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

3. Overshadowing The Main Event

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.