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

4. Exceeding Expectations

shinsuke nakamura baron corbin
WWE.com

While Shinsuke Nakamura hasn't always impressed between the ropes since joining WWE (particularly on the main roster), last night saw him and Baron Corbin deliver a surprisingly good midcard match, with hyping the Royal Rumble their key goal.

Both looked solid throughout. Often dull and laborious during his heat sections, Corbin showed good aggression, preventing the lulls that usually set in whenever he's in control. This helped enhance 'The King Of Strong Style' too, as his comebacks came off particularly spirited in the face of Baron's bullying style.

The near-falls were hot and believable, with Corbin scoring too super close two-counts following a Deep Six and Big Bossman-style lariat. Seconds later, Nakamura flipped the End Of Days into an armbar, and looked to be setting up for the Kinshasa (and the victory), when the bout's defining moment arrived.

Nobody saw Randy Orton coming. His RKO on Nakamura was extremely well executed, and drew a monster pop from the crowd, proving that no matter how uninspired his character gets, he'll always have a large army of supporters.

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Channel Manager
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.