7 Ups & 8 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (11 Oct)
5. Scarred Past
WWE.com
Earlier this week, Chris Jericho cut one of the money promos of the year on AEW Dynamite. Whilst probably few people were particularly listening for it, Paul Heyman followed suit with a magnificent sell of the Brock Lesnar/Cain Velasquez WWE Championship clash.
It's a shame the match will take place at Crown Jewel, tainting what could be one of the biggest results of the year, or at very least a spectacle for the ages. The mention of the scar under Brock's eye where Cain smashed him during their 2010 UFC contest was perfect fodder for the feud too, as was Heyman's insistence that Lesnar was facing a fear he intended to conquer, rather than just a mere opponent.
As noted, Velasquez' rebuttal was hampered by his efforts on the microphone, but Rey Mysterio and some powerful UFC photos did much to enhance the programme even further. Booked well, and these two could theoretically go again at WrestleMania. Then, all this good stuff might be easier to celebrate.
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
