10 Things We Learned From WWE SmackDown In The UK (May 9)
Cruel Britannia.
An uneventful edition of Monday Night Raw from London's O2 Arena tempered expectations for Tuesday's fare as WWE brought the excitement of an explosive weekend in the UK to a screeching halt during another lengthy slog through the red brand's biggest issues.
However, as explicitly stated by AJ Styles and John Bradshaw Layfield on separate WWE Network vehicles in the past seven days, Smackdown Live! simply shouldn't be measured against the flagship counterpart.
With an hour less time to fill and a leaner roster to work with, the blue brand remains the underdog that overachieves, and the build to May 21st's Backlash event seems determined to wash away the stains Payback left behind.
'The Land of Opportunity' has bore out the company-mandated nickname of late, with emerging talents in all divisions gaining unexpected traction in the run-up to the brand's first show-exclusive post-WrestleMania pay-per-view.
Jinder Mahal's unlikely pursuit of Randy Orton's WWE Title has grabbed the headlines, but the sudden elevation of Breezango and The Welcoming Committee has brought new vigour to the Tag Team and Women's Divisions respectively.
Builds for the in-ring debut of Shinsuke Nakamura and the United States Title clash between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens have been similarly superb, and with less than two weeks before the climax, how would the focussed crop of stars perform across the pond?
10. Picture Perfect
The Randy Orton/Jinder Mahal WWE Title programme may be the organisation's most divisive storyline this year, despite 'The Viper's last storyline degenerating into one of the stupidest wastes of television (and WrestleMania) time in company history.
However, Mahal in particular deserves credit for working up to his inexplicable promotion. Performing with competence and confidence befitting an established contender rather than a chancer among champions, Jinder has brought a much-needed fire to his persona and looks physically and mentally bolstered by the accompaniment of his Singh Brothers goon squad.
This week's opening salvo saw the challenger present the professional pictures he had produced after 'absconding' Orton's title belt a week earlier. Naturally as the most dangerous man in the world, Shane McMahon was the only person capable of getting the belt back to Randy, but the photographs were an inspired move to further irritate the 'Apex Predator' ahead of their Backlash pay-per-view clash next Sunday.
The decision to visibly portray Mahal with the strap may ultimately foreshadow the outcome. Usual hubbub suggests that the Jinder push was part of a company strategy to penetrate an Indian market more meaningfully than Impact Wrestling's current flirtation with the nation. The pictures may sadly be all the bluster needed to run endless Orton/Mahal matches without ever having to actually award the 'Maharaja'.