3 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Mar 6)

2. US Title Tedium

Randy Orton Jinder Mahal Bobby Roode
WWE.com

He has his fans, but by and large, Randy Orton is a pretty uninspiring wrestler. 'The Viper' can be excellent, but you're never going to get 100% effort from him if he's working a basic TV match, and that's exactly what happened last night, with him and Jinder Mahal sleepwalking their way through a 10-minute plodder.

Do you like restholds and clubbering blows? Then this is the match for you. It would've been well at home in the '80s, but while we don't expect wrestlers to go all-out every single week, such bouts just don't fly in 2018. There was no urgency, no heat, and no excitement, and the ending was typically tedious.

Bobby Roode was on commentary, because of course he was. Orton slammed his vascular foe into the United States Champion, which prompted him to interfere, distracting the official. Mahal profited by crashing into them, hitting the Khallas, and picking up the win, which may see him added to the US Title bout at Fastlane.

Let's hope this angle comes to an end at the pay-per-view. It's going nowhere, and neither are the protagonists.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.