4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (April 18)

3. Randy Orton Didn't Make Jinder Mahal Look Second Rate

Jinder Mahal Randy Orton

Dropping Jinder Mahal with an RKO (yes, even one 'Out Of Nowhere') would have been a huge mistake by WWE on this week's SmackDown.

That's the way things looked to be headed when Randy Orton emerged to "congratulate" his new challenger for Backlash and entered the ring to continue his promo. Thankfully, WWE resisted the temptation to floor Mahal right after he had earned the right to face Orton for the WWE Title on pay-per-view.

Instead of making Jinder look second rate, his Six-Pack Challenge victory and strong post-match promo elevated him to a level the Indian hasn't been on since his first days in the promotion back in 2011.

That would have been all for nothing had Randy decked him in the centre of the ring, but some remarkable restraint gives SmackDown's creative team something to work with. Now, the next four weeks before Backlash can be used to build Mahal as a credible threat to Orton's title, rather than just a lucky heel who will act as another roadblock for the cold and calculating champion post-Bray Wyatt.

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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.