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Apart from a couple of popular clips from the past and a slight change in production, this week's "throwback" edition of WWE SmackDown mostly focused on current storylines.
Old-school fans got somewhat baited into watching a show that just happened to include some good developments regarding the current product. As strange as it sounds, this strategy might be beneficial to some extent, as it gives casual fans a reason to follow the show these days.
Which show was better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Here are the five biggest news stories from WWE SmackDown (May 7, 2021).
#5 A returning Teddy Long set up a huge match for WWE WrestleMania Backlash
Teddy Long returned during the opening segment of this week's WWE SmackDown. Unsurprisingly, no one went one-on-one against The Undertaker in his presence.
The show kicked off with Jimmy Uso's return. Roman Reigns welcomed back his cousin, hoping to strengthen his tribe on the blue brand.
Reigns presented Jimmy as a "replacement" for Daniel Bryan after The Yes Movement's leader got banished from SmackDown last week. As a result, Cesaro entered the frame and took offense to such a comparison.
This scenario soon turned into a brawl between Seth Rollins and Cesaro before their scheduled match even took place. To spice up an already volatile situation, Teddy Long returned during the segment and made a major decision — if Cesaro defeated Rollins, he would get to challenge Reigns at WWE WrestleMania Backlash.
Cesaro eventually defeated his WrestleMania rival, but the sequences leading up to this result created a significant plot thread for the future.
Jey Uso was present near ringside with his returning brother, Jimmy, to make sure that Rollins would win. But Rollins didn't want Jey's assistance. He expressed the same by shoving Jey Uso to the ground.
This led to Jimmy retaliating against Rollins with a superkick, which allowed Cesaro to capitalize on the opportunity and win the match.
Although Jimmy only meant to look out for his brother, he indirectly spoiled Roman Reigns' plans.
After all, Rollins' victory was supposed to keep Cesaro away from the world title picture. But after Cesaro successfully overcame that obstacle, an inner conflict between Reigns and his cousins became the main focus for the rest of the show.
#4 Reginald displayed his acrobatic skills during an intergender WWE match against Tamina
From an entire storyline based on slipping for laughs to Reginald's shenanigans, Tamina and Nia Jax's WWE Women's Tag Team Championship reign has taken a strange turn in recent memory.
Tamina has been on a winning streak after WrestleMania 37. She got the chance to wrestle Jax's on-screen love interest, Reginald, this week.
As expected, there wasn't a lot of action involved between Reginald and Tamina, but the sommelier's acrobatic display to escape Tamina's wrath resulted in some entertaining sequences.
Tamina only won via disqualification thanks to Baszler's interference. The champions even launched a post-match assault on Natalya and Tamina to showcase their dominance as a unit.
However, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will defend their titles against Tamina and Natalya next week.
Jax and Baszler's reign could legitimately end on the next episode of WWE SmackDown. Otherwise, what would have been the point of extending their rivalry with Tamina and Natalya after WrestleMania?
The challengers have recently received strong pushes, so the investment in their creative direction must pay off in the form of championship gold soon.
#3 Dominik Mysterio picked up an upset victory on WWE SmackDown
WWE has only scratched the surface of Rey and Dominik Mysterio's potential as a tag team. During this week's "throwback" edition of WWE SmackDown, Rey Mysterio was scheduled to wrestle Dolph Ziggler in singles action.
However, Ziggler lived up to his heel persona and baited Dominik, the less experienced star, into fighting him instead. Although Dominik fell for the bait, Ziggler underestimated him at the same time.
Ziggler became the victim of his own strategy as Dominik rolled him up to earn a quick victory. For an episode advertised around throwbacks, it's intriguing how an originally scheduled matchup between two veterans turned into a clash that benefited a young talent instead.
At WWE WrestleMania Backlash, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode will put their SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the line against Rey and Dominik Mysterio.
As talented as The Dirty Dawgs are, the father-son angle between Rey and Dominik has more newsworthy potential in comparison. So at some point down the line, the titles will likely change hands between these two teams.
#2 Bayley viciously assaulted Bianca Belair during a brawl on WWE SmackDown
In a WWE SmackDown episode advertised around callbacks from the past, Bayley compared herself to some of the greatest women's champions of all time.
The focus soon turned towards Bianca Belair's WWE SmackDown Women's Championship reign, which Bayley aims to end at WrestleMania Backlash.
The two rivals engaged in verbal attacks, which eventually led to a physical brawl. Bayley capitalized on the advantage by targeting Belair's earring, as she made a vicious statement against her WrestleMania Backlash opponent.
It's quite unlikely that Bianca Belair's current title reign will end so soon. Bayley's role here seemingly revolves around elevating Belair by portraying an effective antagonist.
The two women have great chemistry with each other, so their one-on-one encounter has a high chance of being an exhilarating ride.
Also during this week's WWE SmackDown, Carmella was booked to defeat Ruby Riott in what seemed like a random exhibition match. Could Carmella be next in line to challenge Belair after the upcoming WrestleMania Backlash event?
#1 Will Jimmy Uso acknowledge Roman Reigns as The Tribal Chief in WWE?
The Samoan family conflict between Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, and Jey Uso ended this week's WWE SmackDown.
Throughout the night, WWE built a narrative that Jimmy wanted his brother, Jey Uso, to free himself from Reigns' shackles. Meanwhile, Reigns expressed his wish to bring Jimmy into the fold, but only if the latter acknowledged him as The Tribal Chief.
During the final segment of the night, the intense history between all three men from last year's WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view was recapped. Despite Jey's attempts to convince his brother to "fall in line," the returning Uso twin just couldn't sell his soul to Reigns.
The Samoan family drama prompted Cesaro to capitalize on the opening and attack Roman Reigns. As Jey entered the ring to defend The Tribal Chief's honor, Jimmy reluctantly followed.
The performers involved in this scenario did an excellent job of portraying their own conflicts in the grander scheme of things. Cesaro eventually took down all three men to expose the cracks in Reigns' regime.
Regardless of whether or not Jimmy Uso falls in line, it would be interesting if he has to potentially fight his twin brother in the future to explore the inner turmoil that exists between them.
Jey Uso wants Roman Reigns and his brother to co-exist, but that can't happen as long as Jimmy wishes to dissociate the Uso clan from Reigns' command. The two brothers wouldn't wrestle each other out of hatred, but they may have to do so to change their different perspectives regarding Roman Reigns.
Now that would be a fine example of multi-layered storytelling in the long run.
Do catch the latest edition of 'Smack Talk' in the video linked above, as the legendary Dutch Mantell joins Rick Ucchino and Jeremy Bennett to recap this week's WWE SmackDown.
