7 Ups & 8 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (11 Oct)
Ups...
7. Believe In The Shield
WWE.com
Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns kicking off SmackDown with a high quality television match was everything 'The Beastslayer' needed after a catastrophic night at Hell In A Cell.
It was by no means a full recovery job - not least considering the non-finish and further involvement of The Fiend in the post-match - but the pair know how to wrestle one another to maximum effect even without an ideal ending. The move/counter-move chemistry was electric towards the end, especially after the pair recreated their blistering Spear-into-a-Pedigree sequence from Money In The Bank 2016.
It's rare that Roman punching that pillow won't get an Up, not least until the novelty wears off. The fans showed willing respect for both rather than what may have been anticipated disdain. This, for WWE, must have been of some relief.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
