10 Things We Learned From WWE SmackDown (May 30)
Here comes the money.
In establishing Money In The Bank first as a gimmick in 2005 and then a full pay-per-view in 2010, WWE back-doored their way into a concept that has gradually become almost as meaningful as the title the winner can challenge for.
Outside of John Cena and the harshly mistreated Damien Sandow, every other winner of the vaunted briefcase has successfully 'cashed in' to become champion. It's been a well-protected and well-utilised trope for over a decade, and the annual roll-out creates tangible excitement. Especially now WWE have promised two.
With the show less than a fortnight away, the six male combatants all appeared again to provide storyline (and real life) motivation for fans to fight their corner on June 18th, and if WWE's recent booking can be used as a barometer for careers of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Dolph Ziggler, just about anything can happen.
The Women now also have their rightful place in a match on the show. Coming at a perfect time for the division, Shane McMahon announced the first ever female incarnation of the brutal-but-rewarding scuffle.
As long as Jinder Mahal holds the WWE Title, SmackDown Live! will remain the 'Land of Opportunity' in both real terms and WWE's tenuous canon, but as a life-changing opportunity beckons for two of the show's top talents, there exists a sense of excitement on the show that only Randy Orton's...headlock could palpably diffuse.
10. Keeping It Reel
Amongst all his characteristic arrogance since becoming the 'New Face of America', Kevin Owens' insecure retention of the Chris Jericho feud has been the hidden highlight of his work.
Much like his rivalry with Sami Zayn, Owens may be on to something if he can maintain the feeling of perpetuity in his blood feud with 'Y2J'.
Effectively always in a programme, it's an incredibly astute way to keep yourself over, as well as looking like a complete d*ckhead in revelling in the misery of your fallen foe.
That Owens has gone one further and appropriated the Highlight Reel as his own talkshow is yet another shrewd use of the cynical character. For Owens as a performer, the platform is traditionally well suited to strong improvisational talkers of his ilk, but it also offers a new way for him to get into verbal conflict with a roster he clearly has utter disdain for.
Furthermore, he's managed to siphon all of the excitement around his former best friend's eventual comeback, regardless of if Jericho's return is a complete surprise or announced well in advance.
In the meantime, he used the vehicle to hammer Shinsuke Nakamura, Baron Corbin and Sami Zayn, which triggered an impromptu tag match in the exact same show-opening to Monday Night Raw. It sadly had the exact same outcome...