Depth of star power is a WWE strength in 2024. It says everything for Triple H's product that a red hot returnee like Roman Reigns can be totally absent from the lineup and people still flock to see the show. On SmackDown, the likes of Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Bayley, The Bloodline and LA Knight keep things ticking over.
It would've been nice to see Reigns indulge us pre-Bad Blood though, no doubt. That qualifies as a 'Down', if only because there's a literally bloody PLE next week that Roman could main event (unless WWE goes with CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre's HIAC instead).
Granted, the poster boy's absence didn't kill the buzz completely, but it did wound some momentum, and it's becoming clearer that Solo Sikoa needs someone like Reigns to bounce off of if he's gonna elevate his game. There were a ton of 'Ups' in ring to compensate. One of Hunter's most reliable duos came through for him yet again, and other warring friends teased some tension.
Speaking of teases, creative dangled the potential for not one but two kickass heel turns in front of fans during an opening segment and main event tag one-two punch. Here's all the good and bad from SmackDown's penultimate stop before Bad Blood..