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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown after WrestleMania Backlash. It was another incredible episode to begin the road to Hell in a Cell, and it was filled with storyline progression, interesting feuds, and concluded with a great Fatal Four-Way match which also had a big twist at the end.
Let's jump right into this week's episode of SmackDown and look at the things that were teased, hinted at, or indicated:
#5 A big change in the Hell in a Cell direction on SmackDown?
Roman Reigns came out in a tracksuit, and with every passing week on SmackDown, he does more to make himself dislikable. It speaks volumes about how good he is, and with crowds returning in less than two months, Reigns needs to continue to maintain his "heel game" before the fans inevitably cheers for him.
It's still a some time away. We incorrectly assumed that the Hell in a Cell main event was going to be similar to 2020, with Roman Reigns brutalizing his cousin. This time, it was supposed to be another Uso and not Jey.
The Jimmy Uso storyline continues, but we'll get back to that. Cesaro interfered with a promo where Paul Heyman was continuously buttering up Roman Reigns.
It's interesting because we didn't necessarily see this side of Paul Heyman when he was on RAW with Brock Lesnar. But nine months into this alliance, it continues to be fresh and unique.
Cesaro was the one who interrupted Roman Reigns and asked for a rematch at Hell in a Cell before he was predictably attacked from behind by a psychotic Seth Rollins on SmackDown.
It ultimately led to him getting stretchered out, and Seth Rollins seemed to be in a state of frenzy, unsure as to why he brutalized the Swiss star. This was a clear indicator that Roman Reigns vs Cesaro vs Seth Rollins might be the direction for the Hell in a Cell main event.
If so, we're slightly surprised that WWE is making Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins cross paths this early into the latter's run on SmackDown.
#4 The Mysterios could be in for a rude awakening once crowds return to SmackDown
Rey and Dominik Mysterio were on top of the world on SmackDown this week, as they walked in together for the first time as the Tag Team Champions. The history-making father-son duo came out on the blue brand to much fanfare, only for the former Champions Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to berate them.
Roode insisted that Dominik didn't belong there and that's what he was set to prove in a singles match. However, since the Mysterios were fresh off their SmackDown Tag Team Title win, it wasn't going to be a showcase for the veteran.
Instead, Dominik Mysterio defeated Robert Roode in a short but effective bout on SmackDown. With the live crowds returning, there could yet be a big twist. The Mysterios could drop the SmackDown Tag Team Titles prematurely to Roode and Ziggler, only to set up their next big victory in front of the live crowd.
Dominik Mysterio is yet to have his moment in front of the crowd, and this could be the way to do it.
#3 Shinsuke Nakamura vs King Corbin escalates on SmackDown, but what does it mean?
King Corbin was an unhappy man when came out on SmackDown. Last week, Shinsuke Nakamura stole his crown and put it on himself. While he isn't officially King Nakamura yet, we expect him to be soon.
What was interesting this week on SmackDown was the debut of Rik Bugez. He's been in NXT and has been on a WWE contract for a while, but this seemed to be a formal main roster debut.
He introduced the "true" King of SmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura, and put on a great rendition of his theme song via his electric guitar.
Either way, it was cool enough to make Pat McAfee and Michael Cole jam on the commentary table and play air guitar while they were on duty. Nakamura and Corbin had a good match on SmackDown, with a bit of an underwhelming finish.
A gimmick change seems to be in order, and we wonder why WWE always presents Nakamura as slightly inferior to Corbin. Even this week on SmackDown, Nakamura's win was a lucky roll-up.
#2 The Usos' reunion on SmackDown and a possible twist
Jimmy Uso still didn't reconcile with Roman Reigns on SmackDown. When Reigns came out in the previously-mentioned segment, it was his cousin who he was expecting and not Cesaro.
Instead, Jimmy Uso's priority was to reunite with his brother and get back in the SmackDown Tag Team division, which has missed their presence badly. He went to talk to Sonya Deville and got a match booked against former RAW and SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The Street Profits.
However, Jey Uso wasn't happy. He said that he "owed" it to Roman Reigns to tell him, and when he did, something interesting happened.
Roman Reigns didn't acknowledge Jey Uso referring to himself and his brother as "we". Instead, for him, it referred to Jey's alliance with The Tribal Chief.
Reigns whispered something into Jey Uso's ear, which could directly impact what happens next week on SmackDown. Jimmy Uso could be outnumbered when he faces off against The Street Profits with his brother abandoning him upon Roman Reigns' orders. It could lead to a further rift in the family and an interesting storyline build.
#1 Aleister Black's return to SmackDown and what's next for him
The Intercontinental Title Match headlined SmackDown, and it is fae to say it was an instant classic. As we've said many times before, WWE rarely goes wrong with Fatal Four-Ways, for some reason.
Perhaps it's the explosive nature of the match that always makes it exciting, but on SmackDown this week, having four elite competitors helped.
For the first time in a while, the Intercontinental Championship felt important, and it was all perfect except a finish that added some controversy.
A veil of mist showed up on the ramp and Aleister Black finally made his return to WWE after more than half a year away. For reasons unknown, his first target was Big E - who he hit with a Black Mass.
This allowed Apollo Crews to drop down and pin Big E to successfully retain the Intercontinental Championship. It was an incredible match, and perhaps the only negative of it was the fact that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn didn't seem important in the big picture. But we're interested to see Aleister Black vs Big E at Hell in a Cell 2021.
