7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (28 Feb - Results & Review)

Downs...

4. Keep Braun & Carmelo Away From One Another

Right, it's become crystal clear that nothing good comes of these guys squaring off. Braun Strowman and Carmelo Hayes had another short match that ended via DQ when the ref bought Melo doing the old Eddie Guerrero steel chair trick. Being fair, that got a rise out of the live crowd, but there wasn't much time to let things digest before WWE motored onto the next segment.

In a regrettable bit of booking, both Tama Tonga and even Solo Sikoa kinda looked like losers after running in and getting smashed by Braun. That's particularly worrying for Sikoa, because he's gone from being presented as a potential equal beside Roman Reigns on Raw's Netflix debut to this sort of fare. Fingers crossed that doesn't mean Triple H has lost interest in pushing the guy or developing his character.

He was a focal point on SmackDown for most of 2024, after all.

Being honest, Braun vs. Melo had nothing to shout about. It was the lame duck of the three one-on-ones pre-Triple Threat in the United States Title chat. Both LA Knight vs. Santos Eacobar and Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade proved vastly superior to Strowman vs. Hayes, but that isn't really on the workers themselves - they weren't given much to work with from the off.

WWE should avoid booking a rematch between these lads. Some combos just have zero chemistry, and this is one of them. Carmelo can't start tagging with The Miz as 'Melo Don't Miz' soon enough. That'll take some of the singles heat off his shoulders and give him some relevancy on the SmackDown roster for the rest of the year.