10 Things We Learned From WWE SmackDown (June 6)

7. Worlds Apart

Naomi Shane McMahon Lana
WWE

Mojo Rawley made an impassioned plea to commissioner Shane McMahon this week, noting how he actually held victories over WWE Champion Jinder Mahal in both the Andre The Giant Battle Royal and on the following edition of SmackDown Live!

Commenting on the remarkable fact that he's currently the only superstar to defeat Mahal since the 'Maharaja' made the move to Tuesdays, Rawley successfully campaigned to get taken of 'the bench' in gaining a match against Jinder to prove himself worthy of a future title shot.

Sadly, wrestling's magic wand has only waved in one direction.

Rawley was cast as a children's tour guide the last time he had a significant role on the blue brand, but a vignette in which he was kicked in the shins may have been more stimulating for the former 'Hype Bro' than the three minute squash he suffered against the Champion.

Jinder wasn't overtly exciting in the match, and still clearly has lots to add to his repertoire, but there were again signs that fans are actually gravitating towards him in an effort to support something different. Faint chants of 'Let's go Jinder' could be heard during the contest, despite yet more dull rhetoric that has come to thus far define the persona.

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