6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 5 - Results & Review)

5. Some British Strong Style

Butch Pete Dunne Tyler Bate
WWE.com

Hands up who else thought Sheamus would be Butch's surprise partner on Friday. Anyone? It did appear inevitable that the Brawling Brutes leader would roar back into action, then WWE would book some miscommunication between him and Pete Dunne. Perhaps that's coming, but not yet.

SmackDown had British Strong Style instead.

The live crowd wasn't exactly clued up on Tyler Bate when he was introduced, but everyone watching in the arena and at home must've been impressed by the potential of Dunne and Bate as a team. They're old friends, so can work nifty matches in their sleep. That's not to say the pair (or Pretty Deadly) phoned it in though.

Speaking of PD, they'll be absolutely fine even after staring at the lights. The pair are strong enough characters to bounce back, and it's important for them that they're getting TV reps in anyway. This bout definitely had a refreshing vibe due to the names involved, and that's welcome.

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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.