5 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (June 23)

2. Seth Rollins Subtly Puts Over Kevin Owens

Sami Zayn Seth Rollins
WWE.com

Roman Reigns will not play much part in the build to Battleground. This leaves both Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose with quite the workload, somehow incorporating the idea of Reigns involvement without him actually being there. Looking on the bright side, there may be more segments like the opening one on SmackDown.

Sending out an open challenge to anyone backstage, Rollins was met by Sami Zayn. Eventually, Ambrose also made his presence felt, turning the skit into the 'Ambrose Asylum'. This directly set up a main event match between Rollins and Zayn, something which felt entirely fresh.

During his dialogue with Sami, Seth referenced Zayn's troubles with Kevin Owens. In an awesome moment, he asked Sami if Owens had let him off his leash temporarily. This was excellent, because it put over the idea that Rollins is paying attention to other rivalries, and keeps it in the minds of those watching.

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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.