8 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (9 May - Results & Review)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. The General Danger Of The US Title Scene

Drew McIntyre Jacob Fatu
WWE.com

SmackDown's midcard belt crowd will try to mimic what Raw's lot did with the Intercontinental strap over WrestleMania 41 weekend. In other words, the four-way for this United States Title at Backlash on Saturday must come out smelling of roses the way Bron Breakker vs. Finn Bálor vs. Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio did in Las Vegas. That was a real surprise package of a match.

Over to you, blue boys.

There's surely no way they'll fail. Jacob Fatu is a seriously strong champion. Look, he isn’t dropping the belt this soon after 'Mania, but that four-way at Backlash has some juice to it, man. Damian Priest and LA Knight are worthy challengers, then there’s Drew McIntyre. Booking him to level Fatu with a Claymore Kick was smart (what a one-on-one that’d be someday!) and unpredictable.

Bonus points go to Drew for cutting a banter-filled promo backstage afterwards. He explained why he'd decided to target Jacob on SmackDown by calling him one of the most dangerous around. McIntyre likes the thought of cutting Fatu down to size then taking his title. It's a simple story, but an effective one.

The word "dangerous" fits this US Title scene. There are threats everywhere the reigning champ looks. Priest is a former World Champ, Knight is the guy Jacob beat to win the thing, Drew is one of the best in the business, and even Solo Sikoa can't be trusted.

If John Cena vs. Randy Orton wasn't on the card this Saturday, then the four-way for Fatu's US prize could headline. That's how strong it is.

What did you think of this week's episode of WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out WWE Backlash 2025: 7 Things That Must Happen and WWE Backlash 2025: 7 Nightmares That Could Come True!

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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.