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WWE SmackDown’s go-home show before Hell in a Cell 2021 was quite an interesting one. Two new matches from the blue brand were added to the upcoming pay-per-view card. As confirmed by WWE, Kevin Owens will face Sami Zayn, and Cesaro will face Seth Rollins on Sunday night. The show was solid from start to finish, but a few superstars impressed us more than others.
In this article, we will take a look at the top five performers on WWE SmackDown. So, without further ado, let's begin.
#5 & #4 Kevin Owens and Big E (Tag Team match on WWE SmackDown)
This week, Kevin Owens and Big E teamed up to take on Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez. The match also marked Azeez’s in-ring debut, and he even managed to pin KO for the win. Despite losing their match, Kevin Owens and Big E looked impressive inside the ring. They worked brilliantly as a tag team, teasing a potential alliance on WWE SmackDown down the line.
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Ahead of the match, Owens praised Big E, but the latter was hesitant on returning the favor. Instead, he recalled the time when Owens betrayed The New Day before assuring everyone that they could work together. Their chemistry was entertaining to watch, and it helped them compete as an efficient tag team. They also picked their moments to hilariously mock their opponents throughout this match on WWE SmackDown.
Both KO and Big E worked in complete sync, playing on each other’s strengths. Although they enjoyed dominant spells throughout the match, Sami Zayn’s interference led to Owens taking the pinfall. Both Superstars have been feuding on WWE SmackDown for a long time. Hence, Zayn was willing to make things extremely difficult for his former best friend.
Big E and Kevin Owens came across as entertaining babyfaces. They should be involved in more rivalries with other heels on the blue brand. Both have tried to dethrone Crews as the Intercontinental Champion, and both have failed. There are several other challenges on WWE SmackDown for them to explore. Hopefully, one of those will eventually help push them into the Universal Championship picture.
As for Crews and Azeez, they also worked well as a tag team. The latter’s debut performance was decent. His Nigerian Nail, out of nowhere, helped him in taking Kevin Owens out of the equation. Azeez picked up a big win on WWE SmackDown by pinning the former Universal Champion. It is now time for him to add more credibility to his gimmick by competing inside the squared circle more often. This match did well in focusing on five superstars and their respective issues simultaneously in order to put forth an engaging narrative.
#3 Shinsuke Nakamura (won the crown on WWE SmackDown)
This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown featured a "battle for the crown" between Shinsuke Nakamura and Baron Corbin. After weeks of altercations, Nakamura and Corbin locked horns in an impressive match to determine the real ‘king’ of the show. The match ended with a Nakamura victory, and the King of Strong Style happily wore the crown.
The match was well-balanced between the two superstars as they took turns showcasing their dominance. However, Nakamura looked more confident inside the ring and was unbelievably aggressive in his attacks. He also took time to celebrate with Rick Boogs at ringside after successfully gaining the upper hand in his match on WWE SmackDown.
Corbin also made for a good opponent. He looked strong in his offense and was equally good with his counters. He dodged Kinshasa on a couple of occasions, but Nakamura eventually sealed the victory with his finisher in the end.
After losing the match, Corbin was left in tears while Nakamura hailed himself as royalty. This was an impressive way to involve both superstars in a feud, and it will be exciting to see if the storyline will continue to progress on WWE SmackDown.
#2 Rey Mysterio (competed in his first-ever Hell in a Cell match on WWE SmackDown)
The main event of WWE SmackDown saw Rey Mysterio step inside the ring for his first-ever Hell in a Cell match. The masked legend challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship after the Tribal Chief mercilessly brutalized Dominik Mysterio a couple of weeks ago. Rey Mysterio stepped inside the ring as a father, and he fought like a hero.
He figured early in the match that a huge difference in size would be his biggest disadvantage. So Rey Mysterio resorted to creative attacks right from the start. He used steel chairs to keep Reigns from fighting back for most of the match. Rey was swift with his movement, taking the Champion by surprise and delaying his reactions.
Despite dominating in the first half of the match, Rey Mysterio couldn’t capitalize at the right moment. From slamming Reigns into the cage to ruthlessly hitting him in the back with multiple chair shots, he did everything to keep his opponent down. However, Reigns fought back and eventually defeated Mysterio to retain his title on WWE SmackDown.
Rey took a lot of punishment, but he worked brilliantly to put Reigns over throughout this match. Even after winning, Reigns attacked Rey Mysterio for making a bold statement. Between this and an expected title feud with The Usos, it appears that Rey and Dominik Mysterio have a promising storyline awaiting them on WWE SmackDown.
#1 Roman Reigns (defended his Universal Championship in historic WWE SmackDown main event)
WWE SmackDown featured a Hell in a Cell match for the first time in history. The main event saw Roman Reigns successfully defend his Universal Championship against Rey Mysterio. In the process, he also picked up his fourth victory inside the hellacious structure and extended his undefeated record in Hell in a Cell matches.
Reigns was excellent throughout the title match on WWE SmackDown. At first, he struggled to fight against Rey Mysterio’s ridiculously fast-paced attacks. However, the Tribal Chief eventually found his opening and turned the match in his favor. He swung Rey Mysterio around the cage and slammed him into the steel mesh more times than we could count.
Reigns lifted Rey Mysterio over his shoulders in the match's closing moments and launched him into the cell wall. He then locked his opponent in an inverted Guillotine, and the latter almost immediately tapped out. Although the match was shorter than average for a Hell in a Cell meeting, it was brutal in nature and entertained the WWE SmackDown viewers.
After the match, Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman joined Reigns inside the ring. The Universal Champion was concerned that his right-hand man, Jey Uso, was missing. Reigns’ attack on Rey Mysterio could lead to an extended feud between the two superstars on WWE SmackDown. This will keep the Tribal Chief occupied until his rumored SummerSlam feud with John Cena.
Honorable mention: Sami Zayn (guest commentator on WWE SmackDown)
There are very few Superstars on WWE SmackDown that can steal the show without stepping inside the ring. Sami Zayn is undoubtedly one of them. This week, he appeared as a special guest commentator during the opening match of the show in which Kevin Owens and Big E teamed up to take on Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez.
Throughout the match, Zayn insisted that Owens deserves every bit of punishment for abandoning his friend. He took hilarious digs at everyone except Past McAfee and helped in drawing attention towards each of the five superstars throughout the match. His responses were witty, and he made the entire match more entertaining on WWE SmackDown.
In the end, Zayn distracted Owens, leading to Captain Azeez taking advantage of the situation. He pinned KO for the win while Zayn’s laughter echoed in the ThunderDome. A frustrated Owens then went backstage after his loss and demanded a match against Zayn.
As a result, the two WWE SmackDown superstars are now set to lock horns at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, and we are looking forward to a memorable match between them.
Vince Russo answers who killed WCW HERE
