6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (June 24)
1. The Viking Raiders Feel Fresh!
That heel turn is long overdue for The Viking Raiders.
WWE had nothing for them on the babyface side beyond calling them smelly, so it's genuinely great to see the pair try on something new. Erik and Ivar showed a nice level of intensity during their beatdown of New Day and Shanky too. Yep, they'll embrace being villains.
Fingers crossed this actually goes somewhere. The writers deserve a slap if they leave these Raiders off SmackDown next week; it's vital that they start mowing down everyone in their path, and there are certainly worse ideas than plonking them in a number one contendership situation vs. New Day.
WWE can put that on free TV or pay-per-view and be guaranteed of something worthwhile. In the interim, why not have Erik and Ivar run through some jobbers en route? If handled correctly, they could finally recapture that old War Machine magic.
What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door 2022: 10 Things That Must Happen and AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door 2022: 10 Nightmares That Could Happen!