6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Dec 4)

Ups...

6. That Opening Segment

Roman Reigns Paul Heyman Kayla Braxton
WWE.com

Roman Reigns treating Kayla Braxton like he's above her interviews has legs. Credit must also go to Braxton for playing her role perfectly and not getting sniffy herself about suggestions she's not as good at her job as Michael Cole once was, because that dick move from Reigns cemented this segment's excellence.

So did Kevin Owens calling him a big bitch.

WWE's show-opening promo trains are so formulaic by now that they often fail to spark much interest. Generally, fans know what they're getting from these things: Wrestler A does some talking before Wrestler B comes out to help set up a match later on. It's standard stuff, but works a treat when the characters are as strong as these guys.

This company functions best when characters are clearly defined too. Roman is a sneering overlord, Jey Uso a put-upon family man, Paul Heyman a hanger-on, Kayla a professional only trying to do her job and Owens someone who sees through the bullsh*t.

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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.