7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 22)

Roman Reigns is hurt, Paul Heyman is horrified and WWE's SmackDown obstacle course is HORRIBLE.

by Jamie Kennedy
Sami Zayn Big E
WWE.com

Sami Zayn is a national treasure.

He's maybe the only thing saving a dire Intercontinental Title scene right now. If that sounds shocking (because Big E should be awesome as champ), then keep reading, because there's an explanation in this week's article. It's one not everyone will agree with, but therein lies the fun.

SmackDown pulled the nose up on Royal Rumble build this week, at least when it comes to the 30-person scraps and the rearranged 'Last Man Standing' bout for Roman Reigns' Universal Title. Speaking of that, Kevin Owens looked awesome on Friday night. Special shout outs for Adam Pearce and Paul Heyman too - they played their roles to perfection and added some nice subtext to the feud.

Also, despite booking one of the worst segments in the show's 22 year history, WWE managed to produce a worthwhile episode. That skit probably isn't what FOX had in mind when they put pen-to-paper on that massive deal a few years ago though. It was legit awful, and one felt sorry for the wrestlers involved.

Here are all the 'Ups' and the 'Downs' from SmackDown...

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Contributor

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.