8 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Aug 28)

1. Paul Heyman Guy

Roman Reigns needed to be freshened up.

It would've sucked had he returned as a hell hound at SummerSlam and then marched out all smiles and "Believe That" catchphrases on SmackDown. Instead, WWE kept Roman locked away for 99% of the broadcast and then revealed that he's in cahoots with Paul Heyman.

Reigns linking up with the 'Advocate' is a strong decision. He's officially heel now, and the union removes any fears that he might go back to his old ways. Further, the way WWE panned the camera over to show happy Heyman was decidedly old-school - this kind of cliffhanger ending is another thing they don't do enough of in the modern era.

The final image fans saw before Payback was Reigns in Heyman's pocket. That's powerful, and raises several questions WWE shouldn't answer until they're good and ready.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out WWE Payback 2020: 10 Things That Must Happen (published before SmackDown) and 10 Wrestling 'Truths' We’ll Never Get An Answer To!