7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 9)

2. Excuses, Excuses!

Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Roman Reigns is a majestic bastard.

There, it's been said, though anyone who follows this article series will hardly be surprised to read a line like that. The Universal Champ has been a tour de force since returning last summer, and that form should continue through 2021's sunnier months. That'll certainly be the case if he keeps lacing promos with this sort of goodness.

Kicking off SmackDown, Roman remarked that Edge had only managed to get one over on him recently because he was "distracted". By what, you might ask? Well, according to Reigns, he was distracted by some family drama involving Jimmy and Jey Uso. This tremendously arrogant deflection was top notch heel work.

The 'Tribal Chief' blamed others so subtly that it didn't destroy Edge's aura. Selfishly, this fan cannot wait to see how Roman's promos work in front of fans. Hopefully, they hang on every word, because characterisation like this deserves that sort of respect.

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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.