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

Ups...

7. The Upside

So, the Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga run in was telegraphed as soon as LA Knight stepped on toes backstage, but what was the actual match between Knight and Nakamura like? Pretty good, as it turned out. This fan could watch LA and Shin do their thing all day. Yep, those boys have some real chemistry together in-ring, so the upside is they're going to have at least one more match.

Stick that on SNME instead of Green vs. Michin, please. Or, failing that, let them tear it up at the Rumble and produce a great moment or two.

The super-obvious Bloodline black cloud hanging over LA's head didn't help either man here, but it's hard to get too mad that Knight vs. Fatu is incoming sooner rather than later. There's typically an upside to even the 'Downs', dear readers. That's the beauty of pro wrestling - creative can always rescue matters by putting on a show later on.

This was a really, really tidy match. There was enough bad blood between Knight and Naka after everything that's gone on between them in the past, so they had the live crowd proper invested near the end pre-interference. Go back and watch SmackDown to find ringsiders who defo thought they were going to see a title change in their hometown. The place was hanging on every movement once Nakamura's Kinshasa hit the exposed steel buckle in the corner.

LA's finish was cut short by the invading heels, which was a minor pity. Knight and Shinsuke can be proud of the shift they put in though.