Anytime there's a title change in pro wrestling, there's bound to be at least some buzz. On Monday Night Raw, Kalisto dethroned Alberto Del Rio to become the new WWE United States Champion. Judging by the live audience's reaction, few saw the title switch coming. WWE decided to press the reset button on the most recent edition of Smackdown, but was that a shrewd decision? The show was only the second edition of the program to feature on the USA Network. Going by the lineup the promotion provided for the event, it seems they have already lost interest in promoting Smackdown as being equal to Raw. That said, there was some entertainment to be gleaned from watching the show, even if the roster did seem a little thin on the ground in parts. Aside from a WWE United States Title bout between Kalisto and Del Rio, a huge match was confirmed for the Royal Rumble and the main event tag-team match added some well-received - if not a little formulaic - entertainment. All in all, there were 5 matches on Smackdown, including a big tag-team Tables Match that was heavily advertised on Monday Night Raw. This article aims to look at 5 distinct positives, but also 3 different negatives from Smackdown's latest entry. What were the 'ups' and what were the 'downs'?
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.
