7 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown: Happy New Year (Dec 30)

Charlotte Flair returns; John Cena wrestles; WWE teases Sami Zayn's babyface turn.

by Jamie Kennedy
John Cena WWE 2022
WWE.com

Triple H will hope to create new box office smash hits in 2023, but he finished WWE's 2022 by relying on an old one.

John Cena wrestled his first and only match of the year on the latest SmackDown, and it was remarkable for two reasons. Firstly, JC keeps a streak going of working at least one bout per calendar year for two decades. Second, his cameo was a backdrop for something else: Sami Zayn's seemingly imminent babyface push.

Zayn's work as part of The Bloodline has been a highlight on Friday nights for a while now, and that continued on Friday night. Y'know what else continued? WWE's love affair with Charlotte Flair and championships - the 'Queen' made a comeback herself, and is the new (seven time) SmackDown Women's Champ.

Thanks for coming, Ronda Rousey.

This was defo a newsworthy episode all-round though. WWE blended title changes with surprise comebacks, and they powered feuds like Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight, Braun Strowman vs. GUNTHER and even Sami Zayn vs. The World forward with serious swagger.

Here's all the good and bad from SmackDown's final show of 2022. Happy New Year!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.