8 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (June 19)

Five run the gauntlet in Ohio.

Rusev The Miz Accolade
WWE.com

One week removed from one of 2018's most skippable weekly shows, SmackDown rebounded with a cracking Money In The Bank follow-up dominated by 43-minute gauntlet match.

This colossal showdown occupied the entirety of the show's second half. With AJ Styles defeating Shinsuke Nakamura on Sunday, WWE needed to establish a number one contender for Extreme Rules, so up stepped Big E, The Miz, Rusev, Daniel Bryan, and Samoa Joe. They didn't disappoint, delivering four varied falls that kept the audience enthralled throughout, and more importantly, a huge crowd-pleasing victor.

The gauntlet wasn't the night's only major talking point, though. There were developments in the women's division, as Carmella and James Ellsworth were in prime gloating form after thwarting Asuka at Money In The Bank, while Becky Lynch met Billie Kay in singles competition. Elsewhere, Sanity finally debuted with a one-sided pounding of The Usos, Gallows and Anderson worked their second tag title bout in three days, and a defeated Shinsuke Nakamura learned his next opponent.

This week's SmackDown was all about the in-ring action, and the show was stronger for it. We can't have it this way every week, and the night wasn't without its flaws, but let's mark this episode down as one of the year's finest so far.

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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.