Last Night’s WWE Smackdown (Jan 21)

5 Ups And 3 Downs From Last Night’s WWE Smackdown (Jan 21) 

 

The hype surrounding Thursday Night Smackdown’s shift to the USA Network has already died down, but that doesn’t mean the show isn’t worthwhile. Overall, the latest episode felt like a tighter, more-focused episode of Monday Night Raw, and didn’t drag on like the flagship program sometimes tends to.
There were 5 matches in total, and it won’t surprise most fans to learn that quality was very much a mixed bag on the show. Smackdown was WWE’s last chance to add some spice before the Royal Rumble, something which was certainly achieved with the ending of the broadcast. However, there were some familiar teething problems which long time fans could easily spot, such as effectively foreshadowing pay-per-view results.
Naturally, the main event slot was afforded to Roman Reigns, and the idea of him struggling to overcome the odds once more. That’s been a theme of WWE programming since it was announced that Reigns was defending the WWE World Heavyweight Title during the Royal Rumble match itself.
This article analyses Thursday Night Smackdown, looking at reasons that made it an enjoyable show but also taking aim at portions which felt lifeless and dull. What follows are 5 distinct ‘ups’, but also 3 unfortunate ‘downs’ from the event.