3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (May 27)

2. More IC Title Focus

Ricochet Ludwig Kaiser
WWE.com

Unlike Los Lotharios vs. Jinder Mahal and Shanky, the Ricochet/Drew Gulak vs. Gunther/Ludwig Kaiser bout had purpose and clear distinction between who fans should cheer and who they should boo. Better yet, the right team won (Kaiser/Gunther) and the right man got pinned (Gulak).

This was a nifty piece of business all-round.

It doesn't hurt that this guy is still stupidly-excited by the thought of seeing Rico vs. Gunther for the Intercontinental belt at some point in the future - WWE don't even have to go all in on that at Hell In A Cell, although it would be a neat addition to an other-wise fairly lifeless undercard.

If Roman isn't gonna be on SmackDown every week, then it might be an idea to keep building Gunther up as a bruiser and then pull the trigger on his title shot in the main event slot on TV. That, if promoted well, could draw some attention and do wonders for both champ and challenger.

In the short term, at least Ricochet is on TV weekly.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.