10 Things We Learned From WWE SmackDown Live! (May 2)

9. Large Mahal

Charlotte Carmella
WWE.com

The saving grace of Jinder's evisceration by 'Shane-O-Mac' was the Commissioner actually booking a match for later in the show.

The passable ten minute contest between Mahal and Sami Zayn served the purpose of further establishing the irritant threat of the Singh Brothers at ringside, as well as shining a spotlight on the Number One contender in a week without his Backlash opponent present on the show.

However, it also highlighted just how quickly things move in WWE, with the traversing escalators for both performers operating in reverse since their match less than one month ago on Monday Night Raw.

The post-WrestleMania edition of the show saw Zayn breeze past Mahal and surf a wave of optimism following the announcement of a 'Superstar Shake-up' that would garner him a fresh start on SmackDown Live!

Laying down in similar fashion for Finn Balor one week later, Mahal also got a move to Tuesdays, but resumed jobbing duties almost immediately with a loss to Mojo Rawley.

Only three weeks on from the trade, this remarkable reversal in fortunes has exhibited that while SmackDown Live!'s 'Land of Opportunity' mantra may partly be true, little within WWE can compete with the whims of Vince McMahon.

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