6 Ups & 1 Down From WWE SmackDown (March 19)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. The Best Go-Home Hook Possible

Roman Reigns Paul Heyman
WWE.com

WWE are going with the tease that Roman Reigns might tap out to Daniel Bryan at Fastlane. Although everyone knows that's not going to happen, it's the best possible route for them to take. After all, Bryan is a submission specialist, and the 'Head Of The Table' will be humbled at some point.

SmackDown's promo exchange between the Universal Title opponents was stronger than a Mark Henry deadlift - the way Reigns changed from sneer to anger was phenomenal, and Bryan came across as a believable threat to the 'Big Dog's' crown. That's all one can really ask for from pay-per-view build.

They've done a great job with this mini-feud.

It's true that Reigns has never tapped out for anyone's finish before. The fact that Bryan was booked to announce he'll be the first makes him look credible, and Roman's reaction to that proclamation backed up how humiliating that'd be for him.

Simple booking is the best kind of booking.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out WWE Fastlane 2021: 10 Things That Must Happen and WWE Fastlane 2021: 10 Nightmares That Could Happen

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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.