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#1 Daniel Bryan and Edge's WWE Universal title pursuits created some conflict between them
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Roman Reigns defeated Daniel Bryan at WWE Elimination Chamber, but their feud is far from over.
Bryan confronted Reigns at the beginning of this week's WWE SmackDown. The Yes Movement's leader highlighted how Reigns had manipulated the circumstances at Elimination Chamber. Since Bryan was fatigued after winning the Elimination Chamber match, he didn't have a lot of energy left to fight Reigns at the pay-per-view. As a result, Bryan asked for a proper Universal title rematch at Fastlane.
Bryan wouldn't get a title shot right away, as Jey Uso stepped up to face him in the main event. The stipulation was that Bryan had to defeat Uso in the main event to earn a title match against Reigns. Later backstage, it was implied that some shenanigans would occur. Bryan had to "win" against Uso to get a title shot, and a draw/tie technically wouldn't work in Bryan's favor.
This simplified Uso's job in the main event, as his clash against Bryan conveniently ended in a double count-out. Reigns and Uso brutalized Bryan after the main event was over.
Here are a few questions after the ending to this week's WWE SmackDown:
- How will Daniel Bryan manage to earn a title shot now?
- Why didn't Edge arrive to defend Bryan, even though the former was present backstage?
As far as the second question is concerned, it was hinted this week that there are traces of Edge's self-absorbed persona that still exists in 2021. When it was announced that Bryan could possibly enter the Universal title scene, Edge shouldn't have objected to it. However, The Rated-R Superstar felt insecure about this decision to a certain degree. Edge and Bryan even entered into a small conflict when the latter said he didn't believe that Edge could realistically dethrone Reigns from the top.
A lot of WWE fans disliked what happened after the main event. However, the aforementioned events could lead to Edge vs. Daniel Bryan at Fastlane.
After all, Bryan's direct line to a Universal title shot was cut-off by Uso and Reigns this week. To earn a title match against Reigns, he may have to challenge the current No. 1 contender, Edge, instead.
Do catch Rick Ucchino and Sid Pullar III (SP3) on 'Smack Talk' in the video linked above, as they share their thoughts on all that went down during last night's WWE SmackDown.
