6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Sept 2)

1. Vikings Rule

The Viking Raiders and New Day deserve this week's top spot.

Their 'Viking Rules' bout is the kind of fare that could've been too goofy under Vince McMahon's watch. The old WWE boss might've turned it into unwanted "comedy", but there was no chance of that without his influence. No, The Raiders and New Day knew their mission: MAKE ERIK AND IVAR LOOK COLOSSAL.

Both teams have serious chemistry together, and all four worked incredible hard to make their opener one of the best WWE TV matches you'll see all year. The good news? They succeeded, and creative even handpicked the correct winners by putting The Raiders over.

Re-establishing those boys as a dominant force in the tag ranks was important. Now, the trick will be keeping Erik and Ivar hot long enough that they're still must-see when The Usos lose their Undisputed Tag straps. Then, The Raiders can destroy WWE's next babyface champs and finally taste the mountain top with a motivated writing team behind them.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out WWE Clash At The Castle: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True and AEW All Out 2022: 10 Things That Must Happen!