5 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Mar 21)

2. Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin vs. Randy Orton was a perfectly acceptable TV wrestling match. Booked by Daniel Bryan earlier in the evening, the contest could definitely have benefited from a shorter runtime, but it heated up towards the end. Orton did a good job making Corbin look like a credible contender, and while neither is the flashiest wrestler in the world, they worked a steady pace heading towards the relatively predictable conclusion.

Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose distracted Baron, allowing Orton to hit the RKO for the victory. The Viper was always going to win, but this method at least protects Corbin, and gives him another reason to be mad at Ambrose in their ongoing feud. Afterwards, Dean accepted The Lone Wolf's WrestleMania challenge, then downed him with Dirty Deeds prior to leaving.

It wasn't a match that you'll be raving about for weeks to come, but it was solid enough. Orton has a tendency to drift into a low-effort comfort zone in matches like this, but he give Corbin plenty of offense throughout, even though Baron's heat segment didn't go over too well with the crowd. Still, the match accomplished everything it set out to achieve, and for that reason, it's an up.