5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 23)

3. Bálor Beats The Utility Man

There was only really one must-see match from this week's SmackDown, and this was it.

Sami Zayn is WWE's best heel utility man - he can lose to pretty much anybody, come up with an excuse then bounce straight back instantly. Few workers are skilled enough (or over enough with crowds) to handle that spot, but Zayn does it with aplomb.

He and Finn Bálor had a fine match that ushered the Irishman back into in-ring action post-NXT. Perhaps best of all, Finn's win wasn't an outright squash for the sake of it. Sami looked competitive, but he couldn't live with Bálor's strike-heavy offence or killer double foot stomp finish in the end.

This was good stuff, and it's a reminder that WWE has deceptive depth on their roster. Giving Finn the win made sense given his Universal Title challenge that was coming later on, and Zayn can always whinge about conspiracy theories next time.