6 Ups & 1 Down From WWE SmackDown (July 29)
WWE pulls the nose up before SummerSlam; Drew McIntyre = impact player; Brock Lesnar appears.
Last week's SmackDown was a largely dire episode that pressed the repeat button and is only really memorable for Stephanie McMahon's, "I love you, dad" line. On the whole, WWE's booking for the show amounted to pressing the repeat button and borderline wrecking momentum The Viking Raiders had built up.
Friday night put things right on all counts.
Maybe it's a placebo effect due to Vince retiring, but something felt...fresh about SmackDown. The show still looks the same, and it's still formatted with that now-familiar WWE polish, but there was an energy about the place that hasn't been there for a while. Long may it continue.
The creative team, headed by new boss Triple H, set about the task of establishing a new number one contender in the Undisputed Title picture and adding intrigue to several bumper SummerSlam bouts. The writers can put tick after tick next to all of that, and the fact there's only one 'Down' here proves it.
If SmackDown can continue this dedication to simple storytelling and logical, character-building moments then it'll become a show everyone needs to check out again. Here's all the good and bad...