7 Ups & 8 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (11 Oct)
3. Paradise?
WWE.com
...for all Kofi Kingston's frustrating lack of follow-up hurt his chances of getting anywhere near the belt now slung back over Brock Lesnar's shoulder, full credit to him for slotting straight back in alongside Xavier Woods and Big E for a mini-banger of a six-man tag team match with the Raw-bound OC trio.
All about the quick tags and hope spots for the bulk of the lean six minutes it was afforded, a series of impressive reversals fed into a Kingston pinfall victory over AJ Styles after slipping out of a calf-crusher as well as just about everything else the 'Phenomenal One' tried.
Though tepid at times, Kofi's title reign may have done much for his Trouble In Paradise finisher over the summer. Now an out-of-nowhere move, the lack of an intricate set-up offers the opportunity for shock wins such as these.
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
