8 Ups & 1 Down From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (May 22)

Downs...

1. No Answers

The New Day
WWE.com

This week's solitary negative is as minor as it gets, as The New Day promised to announce which member would represent the team in the men's Money In The Bank ladder match, but didn't deliver.

They danced and trotted around the subject like expert politicians on Miz TV. This irritated the host, who "wanted a scoop, not jokes," and led to his singles match with Big E. Mechanically, this is fine, but WWE dangled the MITB carrot before our faces, then yanked it away.

Perhaps this would've come off better if The New Day were heels, but it felt like they were shortchanging us. It failed as a means of building intrigue for the eventual reveal, and while the segment wasn't without its plus points (we'll get to those in a moment), the trickery wasn't needed.

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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.