6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Sept 23)

5. Better Than Expected

Your writer didn't expect much at all from Braun Strowman vs. Otis. It was a sneaky little treat then, and actually sat snugly as one of this week's best in-ring surprises. Otis got enough stuff in and Braun took the necessary win following a tightly-formatted five minute power clash.

There was a lot to like.

Those near falls Otis scored following a big slam and Vader Bomb were believably done, and it made Braun look even more like a badass when he kicked out of them. WWE has a unique challenge on their hands with Strowman; he's someone the audience is very familiar with, but his main event runs during that first stint were a mixed bag.

Nonetheless, they'll have to move him on from working with tag guys soon, and there's no need to stick him in a string of endless squashes over jobbers either. In the short-term, this was the best Braun has looked since returning to the company.