6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Dec 18)

Ups...

6. Wrong Way Round (On Purpose)

Otis Chad Gable Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

How WWE managed to screw that up whilst getting this right is anyone's guess.

Last week, Otis and Chad Gable lost to Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura when Chad ('2 Badd'?) let his ego get in the way of teamwork. Gable then sorta' blamed Otis for the defeat and encouraged him to open his ears and listen to some sage 'Alpha' advice.

This week, Otis beat Nakamura in singles action despite barely listening to what Gable was barking from ringside. Some fans might think this is all the wrong way round; shouldn't this one-on-one bout have happened first before the tag? Maybe, but it all worked out anyway.

WWE are subtly trying to tell the story of a deceptively powerful babyface (Otis) who doesn't actually need help from some jumped-up failure (Gable) at all. On the downside, who made the call to have Otis wear that 'Create-A-Wrestler' singlet?

Advertisement
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.