7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (April 11)
Ups...
7. The Kevin Owens Show
Kevin Owens moving to SmackDown felt like an inevitability the moment Dean Ambrose showed up on Raw. Ambrose's jump left SD without a midcard belt, and with the Intercontinental Title gone, replacing it with the United States Championship was an easy decision.
His switch to the blue brand is dependent on beating Chris Jericho at Payback, but given that Y2J looks set to take some time off after the event, it's almost set in stone. KO will make a fantastic addition to a roster sorely lacking in top heels now that The Miz is gone, and he opened last night's show.
An almost clean-shaven Owens cut a typically strong in-ring promo, claiming that SmackDown had been upgraded to "the Kevin Owens Show," before he was interrupted by Baron Corbin. Sami Zayn's long overdue SD debut followed, then AJ Styles hit the ring, and while the US Title won't be defended on SD until Payback, the three challengers were booked in a number one contender's bout for later in the evening.
It was an entertaining segment, and the arrival of Owens and Zayn popped the audience. Both will make strong additions to the SmackDown roster, and with any luck, Sami should finally receive the opportunities that have eluded him on Raw.