6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Sept 9)

Downs...

3. It’s An 'F' For Alpha Academy

Braun Strowman Chad Gable
WWE.com

Look, Braun Strowman looks incredible. His physical shape matches the 'Monster' WWE hopes to rekindle as a viable main-eventer, and fans are responding in kind to Braun 2.0. That might seem like an odd way to kick off the opening negative from SmackDown, but something else stood out here.

Strowman smashed one of the best tag-teams on the roster like they were nothing.

He ploughed through Chad Gable and Otis like they were the f*cking Mean Street Posse, man. Couldn't two no-name enhancement workers have filled this spot? It's not like big Braun really gained anything by smashing Alpha Academy anyway. All WWE achieved here was making the duo look absolutely rubbish.

There won't be any pay off to any of this either, so it was wasted time. Gable and Otis should be in the mix for those Undisputed Tag straps - they definitely shouldn't be calling out Strowman like a pair of knuckleheads, then being shocked when they get brutalised.

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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.