7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Apr 24)

by Andy H Murray

1. Where It Hurts

AJ Styles Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

Though the main event itself was a tad disappointing, SmackDown closed on a memorable note, with serial bollock-smasher Shinsuke Nakamura once again getting the better of AJ Styles ahead of their Greatest Royal Rumble showdown.

Nakamura had already pinned Luke Gallows for the victory. He was attacked by the WWE Champion soon after, but hit him with another low blow. AJ was floored, but Karl Anderson selflessly flung himself in front of the Kinshasa, taking the bullet for his partner. That didn't stop 'The King Of Strong Style' from executing his foe, however, and he ended up belting Styles with a knee strike of his own before the end.

WWE deserve great credit for the way they've manipulated the crowd into turning on Nakamura. Everything about his heel run has succeeded so far, and much like Sami Zayn before him, WWE have achieved a remarkable feat in convincing modern wrestling audiences to spit legitimate hatred at an internet favourite (though much of that is down to fans wanting to play along with a performer they admire). Much of this will be undone if he doesn't become WWE Champion on Friday, of course, but for now, Shinsuke is firing on all cylinders.

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Channel Manager

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.