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

by Jamie Kennedy

1. That Closing Stretch

Edge Jey Uso Rey Dominik Mysterio
WWE.com

SmackDown's closing five-minute-long brawl was, simply put, awesome wrestling television.

Edge called out Roman Reigns, the Universal Champ answered, The Usos came out to back him up (despite Roman telling them to stay put backstage), then both Rey and Dominik Mysterio roared back into view to even the odds. All six men went hell for leather and really laid their sh*t in as the show went dark.

A six-man tag is inevitable, but not unwanted. Plus, WWE seized their chance to make Reigns look like a man who isn't quite as unwavering or family-centric as he'd like to claim. His staunch refusal to help Jimmy and Jey when they were taking a kicking doubled up as cowardice and as a receipt for them "distracting" roman for months.

Start getting hyped for Reigns vs. Edge one-on-one, 'cause it could be the best WWE pay-per-view match of the year so far if this build is anything to go by. Both men are on top form, and their facial expressions are truly unmatched right now. It's obvious that they're looking forward to making magic.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more, check out 10 Wrestlers Who MUST Switch Brands In The 2021 WWE Draft and 10 Worst WWE PPV Matches Of 2021 (So Far)!

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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.