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

by Jamie Kennedy

1. That Main Event

GUNTHER Rey Mysterio
WWE.com

You just knew this would take the top 'Up' slot.

GUNTHER is on a tear right now, and Rey Mysterio proved yet again that he still has it in him to work blistering main event matches. This Intercontinental Title headliner was well-worth your time. The 'big man vs. little man' dynamic clicked, and GUNTHER looked like an animal towards the end.

WWE's camera work was also tremendous. The way they framed that opening shot of the champ glaring down at his challenger sold the mountain Mysterio had to climb if he wanted a third IC Title run, and GUNTHER's running double big boot on Rey looked like it removed the legend's soul from his body.

Few will be surprised to hear that this was a winner from beginning to end. Will it endure as one of the greatest IC Title bouts ever? Nah, probably not, but that doesn't mean you should skip it. This was a masterclass in opponent elevation from Rey, and that shouldn't be ignored.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out 10 Wrestlers Who Don’t Need WWE Or AEW and WWE Crown Jewel 2022: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True!

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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.