7 Ups & 9 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jun 11)

Big E is back on SmackDown, but last night STUNK of Raw.

by Andy H Murray
The New Day Kofi Kingston WWE Champion
WWE.com

The Wild Card Rule has sparked chaos in WWE's televised universe recently, but the promotion's decision to combine their Raw and SmackDown writing teams into one amorphous, unimaginative blob after WrestleMania 35 might be even more galling, with the former 'Land of Opportunity' serving another portion of Raw Lite slop last night.

SmackDown is becoming increasingly unengaging and predictable. Matches and segments usually accomplish the goal of getting from A to B, but where's the fun in following a story when you can see every single beat coming? That's the thing about this show post-'Mania: most things make sense, but you know exactly what's going to happen next.

Promoted around Big E's much-hyped in-ring return following a Lazarus-like recovery from injury, the show saw the 33-year old team with New Day pals Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston to face Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Dolph Ziggler. Shane McMahon dominated the opening 30 minutes, first clashing with The Miz while guesting on his talk show, before pitting his long-term rival in a three-man pseudo gauntlet match. Elsewhere, Alexa Bliss continued her manipulation of Nikki Cross, Sonya Deville met Carmella in the ring, and there was still no sign of the Kabuki Warriors, Ali, Shinsuke Nakamura, or any of SmackDown's other missing pieces.

Let's dive into it.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.