental Title
WWE.com

WWE showed massive faith in Big E on Friday night.

It was he and Sami Zayn, not Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens, who were booked to headline the final SmackDown of 2020. That really says it all. Some may point to the Christmas theme and explain the company's wish to have a happy conclusion, but that was only half the battle.

WWE needed strong characters in the main event spot, and they found them in E and Zayn. Their story has been blossoming for weeks now, with some inserts from Daniel Bryan, and it was the right one to close out the blue brand's year with. This show-closing moment also made the IC belt look like a million bucks.

Being honest, everyone knew that KO wasn't taking that Universal Title from Roman Reigns, especially not on free TV. Thus, it was smart to put a genuinely-pleasing babyface title switch in the featured spot and end SmackDown with a confetti-laden celebration.

Now, they just need to write some satisfying follow up.

What did you think of WWE's SmackDown Christmas special? For more like this, check out 10 Best Wrestling PPVs Of 2020 and 10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About 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.