3 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Mar 11)

3. Overshadowing The Main Event

Pat McAfee Austin Theory
WWE.com

Austin Theory vs. Pat McAfee could well be a sleeper hit at 'Mania. McAfee showed what he can do in the ring back in 2020, and Theory will be eager to prove he can mimic Adam Cole by bringing the best out in the commentator himself. All of that is fine, but...

...why were they scripted to overshadow the main event here?

Theory came to ringside before the Intercontinental Title showdown between Ricochet and Sami Zayn. Then, after he and Pat brawled, WWE repeatedly harped on about that situation rather than the fact that this was Rico's first title defence. Loud and clear for the folks at the back: IC doesn't matter to creative.

That's how all of this resonated live, at least. Christ, even focusing on Zayn's feud with Johnny Knoxville would've been preferable to hitching a rivalry that has nothing to do with the title onto things. WWE really could've formatted this better and helped both stories.

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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.