7 Ups & 0 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Sep 10)
1. The ‘Demon’
...on his damn hands and knees!
Reigns vs. Bálor's 'Demon' is a much juicier match than Roman vs. plain old Finn. There's no doubt about that, and this show-ending angle somehow managed to pivot attention away from Brock Lesnar and make Bálor feel like a threat again. That just wasn't the case when he was out there sans face paints.
Cole did the right thing by drawing attention to the fact it's been approx two full years since the 'Demon' crawled his way onto TV. Also, Reigns' clever line about how he "ducks no man" preceded the moment expertly - Bálor's 'Demon' isn't a man. He's an abomination, and only comes out when Finn has been pushed too far.
Bálor's metamorphosis was the best way to end SmackDown. Fans leapt out of their seats in anticipation for how the gritty realism of Reigns might handle such an over-the-top gimmick. That'll be the unique selling point for Extreme Rules too.
What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 18 Things You Probably Missed From WWE Raw (Sep 6) and AEW Video Game Wishlist: 10 Things Fans Demand!