6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (16 Aug - Results & Review)

4. A Decent Little Workout

There are few characters who understand realism in wrestling like Kevin Owens. He routinely points out logic flaws (as if smashing them to bits with a hammer and owning the silliness so people can't rubbish them first), and generally comes across as a real human being on-screen. That continued on Friday night, which is a major plus.

KO acknowledged the weirdness of getting a title shot without a strong recent win/loss record to shout about. That shut Grayson Waller and Austin Theory's jibes down, and popped the swelling bubble of confusion from the watching audience. It was done so smoothly, which is typical of Owens.

He lined up a tune-up bout vs. Waller, then handily dispatched the loudmouth heel in less than 5 minutes. That was smart for multiple reasons. One, it shut a bully-boy heel up. Two, it bolsters that win column and let WWE pave the way to another moment opposite Cody Rhodes that sold their Bash In Berlin title showdown.

Speaking of which...