6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Mar 17)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. The Payoff!

Kevin Owens Sami Zayn
WWE.com

Wrestling's best storytellers never miss the chance to cram their segments/matches full of tiny details that people can come back to later on. For example, watch how Sami backed off and expressed some tentative fear when Owens walked towards him for the crowd-popping hug before SmackDown ended.

That staggering character work revealed his persona's current fragility and fears. Sami knew he needed KO's help, but he's struggling to trust anyone right now after events with The Bloodline/Roman Reigns/Jey Uso over the past few months. It's unreal to see a master at work like Zayn.

Plus, the crowd was hot for KO and Sami finally hugging it out and reuniting. Creative really has done a fab job of keeping this story going without pulling the trigger prematurely; the reaction to their writing on Friday should tell WWE that an Undisputed Tag Title match is the best choice to headline 'Mania night one.

Perhaps that's another behind-the-scenes battle for another day.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out WWE 2K23: 10 Best Looking Characters and WWE 2K23: 10 Things You NEED To Do First!

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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.