7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Aug 14)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Pulling The Nose Up

Braun Strowman Alexa Bliss
WWE.com

Anyone who reads these 'Ups' and 'Downs' often will know that Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt has been a struggle. Last week, it felt sudden to hear Braun say he didn't give a toss about Alexa, and it was even more bizarre to see Bliss caress the 'Fiend's' face.

WWE pulled the nose up this week.

Braun's explanation about how the 'Fiend' changes everyone is in canon and long overdue. It won't save his otherwise-awful Universal Title reign, but it's consistent with how Wyatt bends people using twisted behaviour and mind games. Turning Strowman heel post-SummerSlam wouldn't be a bad idea.

Hints were also dropped that Alexa is slowly changing into someone else herself. Could it be that WWE did have long-term plans for this feud all along? Or, have they stumbled onto something that'll rescue it from disaster? Either way, it's working.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out 5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE NXT (Aug 12) and 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1993!

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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.