5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 1)

The first SmackDown of 2021 had returns, big bumps and the worst concert in WWE history.

Roman Reigns Kevin Owens
WWE.com

The first SmackDown of 2021 had some solid wrestling, superb promo work, a possibly major return, awful comedy and one hell of a set piece bump.

WWE's build towards Royal Rumble continued, but the company didn't announce any other names for either upcoming 30-person brawl. Instead, they spent Friday's two-hour broadcast hyping up potential rematches for the Universal, Tag-Team and Women's Titles. That's fine, though the show could've done without Angelo Dawkins playing drums.

One glaring problem with SmackDown right now is that there's a huge disparity between the main event feud and everything else. Most of the midcard pack (like Dawkins and Street Profits pal Montez Ford) come across as an afterthought to the show's creative team, and that's hard to overlook when watching - Bruce Prichard must also be glad he doesn't have Monday's third hour on Friday nights too.

So, SmackDown's latest was ye olde mixed bag. At least there was room for some touching tributes from the roster and the kind of big time conclusion that WWE used to do weekly.

Here are all the 'Ups' and 'Downs'...

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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.