5 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 7)

2. Another False Dawn

Happy Corbin Ivar
WWE.com

Remember when The Viking Raiders were reintroduced on SmackDown after the 2021 Draft and Michael Cole acted like they were headed for big things? So much for that. Erik and Ivar are tanking yet again, but they're not to blame for that. WWE is in a vicious cycle with these dudes.

Losing to Corbin and Moss is a new low.

Worse, WWE will try to pretend they're some top-tier tag when they inevitably move them back over to Raw this year. It's just...man, can't the writers give these Raiders some stability and actually stick to a clear pathway for them? One minute, they're comedy characters. The next, they're jobber-squashing bad asses.

It's all too erratic, and it's not working. The Vikings should be challenging for the SmackDown Tag-Team Titles frequently; they're an awesome duo on their day, and would have banging matches against The Usos. WWE clearly don't think that's the case.

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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.