5 Things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown: Otis to squash former US Champion before MITB cash-in, Championship reign to end after just 9 days? (June 12th, 2020)
Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown this week. Given the inconsistency of RAW these past two months, we're happy to see SmackDown is going in a good direction.
One of the few problems we have, however, with the build to Backlash has been the Universal Championship rival. Braun Strowman vs The Miz and John Morrison feels like the most unimportant World Championship match in a long time and WWE has done nothing to build its importance.
That's why there won't even be an individual talking point about one of the "marquee" matches in Backlash. Instead, we'll start with a man who could very well be the next Universal Champion - Otis.
#5. Otis' new rivalry
This was an interesting one. Last week, the seeds were planted for a King Corbin-Otis feud after Mr. Money in the Bank wore his crown. In the main event of SmackDown, Heavy Machinery teamed up with Universal Champion Braun Strowman to face Dolph Ziggler, John Morrison, and The Miz.
Mid-match, the screen showed King Corbin backstage approaching Mandy Rose, trying to find an answer as to why Otis did what he did last week. While Rose brushed it off, Corbin implied that Rose "wanted" a King.
He was soon met by Otis, who ran backstage and drilled him in with a shoulder tackle. At the end of the match, Otis ended up pinning Dolph Ziggler again, all while maintaining a level of tension with the Universal Champion Braun Strowman.
We've liked the tense dynamic between Strowman and Otis, as it's something they've been playing out well. It's undoubtedly more interesting than a feud with Corbin, but we fully expect Otis to decimate the former United States Champion in the build to a possible Universal title win.