7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (3 Jan - Results & Review)
4. The Subtle Strength Of This Segment
Not every must see segment needs to happen in front of a live crowd or even contain any violence at all. For proof, check out Cody Rhodes and Nick Aldis having a polite but firm conversation towards the end of Friday's episode. Not to harp too much on this, but both joined Drew in the 'acting like a real person' category. This was a rare beast for pro wrestling. It was the kind of chat that could've believably happened without cameras.
Aldis pointed out that Cody talked him into making the Royal Rumble ladder match, but “seems hell bent on not making it” there to actually wrestle Kevin Owens. Rhodes then said Aldis is a good boss and has the right to question him, but this is personal with Kevin so he’ll call his shot and “drop him on sight”. He also brought Drew McIntyre back into things too, which was smart.
Both stayed true to their characters and made sure they each looked strong without the need for unnecessary/overboard confrontation, and it presented Rhodes as someone KO has successfully wobbled with his antics. Good work. It's worth saying that Aldis continues to be one of the best GM characters WWE has had for a while. He's survived a rocky early start to stand tall as an important authority figure who actually contributes to the product each week.
His stature also makes it nigh-on impossible for workers to physically intimidate him easily one on one. That adds credibility. This might be forgotten as a throwaway face to face in the grand scheme of things, but it did a lot to push each guy's respective personas.