7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Oct 13 - Results & Review)

1. An Underwhelming Debut

Nick Aldis WWE SmackDown GM
WWE

Nick Aldis will excel in his new role as SmackDown GM given time, but he was dealt a poor hand here. The announced authority figure wasn't handed music, and he barely got any kind of reception at all from the live crowd. Worse, Triple H's reveal was second fiddle to fans booing Dominik Mysterio.

Not a great start then.

Aldis also turned to new Raw GM Adam Pearce and said he "looks forward to some friendly competition". So, in other words, more Raw vs. SmackDown is probably on the cards come Survivor Series. That's not a wonderful thought after only a year or so off from such an overcooked concept.

On the plus side, Nick showed a ton of poise during skits with Charlotte Flair, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and the like. Again, he'll be fine, but this debut should've been better thought out than it was. The execution was off, and honestly rather clumsy.

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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.