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

6. Eyes Wide Open

AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura's nutshot-themed feud appears to be over. Having lost another WWE Championship match at Money In The Bank, 'The King Of Strong Style' transitioned into a new rivalry last night, and while this one also started with a low blow, it feels fresh and exciting.

Nakamura and Jeff Hardy wrestled last week, with the United States Champion taking a DQ win when Shinsuke decided to go for the family jewels. This deed went unpunished on that show, but a facepaint-clad Jeff followed up last night, promising revenge upon the Japanese star.

Renee Young caught up with Shinsuke later in the evening. He made excuses for the latest AJ loss ("the referee counted too fast"), then moved onto Hardy, who'd claimed earlier that his eyes are finally open. In response, Nakamura promised to close them again.

Nothing earth-shaking from the duo, but a solid start nonetheless, and it'll be cool to see where they go from here.

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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.