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The latest episode of WWE SmackDown had several developments that make the Road to WrestleMania 37 exciting. A major WrestleMania 37 match was confirmed, while Universal Champion Roman Reigns is staring at a challenger for his title at Fastlane 2021.
Seth Rollins and Cesaro finally kickstarted their feud on SmackDown in a tremendous segment. Apart from this, Apollo Crews notched up a momentum-boosting win over Shinsuke Nakamura. A new team joined the SmackDown's tag team division, making it stronger than it looked a few weeks ago.
Let's look at all the developments from WWE SmackDown that has left the WWE universe buzzing.
#5 Daniel Bryan fails to win Universal Championship shot on WWE SmackDown
In the opening segment of WWE SmackDown, Universal Champion Roman Reigns, accompanied by Paul Heyman and Jey Uso, bragged about his victory at Elimination Chamber. The Tribal Chief warned Edge about the consequences of facing him at WrestleMania 37, and commanded him to walk off as he doesn't stand a chance.
Daniel Bryan came out and called Reigns a coward. He said he'd give The Tribal Chief a chance to set things right by putting his title on the line at Fastlane 2021. Later during the show, Adam Pearce declared if Bryan would defeat Jey Uso in the main event of the night, The Yes Man would get his match at Fastlane.
In the main event of SmackDown, Bryan and Jey Uso wrestled a terrific encounter that ended with both getting counted out, which was a shame. It was deliberately done by Uso so that Bryan didn't walk away with the opportunity to challenge Reigns.
Post-match, the former 5-time WWE Champion took out his frustration by locking Jey in a Yes Lock, but the Tribal Chief came to help his cousin and they unleashed a 2-on-1 assault on Bryan. Edge didn't come out to rescue Bryan though he was present backstage on SmackDown.
It's practically guaranteed that Bryan will face Reigns at Fastlane 2021. While his chances of winning are slim, the fans can be sure of a cracking contest.
On the other hand, Bryan would be miffed with Edge as he didn't come out to even the odds. It was a subtle tease towards a possible feud between the two sometime down the line.
#4 SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair confirmed for WrestleMania 37
Bianca Belair finally made her WrestleMania 37 plans clear on SmackDown. Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville called out Belair to the ring and asked her to reveal her opponent for The Grandest Stages of Them All. Though Reginald made appeared again and called The EST of WWE a loser, he was quickly interrupted by SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks.
Belair made the match between her and Banks official by pointing at the WrestleMania 37 board. It was predictable, but the clash is bound to be spectacular. It's a match that fans have wanted to see since Bianca made her SmackDown debut, and it'll finally become a reality in a few weeks.
However, the inclusion of Reginald means there's a possibility he's still working with Carmella. A match between The EST of WWE and Carmella could be ideal for Fastlane 2021, as it would present the perfect opportunity to give the challenger momentum ahead of WrestleMania 37.
#3 Cesaro lays down Seth Rollins on SmackDown, kicking-off their feud in style
The Seth Rollins-Cesaro rivalry had a rollicking start on this week's SmackDown. Rollins told Cesaro to forget what happened a couple of weeks as it was nothing more than a mistake. The Messiah said the reason why The Swiss Cyborg has struggled to succeed is because he lacks the killer instinct.
He promised Cesaro their partnership would be successful and asked him to take his time before coming to any decision. However, Cesaro was in no mood and instead, swung Rollins for what seemed like an eternity before laying him down with a running uppercut.
Cesaro is in the middle of his most sustained push in years, while Rollins only recently returned. The fans want Cesaro to win, but the WWE management would hesitate to hand Rollins a loss, considering he's one of the biggest full-time Superstars in the company at the moment.
#2 Apollo Crews defeats Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown
After turning heel on last week's SmackDown, Apollo Crews explained his actions this week. It was arguably the best character work Crews has done in WWE, where he spoke about his Nigerian heritage and how they believe in dominance, wealth, and power.
If this promo is any indication, Crews has finally found the aspect that held him back from achieving success: personality. The following match with Shinsuke Nakamura was meant to put over Crews, and it achieved exactly that.
While it's somewhat disappointing to see Nakamura fizzling out, he did his job perfectly. A clean victory over a veteran like him has cleared Crews' path to go behind the Intercontinental Championship.
Considering WWE is positioning Big E to be the main event star, Crews can fully embrace his heel side by picking up cheap victories. It would not only give Crews a credible championship win but also ensure Big E is protected in the loss.
#1 Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin are the SmackDown tag-team
Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin have formed a tag team on SmackDown after the insistence of The Great Liberator. Considering how the two Superstars don't have a lot going on for them in the singles division, it isn't a bad idea.
The two didn't get off to the best of starts though, as they lost to Street Profits. Yet, their dynamic was fun. The Lone Wolf was visibly sick of Zayn's documentary team pushing the camera into his face for a close-up reaction. The distraction from the cameramen led to the duo coming up short against the former SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
Zayn and Corbin can entertain the fans through their backstage segments in the future, where Zayn convinces Corbin to believe all his conspiracy theories. They could find themselves in the tag team title hunt at WrestleMania 37 if WWE goes ahead with a multi-team match on the PPV.
