WWE SmackDown: 10 Things You Might Have Missed (July 25)

3. Shane McMahon's Preferential Treatment

Kevin Owens Shane McMahon
WWE.com

What is it with authority figures on SmackDown punishing heels for next to no reason? Daniel Bryan did it with The Miz and now Shane McMahon is dishing out the same needless abuse to Kevin Owens. Instead of protecting one of his marquee champions, Shane decided to throw KO into a no-win situation.

Chris Jericho hadn't even been seen on WWE TV since May, and yet he waltzed back in and was handed a United States Title rematch like it was nothing. As if that wasn't enough, McMahon booked AJ Styles in the Triple Threat main event just to mess with Owens, apparently because the Battleground winner deserves it.

You'll rarely (if ever) see this kind of thing happening to a babyface in WWE. Without any warning whatsoever, Kevin Owens went from celebrating his win on Sunday to being hurled into a match during which he could lose the US Title without being pinned.

And Shane wonders why KO doesn't like him.

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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.