5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 3)

Because the world needed to know why Matt Riddle wrestles barefoot...

AJ Styles Drew Gulak
WWE.com

Quality wrestling counts.

SmackDown had a ton of solid in-ring stuff and wasn't bogged down by a WrestleMania repeat like last week's episode. Matt Riddle vs. John Morrison, AJ Styles vs. Drew Gulak and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kofi Kingston were all worthwhile watches, and even the Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley short sprint had some nice moments.

The Friday night weekly is an easy watch when WWE format things this way, but there are annoying suicidal booking tendencies that crop up all the time. Just when you think the writers are settling into a groove with things, they bust out a segment or trope that shatters the illusion or makes people watching wonder, "Why!?".

The good news is that seeds were planted for an Intercontinental Title feud that could be special, and there was another tease for an additional stipulation bout that'll enhance Extreme Rules. Elsewhere, WWE did a nice job with hype for their next cinematic blockbuster too.

If only they didn't rely on those irritating little moments that scream 'main roster booking' and raise unnecessary questions nobody cares about. If only...

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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.