5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (1 Nov - Results & Review)

2. A Wild KO Attacks!

There were two moments of stunning character work from Kevin Owens on this week's show that outlined how much of a loose cannon he's become. Earlier in the night, Owens cut a melancholy promo and said: "I never wanted to hurt you" to Randy Orton. Then, he added: "...and now I'm going to". Throughout, KO put across that this situation has only escalated because Randy and Cody Rhodes turned on him,not the other way around.

There was a stone cold (ahem) killer air to Kevin there. He didn't get all shouty for the sake of it, but went for a Jake Roberts-esque hushed tone instead. It worked well. So well, in fact, that there was a vivid contrast between that measured anger and his explosion of violence right at the end of the broadcast. Owens traded Roberts for Roddy Piper when gatecrashing post-main event celebrations to blast Randy with a steel chair.

Here's something else worth noting. Kev didn't go straight after Cody once the WWE Champ saw what had happened. No, he waited on a GUNTHER sneak attack and then watched his old buddy get choked out as cameras faded to black. The execution of this story, from KO's sighing promo to the close-ups of his emotional face in-ring, was flawless, and the production team deserve immense credit for playing their part in proceedings.

If Owens and Orton can capitalise on the hot vibes to their angle by bringing the goods at Crown Jewel, then this card might well be better than some (including yours truly) view it on paper beforehand.