6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 2)

Edge runs SmackDown; Zelina Vega returns with a whimper; WWE's old rivals bring it.

by Jamie Kennedy
Edge Jimmy Uso
WWE.com

What a difference a week makes.

Seven days ago, SmackDown was torn apart for several questionable decisions. The episode received '3 Ups & 6 Downs', and that was deserved - it was a bland show, but WWE totally reversed blue brand fortunes this past Friday. The fact they did that without Roman Reigns' star power is pretty astounding.

Edge took centre stage as the night's focal point instead. He bookended SmackDown with some killer build towards a Universal Title showdown with Reigns at Money In The Bank, and WWE even sprinkled some Jimmy Uso foreshadowing into the pot too.

Elsewhere, old rivals made this fan shut the hell up and an undercard tag-team went from strength-to-strength. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, obviously; Zelina Vega returned with a whimper, and WWE booked a third consecutive pay-per-view clash for a feud that's seriously overstaying its welcome now.

Worse, that rivalry took a giant dump all over the Hell In A Cell gimmick by pretending that another, lesser stipulation is somehow scarier.

Those few negatives didn't outweigh all the good from SmackDown though. This was a really tight and focused two hours.

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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.