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

WWE puts on another IC Title classic; Bray Wyatt almost loses it; The Bloodline...sucks?!

by Jamie Kennedy
GUNTHER Rey Mysterio
WWE.com

What an image that is.

The visual of a sneering, dominant GUNTHER looking down on underdog Rey Mysterio is the kind that has followed the latter throughout his iconic career. Nobody in pro wrestling works the 'big man vs. little man' dynamic better than Rey, and he proved that yet again on this week's episode of SmackDown.

WWE pre-taped Friday's show in St. Louis last week. That was done to give the roster breathing room before flying out to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel, but it didn't really hurt the overall quality of the two-hour lead-in for Saturday's pay-per-view. Spoilers be damned, this was an episode worth checking out if you like character development and killer wrestling.

The creative team managed to further Bray Wyatt's tortured guise, rehab Liv Morgan, continue the idea of a union between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, and put on that dazzling IC Title main. Negatives shockingly came from The Bloodline (who really didn't need to be here) and a segment involving Braun Strowman, MVP and some enhancement workers.

Here's all the good and bad from WWE's final stop before Crown Jewel.

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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.