6 Ups & 1 Down From WWE SmackDown (July 29)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. SummerSlam Quality On Free TV

Drew McIntyre Sheamus
WWE.com

Man, McIntyre and Sheamus beat the living crap out of each other in that opener.

First of all, it's nice that SmackDown opened straight into a big match. Second, all those pesky bait-and-switch moments fans have suffered through for weeks were worth it in the end. This was easily pay-per-view quality, would've been a credit to the SummerSlam card and is one of the finest TV matches you'll see all year.

Drew and Sheamus furnished SmackDown with satisfying action, then WWE booked a satisfying finish. The whole package proved that it's possible to tell a good story in 25 minutes without adding in little flourishes of unwanted "comedy", or anything of the sort, too.

This was pure, honest-to-goodness, stripped down, no frills pro wrasslin', and the show was better for it. If McIntyre is going to enjoy another reign as WWE's top champ, then he needs to have another series of bouts vs. Sheamus. It's an overused phrase these days, but both should "fight forever".

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out WWE SummerSlam 2022: 10 Things That Must Happen and WWE SummerSlam 2022: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True!

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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.