3 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Oct 3)
3. Baron The Boring
AJ Styles hasn't had a good United States Title run thus far. He's one of the best wrestlers in the company, but he spent the first part of his reign playing hot potato with Kevin Owens, then serving as a facilitator for KO's feud with Shane McMahon. He's now stuck in a dull rivalry with Baron Corbin (one of the least interesting wrestlers in the company), which continued through 'The Lone Wolf's' match with Tye Dillinger last night.
Much like the women's tag, it was a nothing contest, and one that served only to fill six minutes of airtime and diminish Corbin ahead of his US Title match. The cradle finish keeps Baron semi-protected, but he still looked like a schmuck for losing so close to his bout with AJ, making it impossible to consider him a legitimate threat at Hell In A Cell.
The post-match saw Styles compound Corbin's misery by mocking his loss, and insinuating that laziness had cost him his Money in the Bank briefcase, his recent bout with John Cena, and last night's clash with Tye. He signed off by saying that he won't be able to take his usual shortcuts on Sunday, closing this mundane portion of the show in a way that did nothing to build hype for HIAC.