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

3. Gets An Up, But…

Cody Rhodes AJ Styles
WWE.com

The contract signing between Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles was respectful and tense. It was defo good enough to score an 'Up', but it might be smart for WWE to start thinking about another wrinkle for Cody's opponents other than chatting about Dusty's legacy. That gets a pass here, chiefly 'cause it makes sense with AJ, but they can't keep pounding that same drum over and over.

It'll get boring.

Back to the plus points. Styles does have history with Dusty, and he's recently been angry at LA Knight for scooping title shots out from underneath his nose. Now, AJ has his own championship opportunity, and there's a desperate air to his voice when he talks about making Cody crumble under the weight of the belt at Backlash.

Creative doesn't have much time to work with, obviously, but they can always have Styles continue to question whether or not Rhodes can write a new story after finishing one back at 'Mania. AJ is ideal for this sort of post-'Mania positioning. The strength of his and Cody's mic work pushed this segment into good territory.

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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.