8 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (10 Sept)
1. Killing Owens
What an absolute f*cking shambles.
Kevin Owens was neutered as a top babyface two weeks ago when the ravaged dog he'd recently become suddenly bowed to his master due to a $100,000 fine levied on him. Rather than rebounding from that, the 'Prizefighter' was taken out back and shot in an appalling angle that saw him kowtowing to Shane McMahon and still getting beaten up and fired (single handedly, no less) despite selling out Chad Gable and his babyface values just a few minutes earlier.
This is worse with Becky Lynch apologising to The Authority to get her WrestleMania match back only to be screwed seconds later, because Owens got the sh*t kicked out of him when he got the shaft.
Yes they're "telling stories" and "let it play out" and all that contrite cr*p, but this is a bad story being told poorly that hasn't earned the patience. Owens, just a month earlier, was a man possessed and seemingly back on track out of nowhere. Succumbing to the whims of his bosses (both on and off screen) yet again, 'KO's eventual redemption will always come with the stench of the sellout he was willing to be before he had no choice.
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 almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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
