7 Ups & 1 Down From WWE SmackDown (Feb 16 - Results & Review)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Hollywood Rock Blasts Everyone

The Rock WWE Heel 2024
WWE.com

What a sensational heel promo from The Rock this was.

'The Great One' was primed and ready to deliver this sort of speech, and he roasted everyone from the fans in Salt Lake City to the 49ers and Cody Rhodes. Rock pointed out that Cody shouldn't get a rematch vs. Roman Reigns just because he came up short last year and wants one for some sentimental "story".

Then, Dwayne applied that to real-world sports to amplify his point. There was also a moment when Rocky promised to make "you" lose at WrestleMania, but seemed to aim his finger towards Roman subtly as he said it. Keep an eye on that, but the promo overall was just ridiculously hot.

The Rock was rocking (ahem) one of those late-1990s dress shirts, but went vest style to show off the guns. That was deliberate, and it harked back to some of his finest moments as an on-screen character. More Rock on top form is exactly what SmackDown needs.

Here's hoping this is just the start of a wild ride through some stunning promo work.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out WWE 2K24: 25 More Screenshots You NEED To See and 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2001!

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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.