5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (6 March - Results & Review)

There'd be no sense in denying the truth. The R-Truth. No, just the plain, barefaced truth. WWE's road to WrestleMania 42 has been underwhelming. When plans haven't been disrupted by injuries, the creative team have been getting in their own way by being indecisive. Hell, they only settled on Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton last month when that's a story SmackDown has had ticking over in the background since Cody's first title reign.

This week's show wasn't quite the forceful kick in the pants that the product needed, but it did have some real highlights. Rhodes beat Drew McIntyre in a thumping main event to win his third WWE Title, Randy laid out his future whether he wins the belt in Las Vegas or not, Sami Zayn is doing some interesting work backstage, and Rhea Ripley confronted Jade Cargill about their upcoming Women's Title clash.

SmackDown had a lot to like, but the fact there are 4 'Downs' in the count should tell you a little something about some of the pitfalls Triple H-led booking has. He took Jade from a tense showdown with Rhea to more mediocrity in a mini-feud that's been going nowhere for months, and the less said about the sorry state of the blue brand's tag ranks the better. How we got...here from where the division was pre-Wyatt Sicks and MFTs is anyone's guess.

Here's all the good and bad from a show that's trying to hide 'Mania's flawed build. Hopefully, things pick up steam, but the strength of WWE's roster is digging them out of some holes at the moment.