9 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown

4. Screwed

Elias Kevin Owens Shane McMahon
WWE.com

Sometimes, the obvious development is the right development. This was the case when Kevin Owens and Elias met in their King of the Ring bout.

Shane McMahon was at ringside, because of course he bloody was, and ended up cheating KO out of the tournament by pulling off his jacket to reveal a referee's shirt below. Owens couldn't lay a finger on him per their earlier agreement, so there was little he could do when Shane administered a fast-count following Elias' roll-up.

While nothing groundbreaking, the action preceding the finish was solid. The Shane development is what's important, though. It looked like he'd screw Owens from the moment the tournament bracket was announced and while this feud continuing through another pay-per-view cycle remains unideal, at least WWE are doing it the right way.

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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.