7 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Sept 4)

5. The Intercontinental Title Business

AJ Styles Sami Zayn Jeff Hardy
WWE.com

What a segment that IC Title scrape was.

Sami Zayn speaking to the production truck and asking for clarification on why they hadn't put "Intercontinental Champion" on his name plate was gold, but that wasn't all the skit had to offer. Jeff Hardy shrewdly kept an eye on Sami when AJ Styles interrupted, which harked back to Zayn's blindside attack last week.

AJ taking a cheap shot at Hardy when he wasn't looking was also so in-character for him, and he took another swipe at Sami when his back was turned too. These guys all worked within the parameters of their individual personas, and that made their interactions feel real.

They deserve credit for that; WWE's usual approach is anything but realistic. Zayn, Hardy and Styles focused on some smaller things that made their performances true, and that's never a given in a company as regimented as this.

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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.