5 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 7)

1. Intercontinental Title Again Steals The Show

Previously, a Triple Threat Match involving Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose stole the show on Smackdown. It was the latter 2 men who repeated history on the latest episode of the show. The Intercontinental Title looks stronger with each passing performance from both guys, and it genuinely looks like they are fighting for their lives to hold it. That only puts over the championship itself, which hasn't always been the case down throughout WWE history with the Intercontinental gold. There's an urgency to each Ambrose vs. Owens match that really comes across when watching. It's believable that both men don't like one another as wrestling characters, which only helps when suspending disbelief. That's important, rather than just enjoying a well-worked WWE-style bout. There's a danger to their performances which not many have in the company. The double count out finish shouldn't detract from what was a fine battle. Just over 15 minutes of action elapsed before Ambrose and Owens brawled out of the ring and into the crowd. From there, a show ending stunt was performed. Both wrestlers then crashed through some tables, and the overall feeling was that the rivalry will continue.
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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood.