5 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 26)
4. Roode Health
WWE.com
Baron Corbin could stand to lose an awful lot less than he does, but 'The Lone Wolf' had one of his best nights of the year against Bobby Roode even if it meant yet another examination of the arena lights.
Alongside Dolph Ziggler, Corbin and Roode's United States Title triple threat was the best match on an utterly woeful Clash Of Champions card, but Ziggler's inclusion was credited heaviest for the excitement. Roode's old school style is an acquired taste, whilst Corbin's strengths rarely show themselves unless paired with a superlative superworker.
This spirited tournament opener for the now-vacant United States Championship was an ideal knock-back to the long-held criticisms of both. Perhaps due to being so good as a sneering heel, 'The Glorious One's exceptional work as a sympathetic babyface often goes unnoticed, but he was dynamic on defence here, exquisitely timing his comebacks to drag intensity kicking and screaming out of his larger foe.
A roll-up win for Roode against the run of play was, for a change, the right call too. As a former champion without a proper rematch, Corbin is a wronged man, but has been beaten by a better man nonetheless. This affords him the requisite level of bitterness and bile as he presumably plays merry hell about his mistreatment.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
