5 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (July 18)

Ups…

5. Addressing The Elephant In The Room

Chad Gable’s WWE future was thrown in the air on Monday night. Jason Jordan, his tag partner in American Alpha, was revealed as Kurt Angle’s son, and a Raw superstar. This effectively split their team up, and two years after debuting as Jordan’s partner in NXT, the former Olympian was cast adrift, and forced into the singles division for the first time in his career.

There was plenty of ground for Gable to cover last night, and WWE did a solid job with him. Chad featured in a pre-recorded interview with Renee Young, and though they kept it brief, the segment successfully conveyed Gable’s shock at Jordan’s revelation, and hinted that he has big plans for the future, though he didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

Young is a tremendous interviewer, and Gable came off well in this environment. Along with his recent singles matches against AJ Styles and Kevin Owens, the segment bodes well for Chad’s future. He’s a charismatic in-ring worker whose only real downfall is his size (Gable is just 5’8”), but if he can overcome that stigma, there should be a future for him as a SmackDown superstar, provided WWE can find a way to integrate him into their crowded roster.

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Channel Manager

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.