5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (April 26 - Results & Review)

WWE's 2024 Draft already needs a rethink, but several trades did work in SmackDown's favour.

by Jamie Kennedy
Cody Rhodes AJ Styles
WWE.com

This week's episode of SmackDown marked the opening night of WWE's 2024 Draft, and it's fair to say the promotion could use a rethink when it comes to the annual shakeup. Actually, the last word in that sentence there might not fit - only 6 of the 16 picks announced on TV actually jumped brands. That means no less than 10 announcements were pretty pointless.

Worse, one major name was allowed to dodge the entire process, and the explanation as to why was very weak. That did the Draft zero favours, but SmackDown did see a few positive new arrivals. One immediately targeted the top male champ, and another will give Bayley someone "new" to work with during her own title reign.

Friday's show wasn't a bad one by any means. However, it didn't do much to sell the Draft as must see, and that's something Triple H will need to think about going forwards. Beyond the Draft, he also booked a heel turn, a string of legendary cameos, and the official union of a brand new tag-team.

Here's all the good and bad from a night that definitely could've been better.

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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.