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  • WWE SmackDown Flops and Hits: Finn Balor pulls off a Prince move, Roman Reigns refuses to face John Cena at SummerSlam 2021
WWE SmackDown was epic this week

WWE SmackDown Flops and Hits: Finn Balor pulls off a Prince move, Roman Reigns refuses to face John Cena at SummerSlam 2021

WWE SmackDown delivered yet another solid show this week that had only a couple of drawbacks. John Cena returned to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2021, but he was met with Paul Heyman’s cruel mockery instead. Other than that, we saw crucial developments in new feuds as the creative team turned their attention towards SummerSlam.

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In this article, we look at the flops and hits of WWE SmackDown this week.

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#1 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Finn Balor makes a huge statement

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Finn Balor stole the show on WWE SmackDown this week
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Finn Balor faced Sami Zayn in a brilliant match on WWE SmackDown this week. The two former NXT Champions were given a lot of time, and they both made full use of the same. From their in-ring maneuvers to their brief story-telling, everything was on point during this match. For a change, both Balor and Zayn were booked strongly, and it accounted for an entertaining match.

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Sami Zayn was equally dominant in most of the match, but Finn Balor eventually managed to take complete control over the match. Balor hit Zayn with multiple dropkicks into the corners before nailing a picturesque Coup de Grace to seal his victory. Throughout the match, The Prince’s subtle antics convinced us that he would continue his run as an anti-hero on WWE SmackDown.

However, this was not all for Balor this week. He returned in the show’s final moments and interrupted Roman Reigns’ segment. The Tribal Chief thought that Balor was there to “acknowledge him,” but The Prince had plans of his own. He decided to challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship to a loud pop on WWE SmackDown.

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Reigns’ initial hesitance led to the entire crowd chanting, “Roman’s scared.” This, of course, didn’t sit well with the Universal Champion, who then accepted Balor’s challenge. Thus, we now have a big title match ahead of us that will allow Finn Balor to fight for the title that he never lost.

Both Reigns and Balor were forced to relinquish the same title in the past, which could be the right motivation to build up a well-balanced feud on WWE SmackDown.

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Balor made a bold statement by going for Roman Reigns and his Universal Championship immediately after his return. He doesn’t need to turn into a complete babyface in this feud to keep the crowd in his favor. Balor’s current gimmick is perfect as it is, and he only needs a couple of opportunities to assert his dominance on the WWE SmackDown roster.

#2 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Roman Reigns is prepared

Roman Reigns is leading a decorated Bloodline in WWE
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The final match of this week's WWE SmackDown saw Jimmy Uso face Dominik in a singles encounter. It was an excellent in-ring bout except for the end, which was quite chaotic. Dominik slipped on the top of the turnbuckle, but Jimmy managed to hold him right in time and prevented an awkward fall.

A distraction and little help from Jey Uso led to Jimmy Uso pinning Dominik. The latter has delivered good performances in the past, and he is still learning. It would be harsh to criticize him for an unfortunate botch, and he will undoubtedly do better on WWE SmackDown.

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The Usos celebrated their win, and out came Roman Reigns. He walked into the ring and cut a brutal promo on John Cena. The Universal Champion pointed out how Cena is still saying the same things as he did back in the 2000s. Reigns stated that everything music, outfit, entrance, run to the ring, promo, and insults are the same, and thus, he is not interested in facing John Cena.

"It is the same thing, over and over and over and over. It's like missionary position every single night," said Roman Reigns.

We know that this match is now bound to happen. But before that, it was essential to see if Reigns' new and improved version is prepared to take on Cena, whose words can hit as hard as his blows. It is vital for Roman Reigns to look convincing as “The guy” on WWE SmackDown when he stands across from John Cena.

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His reaction to the “Roman’s scared” chants was accurate to his heel gimmick. Reigns will now engage in a title rivalry with Finn Balor, and he could draw major heat while feuding with a crowd favorite on WWE SmackDown.

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#3 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Seth Rollins remerges as a magnificent heel

Seth Rollins knows how to get under someone's skin
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Tonight, on WWE SmackDown, Seth Rollins finally got the feud that he needed ever since he lost his Universal Championship and turned heel in 2019. He has always been excellent at playing a villain. But until recently, Rollins was either forced into the same feud for too long or was limited to a handful of opponents. But things are going to be different now that he has started a feud with Edge.

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Rollins made his presence felt in the Money in the Bank main event when his interference cost the WWE legend his Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns. The Rated-R Superstar demanded a confrontation on WWE SmackDown tonight, and it brought out the heel Seth “Freakin” Rollins that we saw back in the early 2010s.

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He warned Edge that this time he wouldn’t hesitate from retiring him inside the ring. The Rated-R Superstar took offense and attacked Rollins.

We have a SummerSlam feud at hand that has the potential to go down as one of the best storylines in history. Rollins’ promo was incredible, and it just added to the anticipation surrounding his eventual feud with Roman Reigns.

#4 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Kevin Owens defends Baron Corbin

Kevin Owens is one of the most entertaining superstars in WWE
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Baron Corbin returned on WWE SmackDown to continue his redemption arc. He crossed paths with Kevin Owens backstage and apologized for his comments last week. Owens, who had responded with a Stunner then, decided to take a kinder route this week. He gave Corbin some cash, but the latter was about to take a much more painful hit.

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At the same time, Shotzi and Nox were trying to fix their tank when one of its parts flew and hit Corbin straight between his legs. He immediately fell to the ground, allowing The Dirty Dawgs an opportunity to steal all of Corbin’s money. Owens rushed back to the scene and used a steel chair to chase Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode away from the backstage area on WWE SmackDown.

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We often talk about how brilliant Owens is at playing a heel. However, his recent babyface run on WWE SmackDown proves that he is one of the most complete performers in pro wrestling today.

KO might work as a catalyst in Corbin’s supposed redemption, and they could team up to take on The Dirty Dawgs next week. Hopefully, we will see an engaging storyline involving Owens and Corbin over the next few weeks.

#5 Flop on WWE SmackDown: Bianca Belair defends her title in front of an undeserving crowd

Bianca Belair defended her WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
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Two matches from this week’s WWE SmackDown took place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, for the Rolling Loud rap festival. The idea behind the plan was good, but it did not bring good results. It would be unfair to expect a reaction from a crowd that evidently doesn’t care about the matches or even pro wrestling.

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We saw Bianca Belair successfully defend her WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship against Carmella once again. But the lack of cheers or applause made the entire thing seem quite redundant.

We also saw Angelo Dawkins take on Chad Gable in a singles match, but it also met the same reaction. At one point, the crowd just wanted to listen to Cardi B, and they can’t be blamed since they came for the music.

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It was the only inferior segment in an otherwise flawless episode of the Blue brand. Belair will now be looking for more challengers on WWE SmackDown, and she might feud with Toni Storm next, who made an impressive debut this week. She arrived on the Blue brand and defeated Zelina Vega on her first night.

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE

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Edited by
Kaushik Das
 
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