7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (May 29)

4. 10 To 10

Shinsuke Nakamura Tye Dillinger
WWE.com

WWE have done a solid job in coming up with snappy character hooks for Shinsuke Nakamura, with his d***-punching spree kickstarting the AJ Styles feud, and his new 10-count gimmick set to end it.

Last night saw 'The King Of Strong Style' prance around with his 1-10 cards backstage, before wrestling Tye Dillinger in an effective midcard bout. It was a solid affair. Tye is a great loser who never fails to make his opponents look good, and while Nakamura never shifted above third gear, he didn't need to. He was there to win with only moderate resistance, and that's exactly that happened.

Shinsuke attacked after the bell, because of course he did. Having pinned Dillinger with a Kinshasa, he blasted the fallen man with a second afterwards, then counted to 10, teasing AJ Styles ahead of their Last Man Standing match. Credit to WWE for having him do this against a man whose entire gimmick is built on the number, too. Not exactly a galactic brainwave, but a nice touch regardless.

Afterwards, AJ responded with a textbook promising not only to defeat Nakamura, but tear him down at Money In The Bank. A solid way to wrap up a good night's work for the WWE Title feuders.

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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.