Chad Gable Continues to Look Like One of WWE SmackDown's Brightest Stars

Even on a ho-hum edition of WWE SmackDown, Chad Gable stood out. 

The 2012 Olympian has consistently been a bright spot for the blue brand. With each rousing in-ring performance, Gable has looked like someone who belongs on the marquee. After his run as Shelton Benjamin's tag team partner is over, he's poised to be a top-flight singles star.

Ahead of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, the 31-year-old took on Jey Uso on Tuesday night in a preview of their 2-out-of-3 Falls SmackDown Tag Team Championship match.

Even on a card that saw AJ Styles wrestle twice and Shinsuke Nakamura edge closer to his best, Gable and Jey produced the best bout of the night. Their chemistry popped on-screen. The action was quick, smooth and bursting with energy.

That's nothing new for Gable.

Whether it's in tag action or one-on-one collisions, the Northern Michigan University alum has been a joy to watch. He is consistently stellar, be it against Styles, Rusev or The Usos. Each suplex is a work of art. His technical skill makes one flash back to Kurt Angle's heyday. 

Daily DDT, like many fans, had to marvel at his work:

Being a wizard on the mat isn't the only piece of the WWE Superstar puzzle, though. The vocal part of the game is key.

To this point, Gable has shown promise there, but he is far from an elite talker. He has a good amount of personality. He's solidly funny. When he teamed with Jason Jordan, he was always a step ahead of his partner in that department.

The former SmackDown tag champ needs to grow as a promo guy, though.

WWE hasn't exactly helped that process along. In a recent segment where Gable and Benjamin griped about how a title match went down, the Olympian did his best. He didn't have great material to work with, however.

Like too many of today's Superstars, he finds himself bogged down by inorganic dialogue and an underdeveloped persona.

Should Gable follow Rusev's path and hook fans regardless of what script he is handed, he's bound for big things. His ring work is among the best on the roster today. He's a likable spark plug who is still in his early 30s.

WWE doesn't have a long history of 5'8" guys climbing to the highest rungs, but it would be foolish to bet against Gable being the outlier.