6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (June 16)

5. This Gets An ‘Up’ Because…

AJ Styles Karrion Kross
WWE.com

Karrion Kross badly needed this win.

That's it - that's why SmackDown's mixed tag gets some praise instead of hate. Yes, it was another painfully short match that ran for less than three minutes, but it was heartening to see Kross and Scarlett come out on the winning side after eating subpar trash for the longest time.

One might argue that AJ Styles has fallen hard since working Seth Rollins for the new World Heavyweight Championship, but AJ is Teflon. He's over no matter what he does (which makes him even more valuable to creative), and he'll pull the best out of Karrion when they finally go one-on-one.

It'd be really cool if Kross could use feuding with Styles as a springboard to bigger things. He has talent, and a sinister character worth deep-diving into. This rivalry could be viewed internally as a test for Karrion too. If AJ can't bring the best out in him, then he'll hit a ceiling. That sort of thing.

This guy is hopeful.

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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.