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

2. Intercontinental Integration

Daniel Bryan Sami Zayn
WWE.com

Then, Bruce Prichard (assuming he was the one responsible here) should get a pat (ahem) on the back for integrating Patterson's tribute with ongoing storylines. The way WWE seamlessly transitioned into the bubbling Daniel Bryan vs. Sami Zayn feud whilst still paying homage to Pat was beautiful.

It didn't hurt that the talent level was so high either.

SmackDown featured a six-man tag match that exclusively housed former and current Intercontinental Champions. Zayn, the guy holding Pat's old belt now, teamed with Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura to wrestle Bryan, Big E and Rey Mysterio in another fitting show of appreciation for Patterson's legacy.

This wasn't the exhibition-style send off it could've been. WWE had Bryan go over Sami to send a message to the current champ, and that's booking Pat probably would've been proud of. His memory was aptly used to build towards the future.

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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.