9 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 11)

4. More Of This, Please

Mustafa Ali
WWE.com

Bringing Mustafa Ali over from 205 Live was a fantastic idea, even if it was just a one-night-only deal. Not only did it help set SmackDown off to an awesome start, but Ali is a tremendous athlete, a compelling character, and a hard worker. He deserves the chance to showcase this on a bigger stage more often, and he grasped last night's opportunity with both hands.

Bryan will eventually run out of opponents as WWE Champion. Having him face guys like Ali stalls that, because Mustafa isn't the kind of guy Daniel would usually come across on weekly television. In running last night's angle, WWE preserved Bryan's run, gave him a game opponent who'd make him look strong, and injected a dose of freshness into the usual Tuesday night routine. Job done.

This is exactly the kind of outside-the-box booking that separates Tuesdays from Mondays. It'd be great to see SmackDown 'borrow' more wrestlers from 205 Live, NXT, and even NXT UK on a more regular basis, because who doesn't love new, exciting face-offs between performers who might not come into contact otherwise?

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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.