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WWE SmackDown was broadcast this week from the cradle of French Canada, the beautiful city of Montreal, Quebec. In that vein, this week's episode can only be described as fantastique.
So far, so good in WWE, as the company continues to distance itself from the fallout of the Vince McMahon scandal. As much as some people have tried to downplay his efforts, this is Triple H's baby now, and he has nurtured it accordingly.
This week's SmackDown continued to extend logical storylines and gave us some new and fresh moments to chew on. It was a solid all-around show, as Trips is starting to formulate a weekly pattern. It's been pretty effective over the last few weeks as the pendulum of WWE's fortunes continues to swing in the right direction.
Here are five things that stuck out in this week's exciting episode of WWE SmackDown.
#5 - Is this the return of Bad, Bad Ronda Rousey?
Ronda Rousey has been fighting the law as of late, but on Friday night the law won.
Rousey was out for one of her usual, 'look at how bad I am' promos when she eventually had to be taken out by WWE guy with some sort of authority position, Adam Pearce, and some police officers.
As great as Ronda was when she first debuted with the company, the bloom has been off the rose for awhile now. The anti-hero gimmick she is portraying right now is a nice fit for her, but it's going to take weeks to rehabilitate her image in the eyes of the WWE Universe.
Rousey has burned a lot of bridges in terms of the loyal fan base. Will this new attitude put her back in good graces with the audience? Or will it prove to be too little, too late?
#4 - Sami Zayn's storyline with The Bloodline just keeps on getting better
Sami was wicked over with his hometown crowd; they ERUPTED when he came out. He seemed to be feeding off their injury and was firing on all cylinders. He was clearly the fan's choice in his five-way match for a shot at the WWE Intercontinental title.
The backstory here, however, happened just prior to this contest. The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, welcomed Zayn into The Bloodline locker room, encouraging him to bring the championship "home" to the faction. Zayn gave him his word that he would.
Back to the match, and Sami Zayn looked like he was going to win the coveted shot, only to fall short to Sheamus.
#3 - Hit Row can save the rapping and just bring the wrestling
Is this really WWE's idea of hip hop? If so, then maybe they should just stop the music and just ring the bell. Hit Row's lame attempts to look 'gangsta' and dazzle the audience with their lyrical stylings fell flat.
The Montreal crowd looked half horrified/half disgusted by this whole presentation. Quite frankly? They had a right to be, as the segment took a lot of steam out of what was evolving into a terrific edition of SmackDown.
First off, the song and the backing track were just outright bad. The rapping was subpar and the crowd was completely confused. Their was even a light smattering of boos during their song, as the crowd grew more and more tired of it.
Not every group with 'street cred' has to come out rapping. Hit Row has a lot of talent, but they fell flat here. They should worry more about kicking their opponents than kicking out the jams.
#2 - The old Shayna Baszler is back, and she has the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship in sight
Baszler has been under-utilized in her time on the main roster, which is perplexing. She was a dominant, two-time NXT Women's Champion, but she's been very ineffective on either RAW or SmackDown.
Her time to shine looks like it may come at the upcoming premium live event. The WWE Universe is growing weary of Liv Morgan and her Cinderella storyline. The clock might strike midnight on her fairytale when she arrives in Cardiff. That's where Baszler will be hell bent to end her title reign.
The Queen of Spades is widely respected for not only her legitimate toughness, but how much she has been able to incorporate it into her sports entertainment persona. She should win the title at the upcoming, premium live event.
Shayna Baszler is running out of time to make a true splash in her career. She needs to win this huge match-up with Morgan. After that? A lengthy title run should follow.
#1 - Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre should be an explosive battle between two, true warriors
If there were ever any two guys who looked like they were called out of central casting to play a wrestler, it would be Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre. They both possess incredible size, power and agility.
Only a select few are gifted with the amazing attributes of these two WWE Superstars. This should be an intriguing match, with The Tribal Chief likely coming out of the event with both belts still intact.
Having said that? Their face-to-face confrontation and subsequent brawl saw Sami Zayn sacrifice himself and get blasted by one of Reigns' Superman Punches. This served multiple purposes, as it continued the Sami-Bloodline story while protecting McIntyre from any comeuppance until Clash at the Castle.
Even with homefield advantage, McIntyre likely won't defeat Reigns. This story, however, has been told well, and the juice is most definitely worth the squeeze. This should result in a classic confrontation between the pair.
What were your take aways from this week's Friday Night Smackdown? Give your thoughts in the comments section below.
