7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 13)

Ups...

7. Roman Reigns F*cks With Sami Zayn’s Head

Paul Heyman Sami Zayn Bloodline
WWE.com

You need some positives after all that negativity, right? Well, you're in luck, because this week's SmackDown had a lot of great story beats. None were better-executed than Roman Reigns knowingly messing with Sami Zayn's head by having Paul Heyman reveal that The Bloodline wouldn't be there to help him vs. Kevin Owens.

This was top class mindf*ckery from the 'Tribal Chief'.

These lads better start doing something crap before yours truly runs out of praise! Seriously though, the fact Heyman's message was also an outright lie (The Usos and Solo Sikoa did make an impact) only adds to the thread of mistrust running through The Bloodline ranks these days.

Special mention for Paul E's facial expressions too. The way he acts like a caring mentor to Sami one minute, then screws up his face behind Zayn's back, is wonderful. Praise be to the booking overlords for sneaking this promo onto the format sheets.

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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.