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

4. Tye...buster?

Charlotte Carmella
WWE.com

A repeat performance beckoned for Tye Dillinger as he continued his gentle rise up the roster with another victory over Aiden English.

Dillinger will need a meaningful storyline sooner rather than later if he's to gain a significant foothold on Tuesday nights, with his 'Perfect 10' persona veering dangerously close to it's heel origins if he continues working squash matches without proper direction.

The most notable aspect of the second English win was the updated finisher, in which his 'Tyebreaker' was switched mid-move into a 'Go2Sleep' variant. Aiden's face cascading off Dillinger's knee looked equally effective, as it appears as though AJ Styles may have won the battle to keep the move as part of his arsenal going forward.

With his character clearly etched in the psyche of audiences and a new finishing hold immediately established with this week's victory, it's time now for Dillinger to suffer the wrath of a SmackDown Live! heel, ideally in time for the two to collide at Backlash.

The blue brand's first post-WrestleMania pay-per-view will provide a far better launching pad than Payback could for Raw talent, and Tye belongs on a show dedicated to setting the table for the year ahead.

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