7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (10 Jan - Results & Review)

1. KO & Cody Crash!

The show's finish wasn't just a double table bump for the sake of it. No, it was a key piece of storytelling that shows how far Cody Rhodes is willing to go when confronted by arch nemesis Kevin Owens. Also, and this is similarly important, Cody sees red whenever KO is around these days. He's grown to hate the man for what he did to Randy Orton and what he continues to do to him.

Sweet and sour emotion rules.

Rhodes and Owens resumed their brawling during the main event, then eventually found themselves trading punches atop production crates. That's when Cody launched himself at Kev and they both tumbled through some nearby tables as fans roared their approval. That was a mini-preview of the mayhem to come during the pair's ladder bout at Royal Rumble, and everyone knows it.

In an unintentionally hilarious add-on, KO reached out to try and hit Cody again right at the end of the show before security and company officials stopped the fight. It took Owens a split second or two to regain his bearings. Then, when he did and saw Rhodes to the side of him, he tried one last cheeky pot shot. Outstanding heel work there.

Cody being busy with Kevin meant Jimmy Uso was left to the wolves. Fatu and Tonga picked up the tag-team win whilst two main eventers hammered home the fractured friendship they'll use as fuel heading into the Rumble. Christ, what a well-formatted show-long story this was from WWE.

Love it.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 5 New Directions After WWE Raw's Netflix Debut and 5 Things WWE Raw’s Netflix Debut Told Us About WrestleMania 41 Season!