5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (2 May - Results & Review)
Tepid build towards PLEs is starting to become a worrying WWE trend in 2025.
WWE put Randy Orton into the same awkward shoes Cody Rhodes had to wear during the build towards WrestleMania 41, and it's become a concerning trend in company circles as 2025 nears its midway point. Sometimes, workers have to carry PPV/PLE hype solo, but that shouldn't be the general rule. Sadly, scheduling woes and a few too many part-timers near the top of the cards mean it's unavoidable.
That formatting didn't help one of SmackDown's lead segments this week, and it's fair to say star power was an issue overall. On the plus side, hard workers in the Women's Title, Women's United States Title and tag-team divisions gave fans attending the show something to shout about, but it would've been nicer to see a little more urgency considering Backlash is next weekend.
The show is already Saturday Night's Main Event under a different name. It has a historically fascinating finale between Randy and John Cena to entice people in, but Triple H appears obsessed with multi-wrestler affairs in lieu of gripping one on one feuds elsewhere. Meanwhile, one of his most promising newcomers is already spinning his wheels, and another could be heading down the same road in a few weeks.
Fingers crossed he doesn't, but 'The Game's' barebones approach to 'Mania season TV at times hasn't exactly filled everyone with hope.
Here's all the good and bad from a largely functional episode of SmackDown that seemed to be a 2 hour show stretched into 3. Thankfully, there were a bunch of positives to lavish praise on in amongst some of the grumbles!