7 Ups & 8 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (11 Oct)
4. Fury Road
WWE
More Tyson in 2009 than Tyson in 1998, the 'Gypsy King' and Braun Strowman's big man battle ironically doesn't feel all that...big.
A pathetic press conference pull-apart between them earlier in the day spoke to how listless the match currently feels, though as usual this doesn't really seem like a case of WWE catering to their customer base.
Its spot on yet another hugely problematic Saudi Arabian supershow already undermines the supposed excitement at the expense of WWE's grubby deal with the country, whilst Sky Sports in the United Kingdom are selling the show through their Box Office service at what'll likely be double the price of a Network subscription.
Would this feel more prestigious as part of another pay-per-view? Possibly so. Do WWE give a single f*ck either way? Categorically not.
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
