5 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 7)

by Michael Hamflett

1. Don't Dream It's Over

Jinder Mahal
WWE

Jinder Mahal is no longer the WWE Champion.

Jinder Mahal is no longer the WWE Champion.

Earning the shot garnered raised eyebrows in the news. Winning the belt re-wrote headlines. Holding on to it triggered head-scratching incredulity. Keeping it this long bordered on causing a revolt.

Mahal's run was the worst of times, but it was also the worst of times. There is no parity or positives to be found or even looked for when reviewing how the last six months have played out since 'The Modern Day Maharaja' had an utter stinker with Randy Orton and lifted the richest prize in the game.

Sighs got louder when the rematch sucked, louder still when his first contest with Shinsuke Nakamura blew, and reached maximum perplexity when he was scripted to racially abuse the 'King Of Strong Style' in what's turned out to be a last gasp attempt to draw him some heat.

Because that's what it was, a last gasp. Sure, Mahal may get the belt back when WWE tour India, and maybe even take it all the way to WrestleMania to pass it over to another beloved babyface as he did here with AJ Styles. But the first experimental, soul-crushing reign is finally over. It's almost as if wrestling can return to 'normal'...whatever that even is.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett