8 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 18)

4. Let's See How Long This Lasts

Sanity SD
WWE.com

After slightly above average TV fare between the Usos and the Bar, a big, near-division wide standoff ensued.

That diminishes the effort put forward, really: in one awesome spot, the drastically under-utilised Karl Anderson devised a killer cut-off spot; as Jey attempted a plancha, Anderson didn’t respond with the customary kick. In a sequence as seamless as it was gruesome, he stomped on his flying head. This was amazing. Karl Anderson is amazing. not that we’d know it.

Sunday’s TLC Triple Threat is as blurred in the memory as it was blurred by an endless exchange of moves, moves, and counters to moves, and more moves. This was the perfect time to put an end to the monotony, and end it SAnitY—SAnitY!—did by destroying the Usos in a believable beatdown worked with piss and vinegar. There was an air of thrown sh*t about this—in addition to the “boss is here, best get to work” desperation—but it wasn’t a rematch. It wasn’t a rematch!

We’ve been here before. WWE’s creative mechanisms are so fundamentally broken that this development hardly inspires hope—but a Fatal 4-Way is at least different to a Triple Threat.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!