5 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Feb 9 - Results & Review)

3. Babyface Battles Babyface

Randy Orton Sami Zayn
WWE.com

Babyface vs. babyface matches can be challenging to pull off unless backed by a killer story. Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn didn't necessarily have that, but it did have two of the best old pros on WWE's books. This pair know how to make any scenario fly, and they worked a cracking main event on Friday.

It's gonna be a trip finding out what WWE has in store for Sami heading into WrestleMania, because he's been on a bit of a downward spiral. Nobody should complain about Randy getting the nod for the Chamber match ahead of him though. Orton still feels relatively fresh after returning late-last year.

He'd be a believable threat to Seth Rollins as well.

This headliner was laced with just enough underdog goodness from Sami to keep things interesting. At times, Orton almost leaned back into a villain role (one he knows well), but he won't be outright heel for a while. People are too happy to see him, and performances like the one on Friday night show why.

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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.