7 Ups & 9 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (April 2)

5. Sacrificing Ali

Ali Samoa Joe
WWE.com

WWE decided that somebody needed to be served up as United States Champion Samoa Joe's sacrificial lamb on last night's show, and they made one of the worst choices possible.

Ali is supposed to be one of their up-and-coming babyfaces. He's an exciting, affable competitor who shot up the rankings in late 2018, and looked set to do the same until injury struck before Elimination Chamber, costing him a WWE Championship opportunity. The former 205 Live man has since rebounded to face Kevin Owens and Daniel Bryan for the big hemp belt at Fastlane, and looked to be on the up and up once more...

... and then he became a squash match victim.

And now, he's a scrub.

Ali was able to get a few moves in on Joe, but how much can that possibly mean when he's being put away in a matter of minutes? He looked like an enhancement talent here. That's a terrible look, particularly as WWE could've easily called on a random Colon or Shelton Benjamin for the task.

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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.