5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Apr 10)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Needs Must

Braun Strowman Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

Believe it or not, this final 'Up' was the top 'Down' originally before giving things some thought and cutting WWE some slack.

The Universal Title was harmful to Bray Wyatt and his 'Fiend' character before, but choices for Braun Strowman's title reign are seriously limited. WWE don't exactly have a lengthy list of workers that'd make sense for the new champ. In fact, Wyatt might be the only one that does make sense.

If creative are careful and don't think Strowman can do the same goofy comedy stuff John Cena did at 'Mania, then they'll be fine. The other major question mark hanging over this is where Bray goes from here if he loses again. Anyone who enjoyed the 'Firefly Fun House' match last week shouldn't worry about that.

Wyatt's over-the-top characterisation gives him a pass from logic now. His feud with Seth Rollins, that HIAC debacle, the unnecessary Universal Title win, his loss to Goldberg and the 'Mania 36 insanity have shown one thing: Bray can survive pretty much anything and still be entertaining.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown? For more WWE, check out 10 WWE PPVs Fans Thought Would Totally Suck (But Didn’t) and 10 Best Ways Wrestlers Recovered From WWE WrestleMania Defeats!

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Contributor

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.