5 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (March 10)

2. Seeing Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles Was A Real Treat

Admittedly, maybe there should have been some resemblance of hype before Smackdown for Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles. After all, it was KO who eliminated AJ from the Royal Rumble during the latter's first WWE appearance. That could have been something for the braggart heel to mention before Smackdown went on the air, giving a little more sizzle to such a confrontation. At least WWE booked a promo early in the show to effectively make the match in front of the cameras. Styles is likeable when he speaks, he comes across as passionate and that suits his gung-ho in-ring style. By contrast, Owens is simply arrogant, which also suits his brawling, in-your-face methods when the bell rings. Predictably, they had a pretty damn good match in the headline slot. Surely WWE management saw enough during this one to merit future battles, a full-blown feud between both guys over the Intercontinental Title would be awesome to see. In the 10 minutes or so they were handed to work with on Smackdown, Owens and Styles delivered. Crucially, the match also helped AJ's feud with Chris Jericho progress.