SmackDown kicked off with Carlito and Bobby Lashley facing each other in a battle of veterans. During Sportskeeda's post-show review, Dutch Mantell claimed that Lashley vs. Carlito wasn't a wholly enjoyable in-ring affair.
Following a promo segment, Carlito and Lashley put together a relatively slow-paced match, per Mantell. The pattern was predictable as Lashley tried to trap Carlito in the Hurt Lock.
While he liked SmackDown this week, Mantell particularly wasn't a fan of Bobby Lashley and Carlito's match, as they could have sped things up from the start.
Dutch also questioned the advanced ages of both the WWE Superstars and whether that could have influenced the match's style.
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"I actually enjoyed the show. That first match, though, with Bobby Lashley and Carlito, that was, to me, very boring. They slowed it down. How old is Bobby Lashley? 40? [...] Late 40s? How old is Carlito? Carlito is gotta be 40, isn't he? [...] But anyway, I thought that kind of drug a little bit in the end, and they cranked it up a little bit. I will give the whole show tonight a 'b' because it was decent." [From 18:54 onwards]
A distraction from the Street Profits helped Lashley hit the Spear and get the pinfall win over his Peurto Rican opponent.
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