7 Ups & 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 22)

4. Overbooking 101

Sheamus Cesaro
WWE.com

The Miz vs. Cesaro was always going to be surrounded by shenanigans. Sheamus and Shane McMahon's presence at ringside was advertised ahead of time, meaning nobody should have expected a clean, crisp wrestling match heading into it, despite the participants' obvious talents.

That didn't make the bout any easier to watch, though. Sadly, Miz vs. Cesaro was too messy and too convoluted to hit the mark, with interferences either side of the obligatory mid-match commercial break.

Sheamus pulled Cesaro out of the ring when Miz had him in trouble early on. 'The A-Lister' went after them, got beaten up, then found himself saved by Shane. After, McMahon swiped Cesaro's feet from the ropes as he attempted a dirty bin. Sheamus smashed Shane onto the barricade, bludgeoned Miz, then, finally, 'The Swiss Cyborg' scored the victory.

A classic case of doing way too much in way too short a timeframe, this was tough to consume. Let's hope their Royal Rumble bout turns out smoother.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.