8 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 16)

6. Better Than Expected

Baron Corbin
WWE.com

SmackDown threatened to go off the rails during the second half, and it's not hard to picture thousands groaning when Baron Corbin's music hit. The down-on-his-luck former 'King' wasn't there to work a match either - he was there to cut a 5-10 minute promo. Prepare for boredom?

Not quite.

Corbin didn't kick the arse out of his speech. Surprisingly, he came across well on the mic and got some decent interactions going with the live crowd. His crowdfunding promo gets an 'Up' because it was way better than anyone could've expected beforehand. Even some backstage probs thought this'd stink out the joint.

Kevin Owens coming out to confront Baron and then smashing him with a crowd-pleasing Stunner worked well too. It's worth noting that, whilst Corbin's 'I'm suddenly broke' story has more holes in it than a leaky boat, he's doing his best with some silly/unlikely material.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.