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

1. Buddy Shines Vs. Bryan

Another week, another first-class Buddy Murphy performance - this time against the consensus best technician in the company.

While Murphy's match with Roman Reigns relied primarily on big bombs, with the former Cruiserweight Champion's V-Trigger/Kamigoye/Brainbuster flurry a highlight, this bout was more measured. That doesn't mean it lacked explosiveness, though. Buddy's impactful bursts of offense are a big part of what makes him so exciting and he was excellent once more, blasting Bryan with a knee at the bell, hitting his awesome dive to the outside, and borrowing Will Ospreay's Cheeky Nandos kick and a Liger Bomb towards the end. The man loves his movez.

Bryan, that genius, dragged Murphy into his LeBell Lock to prevent further cloudbursts after the first act's sugar rush. He summoned Zack Sabre Jr. from there, pulling further limbs into the puzzle as he tried to stretch the will out of Murphy. The Aussie escape, however, and eventually shut the former WWE Champion down after Superkicking Rowan, finishing Bryan off with a V-Trigger and Murphy's Law.

A big, big victory for Murph, though it's a shame WWE chose to undermine it straight away. Nonetheless, here's hoping his push continues. He has earned this.