7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 23)

Downs...

2. Yephole

AJ Styles
WWE.com

In the immortal words of Regina George: "AJ, stop trying to make 'Kami' happen. It's not going to happen."

The WWE Champion's terminology is awful, and last night brought his continued use of the cringey "Kami" portmanteau in the opening segment, during which he also referred to Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens as a couple of "yepholes." Yes, really...

The rest of AJ's promo was textbook babyface stuff, though his "you're not just facing anyone; you're facing someone who is phenomenal" line was a tad robotic. Still, the company are doing a tremendous job of making SmackDown's top champion sound like a geek at the moment. The man has cut some great promos since becoming the blue brand's ace, but the writers are feeding him pure trash, and it's diminishing his work.

Even if this is nitpicking, AJ Styles is the best wrestler in this company. If anyone's work needs to be held to a higher standard, it's his. The promos aren't delivering at all, though we're confident that whoever's putting these tedious scripts together will eventually turn it around.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.