5 Ups And 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (May 30)

Downs...

2. How To Waste The Opening 10 Minutes

Baron Corbin Shinsuke Nakamura Kevin Owens
WWE.com

While this week's SmackDown was, on the whole, a nice diversion from the recent lull that has plagued WWE's premier main roster brand, some of the old problems persisted. The first came at the very start of the show, when SD kicked off with another meandering opening segment in which the performances were perfectly serviceable, but very little was accomplished other than filling airtime.

It was Kevin Owens' second episode of the Highlight Reel after "inheriting" the show from Chris Jericho, and Shinsuke Nakamura was his guest. The one-on-one interview was cut predictably short when Baron Corbin inevitably interrupted, with the heelish duo eventually attacking Nakamura, before Sami Zayn ran down for the save.

Owens is always a fun talker, but when creative make him resort to lame jokes about Shinsuke's dancing, then have Corbin follow up with Cartman comments, they're going through the motions. Nothing exemplifies SD's current creative slump better than these segments, which seem to get increasingly pointless every week. Unfortunately, WWE's fondness for crowded cluster angles means we can probably looking forward to more of these ahead of Money In The Bank.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.