9 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 27)

1. The Most Patronising Payoff

So the whole point of Shane McMahon hijacking the World Cup tournament, getting crowned 'Best In The World,' taking centre stage for SmackDown in the Survivor Series men's elimination match, becoming the last blue man standing, hitting two Coast-to-Coast dropkicks, all while teasing a megalomaniacal heel turn... was so that he could indulge in bad backstage comedy bits with The Miz? Cool.

This feud may yet blossom. Miz is one of WWE's strongest personalities, and a guy adept at turning whatever lemons he's handed into lemonade, while Shane still has value as a stuntman. Last night was bad, though. Miz looked foolish, McMahon came off too cool for school, and the gags didn't land. Poor across the board.

SmackDown's writing team are better than this, as are the performers. Last week, with Miz playing a gloriously insincere piece of sh*t, was solid. This? A clear downturn, and we can only hope things improve next time.

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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.