8 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Mar 20)

by Michael Hamflett

1. No? NO?! NO!

Kevin Owens Daniel Bryan Sami Zayn
WWE

Tension. White hot, uneasy tension.

A pitch-perfect sacking dished out to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for their brutal assault on Shane McMahon led to a repeat performance from the vile villains after Bryan had clearly tried and failed to see things from their point of view. He couldn't have been more rationale, which only made their vicious assault all the more heartbreaking.

Tension.

Bryan stuck a hand out to both as he delivered the news. It was dishonestly shaken before their assault. They weren't at all ready for that same hand to strike them with equal malice. Daniel Bryan was back. Dropkick followed dropkick followed dropkick followed dropkick followed snap german suplex before a numerical disadvantage overwhelmed him and the heels immediately went for his head and neck.

Tension.

Every single strike came with dread not felt since Shawn Michaels' surgically repaired back was dismantled by his former friend Triple H in 2002. Earlier day assessments suggested Bryan would work a more conservative style, but it was all hard labour for the returnee on his first night back. Stretchered away in the shadow of of the assault, Bryan's earlier-spoken-of-dreams had already become a living nightmare. Where next?

Tension.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett