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

Downs...

3. This Lantern Business Is Torturous

Tama Tonga rightly questioned why Solo Sikoa wants to continue fighting for the lantern, so Solo put him in the match vs. Uncle Howdy and told him not to mess it up. Then, Howdy won a nothing 7-minute match vs. Tama, and…nobody really cares anymore. This MFTs vs. Wyatt Sicks feud has been trundling along for far too long, man. There’s just nothing to it anymore, and it was a struggle to begin with/has had very few upsides throughout.

Let's be clear about something important: WrestleMania does not need a multi-man between these crews. Sorry, but it just doesn’t. The whole premise of them passing the lantern back and forth feels woefully uninspired, not least because WWE has never once stopped to explain why it's so crucial to The Sicks beyond mere symbolism.

Solo has been acting like the prop gives him some sort of power, but that's totally half-baked. "Half-baked" is the kind way to describe it. 'It sucks' would be far more vicious, but definitely accurate.

Tama has potential as a breakout singles worker once WWE is bored of this faction, but not in scenarios as wishy-washy as this. What happened to him muscling in on the United States Title scene anyway? They dropped that in a hurry, and there doesn't appear to be much urgency regarding his side quest with Shinsuke Nakamura either.

Howdy has his lantern back, at least for now. That won't matter to 99.9% of the audience who have been snoozing their way through everything these squads have produced. What a lame rivalry it's been.