8 Ups & 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 27)
Reigns spears Bryan on a show hampered by its biggest storylines.
SmackDown increasingly feels like a brand being let down by its biggest storylines.
The divisive Roman Reigns whodunit storyline is yet to truly jump the shark. It is, however, coming dangerously close, with last night bringing yet another twist in the tale as WWE teased Daniel Bryan, the former accused, demanding an apology from 'The Big Dog.' Elsewhere, a Randy Orton programme that began as Kofi Kingston's most interesting WWE Championship feud since Bryan has stalled to the point that the writers are now doing little more than recycling year-old material. As for the SmackDown Women's Title scene? While Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley is a potentially excellent match, the weekly content isn't delivering yet.
This isn't to say last night's SmackDown was bad, though. Far from it, in fact: this was, for the most part, another strong offering from the blue brand, with exciting King of the Ring action in the form of Ali vs. Buddy Murphy and Shelton Benjamin vs. Chad Gable, Kevin Owens gaining a measure of revenge, and Big E getting all Serious Business with Orton. Still, it's hard not to be disappointed by certain aspects of the Clash of Champions build.
Let's break it down...