7 Ups & 0 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Aug 25)

An emotional but heartwarming tribute to Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk from WWE.

Braun Strowman Erick Rowan
WWE.com

This was a tough watch, but also a cathartic experience for men and women who worked with Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk. Pro wrestling lost two brilliantly-creative souls this week, and WWE smartly pressed pause (for the most part) on ongoing storylines to pay tribute.

A lot of sh*t gets thrown around the place in this industry about wins, losses, pushes and more, but Friday night was a reminder of what's really important. There's simply no room for negativity here - WWE, wrestling fans and the entire grappling community has had more than enough of that lately.

SmackDown was a heartfelt two hours of telly.

Somehow, despite understandably spotlighting both fallen brothers, Triple H's crew did find time to sprinkle in a little build towards the upcoming Payback PLE. They did so respectfully, but generally let the roster and audience alike salute some greats who touched everyone's souls with their sparkling creativity.

Matches were made in tribute of both men, and the entire episode was drenched in true emotion. The image of that empty rocking chair caused both goosebumps and tears, for example.

Here's everything you need to know about one very unique broadcast.

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Contributor

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.