9 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 15)

2. Ending On A Downer

The Miz Shane McMahon
WWE.com

The Miz vs. Sheamus was lame. Pretty, pretty lame.

Barely lasting three minutes, it saw Cesaro interfere on his partner's behalf, Shane pulling him off the apron and into a massive cake, then 'The A-Lister' scoring an opportunistic roll-up finish with extra leverage. Pure, midcard fluff, with the biggest problem being that it took place in the main event slot.

The post-match saw Miz and Shane batter The Bar around ringside. McMahon Coast-to-Coasted a cake into Sheamus' face, because of course he did, and the new besties hoisted the World Cup trophy aloft. Not before Miz had shoved a wedge of sweet sponge in McMahon's face, though.

This wasn't awful as a total package, but it ended a solid episode of SmackDown on a bum note, particularly after the stunning highs of Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade. A structural issue rather than a content issue, it hampered the broadcast nonetheless.

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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.