6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (18 July - Results & Review)

4. Why WWE Need To Do More With Melo

Man, that subheading almost sounds like a negative. It wasn't deliberate. There's nothing bad to say about the performance Carmelo Hayes put in on Friday evening. The cocky heel showed up well vs. Damian Priest. Hayes is a much smaller guy, sure, but he still managed to convince when he was getting heat on the larger Priest. Dude's talented beyond belief, and yet he's been a glorified jobber to the stars for too long.

Jumping up from NXT to the main roster hasn't really worked out for Carmelo, but there's time yet to change that. Being fair, Triple H did protect him with the DQ finish and Aleister Black spot, at least. That's a positive sign for Hayes that he's at least taken seriously enough not to get hammered in 30 seconds before Damian moves on, or something like that.

WWE furnished Melo with an out he can point to later if he and Priest have another wrestle.

However, it’d be nice to see WWE do more with Melo again generally. His tag-team with The Miz has seemingly been iced for...reasons, and he can't just knock around doing next to nothing. Not when he's a talented talker who excels between the ropes practically every time he's given the chance in a featured spot on TV.

This was another solid match for the show. SmackDown's agents went back to back on tidy bouts. Both Flair vs. Raquel and Melo vs. Priest should earn someone a few pats on the back behind the curtain. They were formatted so well, and even the slower moments from both never got boring.