9 Ups & 1 Down From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Sept 25)

6. An Acceptable Appetiser

Big E Sheamus
WWE.com

The Bar will challenge for The New Day's SmackDown Tag Team Titles at Super Show-Down, and WWE built towards it with a Big E vs. Sheamus singles bout last night. It was a fine little warm-up, though nothing you'll remember a couple of days from now, even if both men worked hard.

It was preceded by a promo exchange similar to last week's, with The Bar once again criticising The New Day's repetitive comedy. E called Cesaro a "Swiss Jason Statham," which isn't exactly insulting, and Sheamus cut the jovial trio off before they could get rolling, claiming all he wanted to do was fight.

This led into a typical midcard seesaw match with several momentum swings, a couple of fun spots, and a Sheamus victory. Seven days ago, we saw Cesaro defeat Kofi Kingston in similar fashion. The booking is a tad repetitive, and WWE's regular patterns suggest The Bar's recent dominance will turn to defeat at Super Show-Down, but there are much worse ways to fill airtime.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.