Otis Dominates, Daniel Bryan's IC Title Destiny, More WWE SmackDown Fallout

If you did not know Otis was in store for a massive push coming off his victory at Money in the Bank in the namesake match, you sure as hell did after Friday's edition of WWE SmackDown.

The big man dominated the airwaves, showing WWE Creative has opted to go all-in on the charismatic heavyweight.

But is too much of a good thing bad?

That is the question facing WWE fans and management in the wake of Otis' monumental victory at the company's most recent pay-per-view extravaganza.

Otis' increased screen time was hardly the only topic that left fans buzzing in the wake of Friday's show.

Daniel Bryan's return to the Intercontinental Championship picture, Charlotte Flair stirring the pot and AJ Styles' curious injection in the IC title tournament all had fans talking.

Find out why with this recap of Friday's episode of SmackDown.

If there were any doubt regarding a potential mega-push for Otis now that he possesses the Money in the Bank briefcase, it was erased Friday night on the Fox network. The charismatic big man of Heavy Machinery dominated screen time.

From the show-opening Miz TV segment to the backstage vignettes in which he sought a tag team partner, all the way through to the main event match that saw him partner with universal champion Braun Strowman to defeat The Miz and John Morrison, the fan favorite was all over the broadcast as his massive push got underway.

The exposure was likely to be expected given the fact that management trusts Otis and the connection he has with the audience enough to give him the briefcase, but it did feel a bit like overkill as he continued to chew up screen time.

WWE must be careful with the handling of its young new star. Too much screen time, or the slightest hint of overexposure, will turn audiences against him and hurt any chance he has of every being the megastar CEO Vince McMahon clearly feels he could become.

Shoving John Cena down the fans' throats did not work. Nor did it work for Roman Reigns. Doing the same with a character lacking the seriousness either of them possessed would almost certainly render Otis' push dead on arrival.

Hopefully WWE understands the gravity of the situation with Otis because Friday's show suggested it does not.

Daniel Bryan captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 31, winning a ladder match to claim the gold. Shortly thereafter, he relinquished the title upon finding out he would have to retire from active competition because of a neck injury.

History tells us Bryan returned from the sidelines in 2018, but he never received another shot at the IC title he never officially lost, a fact he brought up just moments after beating good friend Drew Gulak in the quarterfinals of the Intercontinental Championship Tournament.

Bryan recalled the IC title was pried from him, as well as stated his desire to prove he is the finest wrestler in the industry. He will prove it in the tournament, he warned. He will meet the winner of Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy in the semifinals.

The five-time world champion's win and interview brought gravitas to the situation and enhanced the significance of the tournament. It gives us a story to track and a series of high-stakes matches. You cannot possibly find fault with that given how much of the blue brand has felt inconsequential of late.

Best of all, at least for the sake of the championship involved, Bryan chasing it elevates it exponentially and makes it a coveted piece of hardware rather than the plot device it has become in recent years.  

For weeks, fans have watched Sasha Banks grow increasingly discontent with Bayley's attitude and some of her decisions, such as volunteering her for in-ring action. That continued Friday when NXT women's champion Charlotte Flair made her triumphant return to the SmackDown to confront the blue brand's women's champion.

However, it was her interaction with Banks that made the segment worthwhile.

If you guessed a confrontation between Bayley and Flair would lead to a match between the two on next week's show, you were right, but that's mostly because WWE's booking is so transparent. That was the easy call. What worked about The Queen's interaction with Bayley and Banks on Friday was Flair calling out The Boss for being Bayley's lackey.

Flair questioned how long Banks would sit back and let Bayley dictate her career and, naturally, the self-proclaimed Role Model jumped in and attempted to cut off Flair.

But we saw in Banks' demeanor and her facial expressions just how hard some of the NXT champion's words hit.

Flair was the right choice for the role of convincing Banks to turn on Bayley. Not only is she cunning and manipulative, but she has also had so many in-ring wars with The Boss that she knows how good she is and how deserving she is of breaking free from her situation and challenging Bayley for the title.

Does this mean a Banks-Bayley break-up is imminent? With SummerSlam not set to take place until August, it feels like it is still too early to pull the proverbial trigger on that particular angle. But look for Banks to grow increasingly frustrated with her utilization and maybe even strike back at Bayley for it as a showdown between those two draws nearer and nearer.

The bracket for the Intercontinental Championship Tournament were announced Friday night, and it looks like this:

• Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak (Winner: Bryan)
• Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus
• Elias vs. King Corbin (Winner: Elias)
• AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Of most interest is Styles coming over from Raw as part of the new convoluted talent exchange between brands.

While there is no doubt that Styles will provide a level of star power and ring work that will help the overall quality of the tournament, one cannot help but wonder why WWE would leave out a guy like Cesaro, who has proved time and time again that he is arguably the best pure professional wrestler on the planet.

Left out of the tournament, he would have been the most logical choice to battle Shinsuke Nakamura, with whom he has been an on-screen tag team partner for the better part of the past eight months. Much like Bryan and Gulak elsewhere in the first round, they could have had a gentlemen's match, with the winner advancing to face Elias.

Instead, the great Cesaro again finds himself on the outside looking in at a tournament he easily could elevate based on his in-ring performance alone. Instead, the opportunity goes to a Styles, who is far and away the favorite to win the thing and capture one of the few titles that has eluded him in his career.

All at the expense of a Swiss Cyborg in need of that one defining win to finally put him over the top as a potential headline talent.