5 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (June 16)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. AJ Styles Makes Sure To Turn Attention Back To John Cena

AJ Styles
WWE.com

After making Xavier Woods tap out, AJ Styles hurled his opponent from the ring and gave him some trash talk along the way. In a key moment, he then grabbed a nearby microphone and turned attention to John Cena, his rival at Money In The Bank. This was very welcome, especially considering Cena wasn't present.

Using Woods as an example, AJ said that Cena would get much the same medicine as the New Day member. From there, he coolly paraphrased his foe, stating that Cena's time was up, but his time was now. The promo was straightforward and short, nuances that actually helped it have more of an impact.

This is the kind of thing lacking from the Titus O'Neil vs. Rusev situation. AJ is winning matches and then shifting gears to talk about why he deserves to face John Cena. That's the way to build things, solid and with clear logic. Styles looked motivated, which adds anticipation for his first time ever match against Cena.

What other 'ups' and 'downs' did you take from this week's WWE SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!

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Contributor

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.