5 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 30)

3. A Failed Rebound

Having lost to The Usos in decisive fashion at the Royal Rumble, Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin faced Breezango in what was intended to be a rebound match last night. The seeds were planted early on, when American Beta strolled into the Fashion Police's office and overturned a table, with The Ascension looking on. A straightforward set-up for a straightforward bout, but it didn't deliver.

The match was too long to be a squash, but too short for the performers to produce anything substantial. The work wasn't up to scratch, either. It felt like the two teams were racing against the clock throughout, but instead of crafting a fun, breathless sprint, they delivered a disjointed mess that never really clicked.

This is a shame. Both teams are solid, and they likely have a better match in them, but they didn't click at all. As such, Benjamin and Gable's victory didn't mean a thing, and won't give them the propulsion needed to return to the title hunt. This probably isn't their short-term goal, given that The Usos are moving on to a new feud with Harper and Rowan, but seeing such a talented team limping towards mediocrity isn't a pleasant sight.