6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 24)
1. A Fiendish & Bloody Agreement
Earlier in this article, it was said that the Rumble's 'Falls Count Anywhere' stipulation for Reigns vs. Corbin didn't feel too huge. The same could be said for the 'Strap' gimmick attached to Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt for their Universal Title bout. That stip is a hard sell to audiences who want tons of spots and think the actual strap restricts movement too much.
It didn't restrict anything on Friday.
The 'Fiend' whipped Bryan's back with the leather strap, plunged a pen into his own hand and then signed the contract for Sunday with a bloody handprint as young kids puked into their new eco-friendly D-Bry t-shirts around ringside. The whole segment was masterfully worked, and it cleverly avoided any problems that might've cropped up with the visual of the 'Fiend' signing formal papers.
As SmackDown went dark, babyface Bryan gathered his thoughts, looked down at the plasma-coated page and contemplated hell to come at the Rumble. This contract signing segment was exactly what it needed to be.
What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more, check out 7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 17) and Exact Reasons These 10 Wrestlers Have Failed In WWE!