5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (27 Sept - Results & Review)

1. Needed More Roman

Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Again, star power and roster depth is something WWE can rely on in 2024. However, Roman Reigns has a massive pay-per-view match coming up next week, and he really should be more involved with the build towards that. The OTC was on hand for a pre-tape with Cody on last week's show, but he was barely mentioned on Friday.

The way some characters simply vanish from SmackDown screens without any explanation whatsoever is a bit annoying. Randy Orton did it (where was he last week?!), and now Roman is in that same spot. Sorry, but Reigns is too important to Bad Blood and beyond to be dipping in and out willy nilly.

Willy f'n nilly, bah gawd.

Would it have killed the writers to lean on Roman a little more by having him interject and give his thoughts on the frost coating a friendship between Rhodes and KO? Owens could then bite back by saying he's never trusted Reigns or The Bloodline. Maybe that'll come, but Roman's absence definitely dinged SmackDown's paintwork.

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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.