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From "The Eater of Worlds" Bray Wyatt confronting Braun Strowman to Matt Riddle's SmackDown debut against AJ Styles, this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
As a whole, SmackDown had some really good moments this week. Although it doesn't rank among the wildest Blue brand episodes in recent memory, the show had enough to get fans interested in what comes next.
I would also like to point out a rare occurrence in wrestling history, where both RAW and SmackDown lose steam around this time of the year, but thanks to a worldwide pandemic, WWE has tried to make their shows unusually creative under current restrictions.
Which show did you like better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (June 19, 2020).
#5: Cesaro & Sheamus attacked The New Day after frustrations of being overlooked on SmackDown
The New Day faced Lucha House Party on this week's edition of WWE SmackDown.
Sasha Banks and Bayley's stint on commentary elevated this bout more than its initial potential. It was amusing to see Corey Graves being overshadowed at his own game of heel commentary.
As expected, New Day picked up the victory, but they were met with an assault at the hands of Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura right after the bout.
Despite having defeated Kofi & Big E on the SmackDown episode before WWE Backlash, Cesaro & Sheamus didn't receive a title shot at the Pay-Per-View, and they weren't even booked for this week's episode of SmackDown.
After the assault, Cesaro made it clear that both of them were sick and tired of being overlooked on the Blue brand, and even though they are heels, it makes perfect sense for Cesaro & Nakamura to receive a shot at New Day's SmackDown Tag Team titles.
#4: Matt Riddle defeated AJ Styles in his SmackDown debut
This week's WWE SmackDown opened with an Intercontinental Championship celebration for AJ Styles.
As per The Phenomenal One's request, Daniel Bryan put the title around the champion's waist, but Styles overplayed his hand quickly, and before you knew it, his title reign was already under jeopardy.
Bryan brought up the point of how many WWE Superstars deserved an opportunity at facing Styles for the IC title, especially Drew Gulak, who had pinned The Phenomenal One recently.
Matt Riddle's appearance ignited The Phenomenal One's ego, and although the title wasn't on the line, Riddle defeated AJ Styles to kick-start this week's episode of WWE SmackDown.
Not only was this victory unexpected, but it looks like WWE already has big plans in store for The Original Bro's run on SmackDown on FOX.
At the same time, you don't want AJ Styles' title run to become complacent right now, because the Intercontinental Championship's prestige hasn't been the same in recent years, and The Phenomenal One's title victory seemed like a step in the right direction.
#3: Sonya Deville owned Mandy Rose on the microphone during a Miz TV segment
If it wasn't for Otis and Mandy Rose's wildly popular chemistry on WWE SmackDown, would Sonya Deville be the one getting all the attention after Fire & Desire broke up?
It is a question to think about, especially when you consider that Deville has overshadowed Mandy in most of their singles encounters on WWE so far.
On this week's WWE SmackDown, The Miz & John Morrison invited Mandy Rose to be a guest on Miz TV, and the conversation escalated back to how Mandy chose Otis over her long-term friendship with Sonya Deville.
Sonya interrupted this segment and owned The Golden Goddess on the microphone. Deville believes that she is superior to Mandy in every way, except when people talk about exterior looks, and that is why Deville's current mission is to destroy her former partner's exterior image in the most brutal ways.
A brawl broke out between the two, and Deville escaped the scene by using The Miz as a shield. Out of frustration, Mandy slapped The Miz and made her way backstage, which was a newsworthy way to end another good WWE segment between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.
#2: Nikki Cross attacked The Role Models as the Women's Locker Room debated on how to dethrone Bayley & Sasha Banks
I mentioned earlier how Bayley & Sasha Banks' chemistry as commentators was highlighted on this week's WWE SmackDown.
Initially, it felt a little out of place for The Role Models to be guest commentators in a match between The New Day and Lucha House Party. But this plot thread was merely a part of a bigger arc on WWE SmackDown.
Tamina, Alexa Bliss, Naomi, Lacey Evas, and Dana Brooke debated on how Sasha & Bayley's dominance has run for far too long. At the same time, Bliss wondered where Nikki Cross had wandered off to.
As The Role Models exited commentary, Cross attacked both Champions from behind. This chaos resulted in a singles match between Sasha Banks and Nikki Cross, where The Boss prevailed as the victor.
It will be interesting to see how Bayley and Sasha get dethroned from the top, eventually. Most female stars on WWE SmackDown have already had their chance against The Role Models, so it is obvious that Sasha Banks could be the one to betray her partner and steal her gold at the same time.
In the meantime, Nikki Cross may receive a minor push against either of the two role models on WWE SmackDown.
#1: Bray Wyatt brought back his old persona to dig deeper into his feud with Braun Strowman
People expected The Fiend to close out the chapter between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman on WWE SmackDown.
While that still may be the endgame to this feud, fans were in for a surprise when Wyatt revealed that the Eater of Worlds was back to destroy his own creation, Braun Strowman.
WWE played the right cards here. There is a lot of history between Strowman and Wyatt, and while their initial encounter in 2020 may not have fully delved into that past, Bray Wyatt has a chance to do that now.
It was also a smart decision to pull back on The Fiend's next appearance. Bray Wyatt's alter-ego is truly one of the best special attractions in WWE and holding off The Fiend's next appearance until a later date also leaves a lot of room for speculation.
One can only wonder what Bray Wyatt's creative genius could bring forth as The Eater of Worlds has been brought back from the dead for a specific reason.
