7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's SmackDown (Apr 10)

by Andy H Murray

1. Well, Duh...

AJ Styles Daniel Bryan
WWE.com

Look, it's AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan. Of course it was the best thing on the show.

Wrestling each other for the first time in 12 years, the duo delivered the best possible match under the circumstances they were given. 13 minutes on weekly television with a DQ finish isn't ideal, but everything clicked into gear, and it's hard to find a single flaw in what went down.

Bryan's performance was particularly heartening. His WrestleMania match was about emotion, not action, and while he looked objectively good in it, his job wasn't to deliver a blow-away showing. Here, Bryan had more leeway to flex his in-ring prowess, and it looks as though he hasn't missed a beat. The former General Manager threw himself around the ring like he'd never been away, and in AJ, he had one of only a handful of opponents capable of matching him on his best day.

The finish was ideal, too, as it prevented either man from taking a pinfall, and lets WWE preserve Bryan vs. Styles for a big pay-per-view match in the future. On top of this, it heaped further heat on Shinsuke, and gave Bryan legitimate beef with 'The King Of Strong Style,' rounding off a compelling piece of booking from a team that don't always get these things right.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.