WWE Backlash 2016 Aftermath: Booking For The Future

Heath Slater & Rhyno

I have to admit, they finally got it right with Slater. For years, actually, ever since his time with The Nexus, Heath Slater has been booked as a complete joke, despite being a very talented superstar. The whole angle with him being left out of the draft and having to jump through hoops in order to earn a contract, it's all been a very entertaining storyline, capped off with a huge tag team championship win at Backlash.

As he and Rhyno move forward, I worry about them being nothing more than transitional champions, primarily because of the unpredictability of Rhyno’s status with the WWE. Rhyno currently has several indie dates on his schedule, along with his full-time status as a tag team champion with WWE. If history is any indicator of what we can expect, Rhyno is only going to be around a few months, at best. If that's the case, it'll result in short title reign for the newly crowned champions.

However, if the WWE and Rhyno can find a way to make this thing work for while Slater and Rhyno could have a fun run as Smackdown tag champs. Either way, they need to be booked as consistently defending champions. The more TV time for Slater, the better for his future. After this reign is over, this could benefit Slater as a singles competitor, as long as he gets a little love from the fans along the way, Heath will be just fine.

About the author

Jonathan Carpenter is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda. After obtaining a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he started writing WWE articles in 2016. Jonathan believes integrity is vital in journalism and ensures his work is high on accuracy. He conducts in-depth research and verifies information from various sources before curating a feature.

Jonathan has engaged in many meaningful conversations with prominent pro wrestling personalities like Drew McIntyre and DDP. He grew up in Memphis, admiring Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during WWE’s Golden Era in the ‘80s. He has attended many pro wrestling events and credits The Hulkster for making his childhood memorable.

Jonathan, a big fan of Bray Wyatt, would like to see the latter's brother, Bo Dallas, continue his legacy as Uncle Howdy. If he were to work on the storyline, Jonathan would book the return of Erick Rowan as Howdy’s muscle. He thinks it would be a great way to honor the former Universal Champion.

When not writing pro wrestling features, Jonathan likes to collect sports memorabilia and has amassed a large collection of event-used and autographed relics over the years.

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Edited by Staff Editor