10 Ups & 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 19)

Downs...

7. The US Title Curse Continues

Carmella R-Truth US Title
WWE

The United States Title division is a dead scene. It has been since Jeff Hardy took the belt back to SmackDown and struggled to make a mark as a popular-but-unfocused midcard star. Shinsuke Nakamura's first reign was characterised by a lack of TV time, Rusev's began with a cathartic moment before petering into nothing, and R-Truth's is now going the same way.

The former Ron Killings wasn't on TV last night. Again. He hasn't wrestled since the night he won the belt (29 January), and it looks like the United States Championship cruse remains in effect.

Truth is a lower-midcard novelty act who doesn't need to feature prominently every single week, but having a title (even a secondary one) should guarantee improved focus. It hasn't, and the belt is close to worthless after almost a full year of negligent SmackDown booking.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.