5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (22 May - Results & Review)

2. Trick & Melo Produce Gold

Carmelo Hayes Trick Williams Ricky Saints Lil Yachty
WWE.com

Well now, this was all just really, really good.

Carmelo Hayes talking Trick Williams into giving him a match by playing off Lil Yachty as “a secretary” and their NXT history made sense. Then, the actual match itself was the best thing we’ve seen on SmackDown’s midcard in a while. There was some top promo work, they wrestled a top match, and WWE even kept Ricky Saints and Melo burning by having Ricky get involved come the end.

That duo didn’t exactly smash it last week, but maybe they just need some time to build chemistry. House shows would help with that. Y'know, just saying. This guy could go with seeing Trick and Melo run this sort of action back on PLE at some point in the future. Why wasn’t this on SNME, for example?! Glad we got it on SmackDown regardless.

Further, the live crowd in Lexington seemed split between these guys, which just shows how far Hayes has come as a babyface. He struggled as a heel when he landed on the main roster a few years back, but a spirited United States Title run, some of the best TV matches around and forging a connection with fans as a baby has rescued him from that hell.

Take notes, Saints.

Trick vs. Hayes was one of the best pure babyface vs. babyface bouts you're likely to see on modern wrestling telly. It was slick, fans badly wanted to see it in their town (a rarity when wrestlers ask that question), and it kept Williams busy whilst simultaneously pushing another midcard rivalry.

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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.