6 Ups & 1 Down From WWE SmackDown (7 June - Results & Review)

Cody Rhodes gets violent; The Bloodline even more so; Triple H's WWE is cooking.

The Bloodline Solo Sikoa Tama Tonga Loa Montez Ford
WWE.com

There's a clear distinction between The Bloodline led by AWOL ex-poster boy Roman Reigns and the group headed by current "Tribal Chief" Solo Sikoa. It rules. The way Paul Heyman sells that change in mentality really helps, but Solo, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa are definitely playing their part in making Bloodline 2.0 rock.

Was this week's show up there with the best SmackDowns ever? Nah, but it was a watertight pro wrestling show, and did a top job of prepping next week's jaunt over to Scotland for Clash At The Castle. Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles II got a much-needed stip (the best one possible, actually), Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair's next hurdle as Women's Tag-Team Champs is set, and more.

There's no denying that Piper Niven is a roadblock challenger for Bayley too, but this is where Triple H's product comes alive - 'The Game' and his creative squad are much better when it comes to selling 'B' tier roadblock one-offs as something you should pay attention to. That isn't strictly true for every 'B' level story, but it is for Bayley vs. Piper.

So, onto Glasgow. First, here's all the good and bad from a show with very little of the latter. That's perhaps the biggest compliment one can sling at Trips' WWE: His shows always race by, because there's constantly something fun happening.

Advertisement
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.