6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Dec 18)

3. Opening Promos That Didn’t Suck

Kevin Owens
WWE.com

Everyone knows that the show-opening promo is a trope that WWE rely on a little too much.

You know the drill: Wrestler A comes out to spew some dialogue before being interrupted by Wrestler B. They then use that time to help set up something that'll happen later in the show, or maybe an upcoming pay-per-view match. There was nothing especially innovative about this then, but it was still top notch telly.

Both Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns played their roles to perfection during back-to-back duelling promo segments. The rebellious attitude of KO shone through, and the 'displeased leader' response Reigns gave moments later was bang on the money.

This was yet more proof that WWE don't need months to spin a good story; it feels like KO and Roman have been at loggerheads forever, which is really a compliment to their mic work over the past few weeks. They delivered once again, and that was never a given considering how tired show-opening speeches are by 2020.

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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.