5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (May 14)

Ups...

5. Energy = Results

Apollo Crews Kevin Owens Big E
WWE.com

It's amazing what a little energy can do.

WWE didn't give the Intercontinental Title lads a ton of time to work with here, but they still managed to come up with the goods regardless. Apollo Crews delivered despite his potentially-lame "Nigerian Medal Of Honour" fluff with Commander Azeez, Big E spoke passionately, Sami Zayn was his usual self and Kevin Owens was all-action.

Everyone involved did their bit to keep the tempo up and build towards what should be a fun Fatal-Four-Way next week. Nobody should complain about this being left off the WrestleMania Backlash card either - it's hardly a fully-fleshed feud, and the multi-man format works well for free TV anyway.

Fingers crossed Apollo escapes with the belt and moves on to another singles feud. Being honest, WWE can get more from his issues with E if they're careful. It's just a pity that they booked such a tame "Drum Fight" gig at 'Mania - that wasn't good (or proper) blow off.

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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.