6 Things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown: Possible spoiler on Intercontinental title finals next week, New Champions to lose titles quickly? (June 5th, 2020)

Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown. It was the second-last episode before Backlash 2020 and the SmackDown side of things is looking interesting.

While we'll be the first to admit that it isn't the strongest card, the overall PPV has enough strong matches to carry the show, which is why Edge vs Randy Orton will play such an important role in their "greatest wrestling match ever".

It wasn't the strongest episode, but we anticipate WWE to put up a solid show next week and a new direction for the brand after Backlash 2020. We're still getting used to the pandemic era of wrestling and we can't be sure when the crowds are going to return to witness live WWE shows.

However, from the look of things, that could take a while longer. Let's jump right into the big talking points of Friday Night SmackDown.

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#6. AJ Styles' handout to Drew Gulak goes awry

AJ Styles had a face-to-face confrontation with Daniel Bryan - who he meets next week in the finals of the Intercontinental Championship tournament. Styles spoke about how he didn't want handouts, which is a bit ironic considering that Daniel Bryan opted to earn his way to the finals while Styles got a by-pass.

He asked Bryan how Drew Gulak got to be his mentor and how he made it to the WWE. He then offered a "handout" to Drew Gulak by facing him in a singles match, and he was shockingly defeated by Daniel Bryan's mentor/partner.

It was a big win for Gulak, who continues to establish himself in an important role on SmackDown. While it could mean that Daniel Bryan might win next week, we can see a scenario where AJ Styles ends up becoming the Intercontinental Champion - adding another great accolade to his accomplishments in WWE.

#5. And new...but for how long?

Sasha Banks faced Alexa Bliss last week and managed to get one over her, which led to Tag Team title shots for The Boss N' Hug Connection. Bayley has already been reigning strong as the SmackDown Women's Championship for a good part of a year now.

While Banks and Bayley were the inaugural WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, they were quick to lose them as The IIconics won it at WrestleMania 35 - less than two months after winning the titles.

Since then, Bayley has dominated the SmackDown Women's Championship scene and hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. If anything, her momentum continues to grow after WrestleMania 36 and she's now a Double Champion for the first time in her career.

It was Sasha Banks who won it for the team, but we anticipate that this title reign is more to drive the story between Banks and Bayley rather than a long title reign. In fact, we expect the duo to have a short Championship reign, perhaps even dropping the titles back to The IIconics or Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross.

#4. Shorty G forms a new alliance

Shorty G has seemingly started a feud with Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. While the two have been Sami Zayn's allies, his absence has left them with a free spot on the card. After last week's Intercontinental title opportunity battle royale where Shorty G eliminated Cesaro and Nakamura, they've been targeting him.

Mojo Rawley seemingly joined their group as well, even if it was just temporary. It was a 3-on-1 assault backstage before Kofi Kingston and Big E of The New Day interjected and saved him.

With Xavier Woods still out of action, we can see a situation where Chad Gable aligns with The New Day for a while longer. It wouldn't be a long-term thing, of course, since Gable if better off establishing himself, but the six-man tag team match saw him pick up the win for his team against Mojo Rawley, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Hopefully, this means consistent TV time for him. Gable has all the talent in the world, but finding a spot on TV has proved difficult for him.

#3. Sonya Deville set for a Backlash collision course?

Lacey Evans and Sonya Deville are two Superstars in the SmackDown Women's division who have been gaining momentum. Splitting from Mandy Rose may have been the best thing that could have happened to Deville and she's benefiting from it instantly, getting consistent TV time and a push as well.

She took on Lacey Evans again, but it wasn't going to be on "her terms" like she said before. She was doing well and it was a solid match - up until Mandy Rose appeared on the screen to distract Deville and call her a failure.

One would argue that it was instant karma for Deville, who ended up losing to Lacey Evans. Given the lack of challengers, we can see Lacey Evans challenging for the title again, though a feud between Evans and Bayley has already been done earlier this year.

Either way, it looks like Sonya Deville is on a collision course with Mandy Rose at Backlash 2020. Who will come out on top this time around?

#2. A low effort Universal Championship feud for a reason

We have to admit, Braun Strowman vs The Miz and John Morrison is the most low-effort Universal Championship feud we've seen in a long time. The end of the Universal title match at Money in the Bank 2020 indicated that Bray Wyatt would return with The Fiend to challenge for the title. But it was revealed later on that he took a hiatus to welcome the birth of his second child Hyrie Von Rotunda.

In the meanwhile, WWE decided to go with a lackluster Universal Championship feud. The Miz and John Morrison didn't even have the momentum for such a feud, but it's obvious that this is nothing but filler and not a main event-level match-up.

From WWE's perspective, they probably don't need to put in much effort either. It's quite clear that Edge vs Randy Orton will be the main event of the PPV, especially since "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" is the official tagline of the PPV as well.

#1. Sheamus takes a shot...at the state of the police?

Jeff Hardy opened the show and revealed his innocence in the accident involving. While he was accused of drunk driving at first, he was later cleared and Hardy said that eyewitnesses around saw a man with red hair and a red beard behind the entire scene.

So it's official, then. Sheamus was accused of planting evidence against Jeff Hardy, who has vowed not to relapse. Sheamus came out and denied these accusations, telling Hardy that he continues to make excuses.

What was most interesting about his promo, however, was the fact that Sheamus took a shot at the police in an underhanded way - indirectly criticizing the state of police affairs in the United States of America, something that's resulted in nationwide and worldwide protests.

It was a gutsy move from WWE, but it's not surprising given that they've taken the side of the late George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Politics and controversy aside, Sheamus and Jeff Hardy are officially set to face off at Backlash 2020.