WWE SmackDown: 10 Things You Might Have Missed

4. How Good Chad Gable Looked Even In Defeat

Chad Gable Rusev
WWE.com

Fans would be forgiven for thinking Chad Gable's main roster aspirations looked bleak after Jason Jordan moved on to a mega-push as Kurt Angle's storyline son. This week may have changed some minds though, because Gable put in a superb performance against Rusev which contrasted heavily to his ex-tag partner's struggles as part of Miz TV on Raw.

Whereas Jordan looked less-than-convincing during his promo, Gable tore the house down with Rusev in SmackDown's sleeper hit of the night. This was how to do a glorified squash. Rusev did get the win eventually, but not before Gable almost took him out with the Ankle Lock and generally looked competitive throughout.

If you chose to skip this match (feeling Rusev would run through Chad in just a few minutes), then it's worth revisiting. Almost a coming out party for the former American Alpha man, Gable proved he still has something to offer as a singles wrestler without impeding Rusev's progress.

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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.