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

2. Should’ve Been Better?

Cesaro Shinsuke Nakamura Otis Daniel Bryan
WWE.com

Some folks aren't going to agree with this 'Down'.

That's fine, but yours truly was expecting a bit more when he saw that Otis and Daniel Bryan would be teaming up against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. All four guys are good workers. Two of them (Bryan and Bryan) especially could also be considered world class, so it wasn't a stretch to think this would be sensational.

Instead, it was a passable TV match and little more. Now, nobody is suggesting that anyone phoned it in here, but it surely had the potential to be better than it was. In the end, this viewer came away with a feeling of disappointment - things never really got going to the level one expected.

In fairness, they got the finish right. The fact Daniel tapped out Naka is also interesting, because Shin has done something that Bryan hopes to do in a few weeks. Namely, win the Royal Rumble. Fingers crossed he's in with a shout.

Advertisement
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.