5 Biggest news stories from WWE SmackDown (March 20, 2020)

From Paige pitting Sasha Banks and Bayley against each other ahead of WrestleMania 36 to Roman Reigns and Goldberg's contract signing segment at the end of the show, this week's edition of SmackDown featured several contrasting moments.

The Blue brand put on a decent empty Performance Centre show amidst the coronavirus outbreak this week. They did play a full replay of John Cena and Bray Wyatt's WrestleMania 30 match last night, but at least it didn't take up too much time as compared to a Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber Match replay.

This allotted more TV Time for some undercard feuds on the Road to WrestleMania 36.

Here are the 5 biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (March 20, 2020).

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#5: Rob Gronkowski appeared to kick off the episode in a conflicting manner

As Triple H emphasized last week, a huge aspect of these empty Performance Centre shows is all about entertaining the fans during a time where people are genuinely scared because of a global health emergency.

Triple H's entertaining shenanigans made SmackDown more entertaining last time.

So it would be fair to assume that Mojo Rawley and Rob Gronkowski had to recapture the same effect on this week's episode.

Before introducing Gronk, Michael Cole made it sound like WWE split WrestleMania into two nights because it was simply "too big" this year, which is not a good move when we all know the real reason why WWE has relegated their schedule into a smaller venue.

Gronk's enthusiasm pushed the segment forward, but King Corbin interrupted the party. Elias came out to play a song against Corbin. Before you know it, the trio gained a physical advantage against Corbin, as Gronk advocated for a future match between Elias and King Corbin.

Gronk and Rawley's cartoonish energy was one of the better aspects of this segment, but sending a mixed message about the real reason behind why WrestleMania 36 got split into two nights wasn't the best move on WWE's part.

#4: Sami Zayn may defend his Intercontinental Title against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania if Drew Gulak defeats Shinsuke Nakamura next week

The first match of the night saw Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak facing Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura in Tag Team action.

Sami Zayn joined commentary and put over Nakamura and Cesaro as individuals who are capable of a lot more than what meets the eye. Cesaro is known for his in-ring strength and technique, whereas Nakamura's flamboyant presentation is a huge part of his schtick in 2020.

But Zayn put them over as much more than that, even if the Intercontinental Champion's excessive passion for Nakamura and Cesaro's skills can get a little overwhelming.

Bryan and Gulak battled through a competitive bout, and they picked up the victory when the team used a sunset flip pin combo against The Swiss Cyborg.

But it was after the bout, where Zayn and his goons confronted Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak backstage.

The trio put down Gulak as a mediocre performer compared to themselves, and Zayn agreed to put his title on the line if a "mediocre" performer like Gulak could defeat Nakamura in a singles match next week.

#3: Paige announced a twist by pitting Bayley against Sasha Banks in a Six-Pack Elimination Match at WrestleMania 36

Paige failed to make an appearance due to travel issues on last week's edition of SmackDown.

With the coronavirus outbreak in mind, Paige joined viewers via a Skype interview with Michael Cole this week. But Sasha Banks and Bayley interrupted Paige right away.

They pointed out how it was unacceptable that Paige failed to appear at the Performance Centre for two weeks straight. Sasha ad Bayley also mocked Paige's retirement at the same time.

Paige revealed that she spoke to her friends at FOX, who allowed her to announce Bayley's competition at WrestleMania this year. Bayley will defend her SmackDown Women's Title against Lacey Evans, Dana Brooke, Tamina Snuka, Naomi, and Sasha Banks in a Six-Pack Challenge at the big event.

People had speculated that Sasha may turn on Bayley during the Road to WrestleMania 36, or Paige's big announcement was that she was facing the champion in a return match at the Grandest Stage of them All.

WWE ended up opting for a slightly different scenario of the former option. A Six-Pack Challenge would have been meaningless, but Sasha's inclusion adds more to the story of a multi-woman match at WrestleMania.

#2: Dolph Ziggler baited Otis with photos that captured Ziggler's relationship with Mandy Rose

The Miz & John Morrison kicked off The Dirt Sheet by showing pre-taped footage of them impersonating rival teams in amusing fashion.

The New Day, Heavy Machinery and The Usos were parodied at the hands of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions this week.

This led to a match between Heavy Machinery and the champions, where Miz & Morrison won via disqualification after facing Otis Dozovic's rage, thanks to Dolph Ziggler.

Otis feeds off the energy of the fans, so it took a while to get into this segment as a whole. Ziggler's interruption pushed matters into high gear when he baited Otis via pictures of The ShowOff and Mandy Rose together.

Eventually, Otis snapped and went ballistic against Miz, Morrison & Ziggler.

A showdown between Otis and Ziggler is imminent at this stage. What made this segment even better is when Tucker calmed Otis down as a responsible, best friend.

Otis is one of the most rootable characters in WWE today, so it was impossible not to feel bad for him this week.

#1: Goldberg and Roman Reigns had a faceoff to end the episode

Contract signing segments usually transition into a brawl, as we have witnessed countless times before.

But that was not the case this week, as both Roman Reigns and Goldberg exchanged a few verbal jabs before ending the episode with a face-to-face confrontation.

In a way, it worked in making this feud look like a combat sports showdown between two warriors. But that effect would have been amplified in front of a packed arena.

Reigns took an online jab at Goldberg way back in January, and that issue was surfaced during last night's episode.

Roman Reigns wants to replace a part-timer who won the Universal Title without earning his opportunity. But how does Goldberg bragging about headbutting doors all across the world make any sense?

Slamming his head against a door is what contributed to a disastrous match against The Undertaker last year. So it certainly won't improve his chances against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.

Reigns got the better of Goldberg in terms of verbal jabs this week. It will be interesting to see who ends up being more dominant in a physical brawl on the Road to WrestleMania 36.