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SmackDown Live is no longer The B show.
That's right! After years and years of being called WWE's B show by fans, the company delivered arguably one of their best episodes of the show in recent memory. In fact, between opening the show with a parking lot brawl, to Kevin Owens delivering a stunner on Shane McMahon, WWE have seemingly struck gold here!
Beyond that, WWE also brought several stars back to television this week and also did some very interesting storytelling.
If nothing else, this what WWE is capable of when running on all cylinders and it's only going to get better! It might be the start of a new era for the company and may open the doors to all kinds of new storytelling.
With that being said and one of the greatest episodes of SmackDown Live finally in the book, here are five major improvements WWE made to the Blue Brand this week.
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us what grade you would give SmackDown Live this week.
#5 Blurring reality
It's the little things that matter.
That was more than proven this Tuesday Night on SmackDown Live when Kevin Owens's microphone was cut during the opening segment of the show. He even continued his rant, which was an interesting touch that blurred the lines between fiction and reality.
In fact, between Owens' listing all the talents that didn't get air time, to Shane McMahon cutting off his microphone again, WWE has captured the feelings of The WWE Universe and are now using Owens as a mouthpiece.
Interestingly enough, its really getting fans behind Kevin Owens and could be very good for his career.
#4 The main event
WWE has received a lot of criticism over their product as of late and a lot of it had to do with the formulaic openings and closings they would do.
Fortunately for The WWE UnIverse, all that changed Tuesday night on SmackDown Live when the blue brand put one of the best main events of the year!
It was Dolph Ziggler versus Roman Reigns with Shane McMahon, Drew McIntyre, and Elias at ringside to watch. From the cheap shots taken on Reigns throughout the match, to Kevin Owen's stunner on Shane McMahon, WWE delivered the goods during this match.
Where WWE goes from here remains to be seen, but it was a huge step forward for the company. It also shows what WWE is really capable of delivering and the fans would be wanting for more of the same going ahead as well.
#3 Bringing Balor and Nakamura back
Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura made their return to television this week in a one on one match up and while The King Of Strong Style destroyed the Intercontinental Champion, it was good to see both these Superstars back in the ring.
Balor even took a Kinshasa on the floor and was able to recover before being hit with one more in the ring.
If nothing else, Balor looks incredibly resilient in defeat, has an opponent in Nakamura going forward and it gives WWE proper feud for the prestigious IC title going forward.
Hopefully, it will lead to better things for both men in the future, but it should at least be comforting to The WWE Universe that the company is starting to use these talents again.
It might even be a sign that WWE intends to get more fan favorites back on television in order to give the fans what it really wants.
#2 Spotlight on the Tag Team division
The tag-team division on both RAW and SmackDown was struggling for the past few months. Even the Women's Tag Team Championships seemed to be like an afterthought. Lack of good feuds and matches had the fans worried about what could ultimately happen to the division.
However, WWE took a step in the right direction this week. Not only did Paige and The Kabuki Warriors ridicule The IIconics for not defending the titles, we also saw a Tag Team Summit featuring The New Day, Heavy Machinery and Daniel Bryan and Rowan.
Giving Ottis the win over Xavier Woods and Daniel Bryan gave some much needed importance to the Triple Threat Tag Team Championship match this Sunday at Extreme Rules.
There is still a long way to go for the division, but WWE has started making the right calls. The onus will be on contnuing the momentum and helping rebuild the division with some incredible storylines and matches that will surely bring the WWE Universe up on its feet.
#1 Opening segment
WWE has had problems with opening segments in the past, but that trend did not continue Tuesday night on Smackdown Live.
Instead, fans were treated to one that was a cut above Monday Night Raw and something that the company should do a lot more of in the future.
Think about it! From Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler's brawl in the parking lot to the Prizefighter dropping a pipebomb on the Self-proclaimed Best In The World, Shane McMahon, this segment set the tone for what would be a step forward for SmackDown Live. WWE also managed to tie it all together in the end, with a moment that would have made a certain Stone Cold Steve Austin proud.
SmackDown Live is stepping up their game and hopefully it will reflect going to reflect over the coming weeks. With the Blue Brand switching to FOX this fall, this episode clearly showed the direction SmackDown Live will be taking from now on.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
