5 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Sept 12)

4. Gable & Benjamin Kill The Hype

Hype Bros Chad Gable Shelton Benjamin
WWE.com

Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin’s second match as a tag team saw them face off against the lowly Hype Bros late in the show. It lasted little over two minutes, with Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder only granted fleeting periods of control before their opponents put them away decisively. Gable made the blind tag with Ryder on Benjamin’s shoulders, headed to the top rope for a modified Doomsday Device, and that was that.

WWE haven’t teased the Hype Bros’ split for several months, but they went back to it afterwards. Ryder rejected a post-match handshake from his long-time partner, then decided to bail out of the ring entirely, so there’s probably a lame duck feud between him and Mojo on the horizon, culminating in a flat Kickoff Show grudge match. Goodie…

Still, the action was solid, the right team won, and the whole segment was exactly what it needed to be. Benjamin and Gable are a natural pairing, and while the long-term plan is likely a feud between the two, their tag work will certainly keep us entertained in the interim.

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Channel Manager
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.