7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (3 Jan - Results & Review)

1. Tiffy Time Arrives

It's a lovely feeling to get totally fooled when you've watched countless hours of wrestling and think you've seen everything. WWE tricked an entire audience when Tiffany Stratton helped Nia Jax retain the Women's Title vs. Naomi. Then, Stratton pounced to seize her moment and cash in Money In The Bank. Fans popped huge for all of this, and there's no denying how well-worked the setup was; Tiffany feigned cashing in at first then shoved the ref over the barricade so she could thump Naomi with the case.

Nia smiled, LeRae let her guard down, Stratton celebrated, then...her devious plot hatched. That evil genius play charmed ringsiders, and it's clear Triple H has a real star on his hands. Yep, following up will be make or break for any title reign, but this was some start to 'Tiffy Time' on SmackDown. It's good to have the briefcase stuff in WWE's rearview mirror too.

That was beginning to drag on a bit. The beaten up case had to go, and it has. Stratton has replaced it with a shiny title belt, and now she can be the female tweener/babyface of everyone's dreams. People will be talking about and replaying this moment for years to come. It might even be one of the most satisfying MITB cash-ins ever.

Side note: Someone tell Jacob Fatu to stop using Tiffany’s finisher as a highspot. He used the 'Prettiest Moonsault Ever' move to get a near fall in the main event six man, which sucked when Stratton had used it to score a World Title earlier in the evening. Have a word, agents. This sort of stuff shouldn't be happening.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 50 Things You Learn Binge-Watching Every WWE Royal Rumble and 50 Things You Learn Binge-Watching Every WWE WrestleMania!