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From Sheamus making a return to Bray Wyatt targeting Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship, this week's edition of SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
The Blue brand put on a slightly better post-WrestleMania 36 show as compared to Monday Night RAW. SmackDown already moved on to the next chapter of several rivalries, while introducing new ones at the same time.
We also witnessed The Forgotten Sons making their main roster debut on last night's episode.
Which show did you like better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the 5 biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (April 10, 2020).
#5: Carmella & Dana Brooke got an impromptu title shot after Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross took down The Kabuki Warriors
In a WrestleMania 36 rematch, Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defended their Women's Tag Team Titles against The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka, Kairi Sane).
Asuka & Kairi Sane were the champions heading into The Showcase of Immortals, and their opponents earned a WrestleMania moment by winning the titles at the same event.
Alexa & Nikki were put to the test right away at the beginning of this week's SmackDown. The bout itself was good, but we all knew that the stakes weren't the same as their previous encounter. It was unlikely that Bliss & Cross were going to lose the Women's Tag Team Titles so soon.
After the match itself, the Champions encountered Carmella & Dana Brooke backstage. Bliss wasn't too sure about handing away title opportunities right away, but Nikki's excitement granted the challengers an impromptu title shot in the future.
Bliss & Cross are at the top of the mountain as far as the Women's Tag Team Division is concerned. The fact that two singles competitors got an impromptu title shot shows how WWE needs to build up formidable women's tag teams right away.
#4: Big E, Jey Uso, and The Miz will wrestle in a Triple Threat Match with the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at stake next week
The Miz & John Morrison appeared on last night's show with another edition of The Dirt Sheet.
Morrison was responsible for successfully defending the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 36. Both of them proceeded to list good news stories from the Showcase of Immortals, with cinematic events like Firefly Fun House and the Boneyard match also getting a special mention.
The Champions performed a rendition of “Hey Hey” in the center of the ring, and they were interrupted by The Usos and The New Day soon after.
Since one-half of all three teams participated in a Triple Threat Ladder Match for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania, it was only fair that the other half (Big E, Jey Uso, The Miz) would get a chance next week as well.
This was a good ploy to extend the current rivalry between all three teams since Heavy Machinery is involved in a different storyline with Dolph Ziggler, Mandy Rose, and Sonya Deville. After last night, The Forgotten Sons may be a good option for a future Tag Team feud with the title-holders.
#3: Bayley threw Sasha Banks under the bus against Tamina
Most of us were under the impression that Tamina's push was only a temporary booking decision on the Road to WrestleMania 36.
But even after the event has culminated, Tamina interrupted SmackDown's resident role models, Sasha Banks, and Bayley. Despite what happened at the Showcase of Immortals, Sasha Banks claimed that nobody would be able to understand their friendship, which is true since even after so many rough moments, both of them have managed to stick together.
Bayley offered Tamina a match against her under the condition that Tamina would defeat Sasha in next week's episode. Did Bayley just sacrifice her BFF for selfish reasons?
As good as Tamina is, the ultimate match will always be Sasha vs. Bayley. WWE has opted for a slow-burn route in this case, which works well because it will certainly be an explosive moment when their friendship breaks down eventually.
Sasha wasn't completely on-board when Bayley put her against Tamina as the Champion's only line of defense. Still, both of them manage to co-exist as friends for some unique reason.
#2: Sheamus returned after being excluded from WrestleMania 36
For some strange reason, WWE has no concrete plans for Sheamus at the moment.
The Baddest Fella' on the Planet teased his return through a series of short vignettes towards the end of last year. He returned in January to start a small rivalry against Shorty G.
It was rumored that Sheamus would face Daniel Bryan at the Showcase of Immortals, but that didn't pan out at all. In the end, Sheamus missed this year's WrestleMania altogether. Whether that was because of current restrictions or no creative plans is a different conversation altogether.
However, The Celtic Warrior would return on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 36 to defeat a relatively unknown Cal Bloom.
This is the best time to put Sheamus in a decent feud since there's no point in him wandering around the main roster without any concrete plans.
An Intercontinental title feud is up in the air since there are already big plans in store for Braun Strowman's Universal Title run at the moment. Either way, it would be great for Sheamus to have a good feud lined up as Money in the Bank looms in the distance.
#1: Bray Wyatt teased a feud with Braun Strowman after the main event
Braun Strowman kicked off SmackDown after defeating Goldberg for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 36. Shinsuke Nakamura would interrupt the current Universal Champion last night.
If you remember, Nakamura has bad blood with Strowman after the latter took his Intercontinental Title away in the past.
This altercation was settled in the main event, where Strowman defeated Nakamura despite Cesaro's presence near ringside. Strowman immediately faced another challenge after his victory though, as Bray Wyatt interrupted the proceedings from inside the Firefly Fun House.
After rewriting his "history" with John Cena, Wyatt set sights on reclaiming the title he lost against Goldberg.
This was a weird turn for a supernatural character who shouldn't be focused on titles at all.
The story for Strowman and Wyatt is already there and a feud between them was inevitable. However, under current circumstances, WWE has accelerated this encounter already.
The company shouldn't opt for 50/50 booking here, even though both men will suffer in their own way from losing in this case. Braun Strowman is a Champion via circumstance, and Bray Wyatt lost the title by circumstance as well.
So with Goldberg out of the way, it will be interesting to see who ends up as the Universal Champion in an ill-timed feud with lots of potential.
