6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (June 12)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. The Right Man Wins

AJ Styles Intercontinental Title
WWE.com

WWE could've put the IC Title on Daniel Bryan and had Drew Gulak stab him in the back when the time was right, but there's no rush when it comes to that particular tale. Besides, the company traditionally don't like two babyfaces holding major titles at the same time, and Braun has that Universal belt.

That perhaps made it obvious that Styles was winning the secondary strap.

Start licking your chops at the prospect of AJ vs. Jeff Hardy or, dare it be suggested as the ex-NXT man's first feud on SmackDown, Styles vs. Matt Riddle. Both of those sound tasty, and there's no doubts AJ would be able to make the best of things with both men. Or, if they want to extend the Daniel Bryan stuff, he could feud with Gulak.

Whatever Bruce Prichard's team decide to do with him, it's true that Styles was the right man to get that Intercontinental gold. It's another feather in AJ's WWE cap, came after a gruelling classic against another respected veteran and should help the IC Title become a focal point again.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown? For more like this, check out WWE Backlash 2020: 10 Things That Must Happen and 10 Times WWE Actually Elevated Midcarders To Become WWE Champions!

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Contributor

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.