5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (30 Jan - Results & Review)

2. Dragunov Gets Revenge

Personally, this guy really enjoyed Ilja Dragunov vs. The Miz.

The match had a rock solid reason to happen after Miz cost Ilja his match vs. Carmelo last week, and Miz initially tried to stay out of harm’s way by avoiding Dragunov’s strikes. They even found time to work in a little Rumble teaser by having Miz throw Ilja out as the announcers talked about Saturday’s 30-man match. That was appreciated, and it brought focus back to why WWE is in Saudi to begin with.

It's nice to see Miz get physical with someone who doesn’t mind taking some rough shots himself, ‘cause we don’t get to see that out of the veteran much these days. Someone sit Bryan Danielson down and roll tape of this bout, then ask him to repeat his "soft" comments from Talking Smack in 2016. Talking Smack? Nah, talking s*** Bryan! The Miz is a top all-rounder.

Ilja will go up a rung if he turns heel, but he gives 100% every single time he’s in the ring and that goes a long way. As usual, Miz can lose and bounce back. He has to be one of the most giving vets in the industry right now. WWE are lucky to have someone with such tenure, experience and generosity. Right, that's plenty - this is turning into a Miz love in.

The main mission for this match was putting Dragunov over as somebody who finds solutions even when his opponents prove stubborn. Losing the US Title could be a blessing in disguise for Ilja, especially if he's going to turn in performances like this whether he has gold or not.