5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Aug 18)

WWE gets it wrong with LA Knight; The Bloodline takes a week off; Edge's last match?

Edge WWE 2023 Retirement
WWE.com

He's one of the greatest to ever do it, and it feels good as a fan to say that Edge is going out on his own terms this time. However, this week's SmackDown didn't feel like the end of his WWE journey. It was a great moment and emotional as they come, but...surely this isn't his final stop?

Stay tuned, and all that.

Friday's show had three goals in mind: Progress The Bloodline's story without any active wrestling members there, tell Edge's story with class, and maybe give some under appreciated workers on the blue brand roster a little bit of spotlight. WWE smashed the first two, but not the third.

Problems persist on the women's side of things too. Sure, IYO SKY as champion is a brand new direction for the division, and yet that only works if you're willing to properly move on (at least for now) from the same old faces who have been hoovering up top spots for years. Everything feels so samey despite the new champ, and some stories have apparently been ditched.

Back on the plus side, The Street Profits look set for something special, and Paul Heyman proved he can carry things on his own without hogging too much time.

Here's all the good and bad from Smackers!

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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.