5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 12 - Results & Review)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. This All Worked

Solo Sikoa AJ Styles LA Knight
WWE.com

The show-long storyline of Heyman trying to find The Bloodline a partner worked out well. Everyone from Carlito to Bobby Lashley turned Paul down flat, and that left Solo and Jimmy to take matters into their own hands before walking into a numbers disadvantage. Smartly, they tried to take out Randy Orton pre-main event.

Anyone worried that Mr. RKO wouldn't hit his famous move shouldn't have been sweating though, 'cause Randall romped back out towards the end and came back to haunt his aggressors. Orton secured victory for the babyfaces, then he, AJ Styles and LA Knight thumped Solo through the announce desk with a Shield-esque powerbomb.

That got a big pop from the live crowd, but something else became apparent: WWE had managed to book Bloodline fare better than they usually do without Reigns around. Perhaps that says everything about the star power of guys like Randy, AJ and LA, but the heels defo deserve some kudos too.

Styles and Knight bickering is also something to keep an eye on heading into the Rumble.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 10 Moments Wrestlers NEVER Recovered From and 10 New Directions For WWE In 2024!

Advertisement
Contributor

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.