5 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 21)

3. SummerSlam Was Pointless

Rusev Andrade Almas
WWE.com

If WWE wanted to give Rusev and Lana a victory via Aiden English interference, why not get it done at SummerSlam instead of going through the 50/50 rigmarole? This turnaround essentially renders Andrade Almas and Zelina Vega's pay-per-view win pointless. There's no value in a win that's reversed two nights later, and with Rusev Day seemingly back on the same page, Vega and 'Cien' look like goobers.

The bout itself was fine. They worked a layout similar to SummerSlam, but their cheating efforts were stifled. Almas grabbed a steel chair towards the end. This prompted English' intervention, which allowed Rusev to boot Andrade's head off, score the victory, and celebrate with Lana.

Building a bridge between Rusev and Aiden was the goal, and WWE accomplished that. Still, habits like this are why the company can't build new stars. They give somebody a win, then immediately snatch it away, forever proving the oft-trumpeted "momentum" concept a fallacy, and it happens almost every single week.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.