10 Things We Learned From WWE SmackDown (April 18)

1. Trading Titles?

Jinder Mahal
WWE.com

When Maryse got in Dean Ambrose's face during the heated Monday Night Raw confrontation between the Intercontinental Champion and her husband, she trotted out one of the company's favourite cliches about the man making the title, not the title making the man.

It was a laser-sighted shot at the perceived failings of 'The Lunatic Fringe' with his current strap and the WWE Title, but carried additional weight on Monday's show in the absence of Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.

Meanwhile on SmackDown Live!, for the second week in a row, the United States title slung over Kevin Owens' shoulder was considered the more prestigious of the two male singles titles on the show despite the residence of full-timer and company legend Randy Orton.

The aforementioned shock and awe around the sudden elevation of Jinder Mahal implied that Orton's WWE Title is still the title to fight for on Tuesday nights, but the concerted effort seems to have been to steer attention from that belt whilst it resides in 'The Viper's slow-moving car crash with Bray Wyatt.

Proffering a potential Owens/AJ Styles match for the US gold next month has put that title on the pedestal for the time being, and rightfully so. This curious new mentality towards the gaudy-secondary strap can only be good for the enduring status of the prize.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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