5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (April 8)

1. A Huge Step Down

Roman Reigns Paul Heyman The Usos Shinsuke Nakamura Bloodline
WWE.com

Sorry, but Shinsuke Nakamura also fits that description.

The babyface is a colossal step down from Brock Lesnar for Roman Reigns. Put it this way: Naka was a comedy 'King', then started working tags with Rick Boogs recently. Suddenly, because of Boogs' injury at 'Mania, WWE are happy to pretend that Shinsuke's on Roman's level?

That's not going to cut it. Reigns has been unstoppable as Universal Champion, and now he has the WWE Title in his mitts too. How on earth is someone who hasn't been relevant as a main event act for years going to be a credible threat heading into WrestleMania Backlash?

Again, another side note positive; Reigns demanding that The Usos head to Raw, target RK-Bro, win the Raw Tag-Team Titles and then unify the belts is a cracking idea. Being honest, WWE's tag ranks across both shows have rarely merited two sets of titles anyway.

The Nakamura stuff though? Nah. That'll take some work.

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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.