Last week's WWE Smackdown match between Aleister Black and R-Truth promised to be an important match between two stars being featured on TV and after weeks of being built up. However, the match lasted a mere 90 seconds, puzzling many, and there appears to be a good reason why it was so short.
PWInsider.com reports that while the finish of the match went as planned, the length of the match was drastically cut short due to the previous segment - involving Jelly Roll and Logan Paul - going much longer than anticipated. As a result, Truth vs. Black had a good chunk of what was planned "bell-to-bell" cut and the lion's share of ring-time was lost.
According to the story, one WWE source described it as a "necessary evil" but noted that the short match shouldn't be seen as a negative on either wrestler. The source added that had the match runs it full course as planned, there would have been far more elements to the bout rather than the quick, one-sided affair that was witnessed.
The short match reportedly surprised a lot of people in the back given the way that Truth had been pushed in the weeks since his return as well as Black's ascension on Smackdown since he re-signed with WWE after leaving AEW. Both wrestlers are expected to see continued creative investment in their characters moving forward.
