5 Ups & 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Apr 10)

by Benjamin Richardson

1. A Worthy Celebration

kofi kingston wwe champion
WWE.com

Chants of "you deserve it" ringing around a wrestling arena are self-indulgent smarky pats on the back at best, and nonsensical at worst. That wasn't the case in Brooklyn last night, as the entire Barclays Center stood up to applaud brand new WWE Champion Kofi Kingston.

Despite the ring being straddled by an arch of polychromatic balloons and Big E risking a nasty anal fissure with his admittedly impressive splits routine, the tone here was anything but silly. Indeed, the calf cleaver made sure of it, telling the audience that though The New Day's antics are usually irreverent (read: fannying about with pancakes), tonight wasn't about that. It was all about Kofi.

And it really was. The 11-year veteran's teammates paid touching tribute to their bunk buddy, in a promo clearly from the heart and completely in earnest. At the close of the show, Corey Graves hinted that the triumvirate could be forced apart by the whims of the draft. If that happens, it'll be stupidity non-pareil, just as the trio's bonds have fused tighter than ever with this added layer of authenticity.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.