5 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 21)

3. Booking The Inevitable

Jinder Mahal AJ Styles
WWE.com

The AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal WWE Championship rematch is finally on the cards.

Though 'The Phenomenal One' wanted to fight 'The Maharaja' last night, Mahal was reticent, claiming he was "too busy" to deal with Styles there and then. Jinder pinpointed 17 December's Clash of Champions pay-per-view instead, and while their segment wasn't anything special, it served its purpose by establishing this inevitable bout.

It started with Styles hitting the ring to run through his Survivor Series loss to Brock Lesnar, then call Mahal out. Jinder answered via the big screen, delivered the same generic promo he cuts every time we see him, and sprung a trap on the WWE Champion. The Singh Brothers ambush was thwarted, however, and AJ left Mahal apoplectic by fighting them off.

AJ was in great form here. The crowd loved him, and while Mahal came off like a mud-slinging child, Styles was calm, confident, and composed despite the Lesnar loss. He's exactly the right guy to lead the brand at the moment, and a lengthy title run should help dispel the unfortunate B-show stigma that Shane McMahon and co. keep imposing on SmackDown.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. 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.