6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (31 Jan)

Downs...

4. The Half-Assed Super Bowl Tie-In

Bayley SmackDown
WWE.com

This wasn't a regular edition of SmackDown. It was a "Super" one.

WWE's Super Bowl tie-in was so blatantly last-minute this writer almost died from giggling. It's like someone at FOX said, 'Uh, guys, the Chiefs play the 49ers in 48 hours. Maybe you should say something about that on SmackDown?'; panic must've been everywhere backstage before someone reached for the black marker pens.

The word "Super" was super-imposed over the top of the usual SmackDown logo like someone had rediscovered Microsoft Paint. Either that or Hogan and the boys had been called upon to bring their old nWo spray cans to the show so WWE's graphics department could go to town on that logo '4 life'.

As usual, the word "Super" was a lazy attempt at souping up a show that didn't need it. Despite pre-advertising four HUGE matches beforehand, WWE mostly phoned it in on Friday when it came to in-ring action. Their NFL hype may have been bigger were it not for Vinnie Mac's own football league too.

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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.