9 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (13 March)

6. Daniel Bryan's Intercontinental Tilt?

Daniel Bryan Sami Zayn Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

The potential for a WrestleMania 36 showdown over the Intercontinental Title between old indy darlings Daniel Bryan and Sami Zayn should get hardcore fans excited. Think about how progressive a move that is for the IC Title considering the alternative (that alternative being a Braun Strowman squash match revenge win over Sami).

That could still happen, but things look promising.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro can work tag matches on TV with Bryan and Drew Gulak in the interim, and then Daniel can gun for Zayn's shiny belt. This week's show hinted that WWE are at least exploring the possibility of Bryan vs. Sami, and that's a good thing.

Strowman's retribution mission just doesn't have the same kind of intrigue as a match like this between old ROH stalwarts. Right now, one must lean towards Daniel Bryan in the challenger role instead. He'd be an excellent choice to lead the IC division as babyface after 'Mania.

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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.