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The latest episode of SmackDown was a surprisingly light watch, considering it was the go-home episode to Royal Rumble. Except for the intense talking segment between Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens, other parts of the show were not very heavy on the intensity level.
Bianca Belair faced off against Bayley in the opening match of this week's SmackDown in a feud ending clash. On the other hand, Dominik Mysterio took on Baron Corbin for the second week in a row.
Several RAW Superstars made their presence felt during the night's main event match that ended in chaos. That said, let's look at all the talking points from this week's SmackDown that has gotten the WWE universe talking. Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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#5 Braun Strowman and RAW Superstars show up to create chaos in the main event of this week's SmackDown
In the opening segment of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan spoke about his intention of winning this year's Rumble match and find his way into the main event of WrestleMania 37. He was soon interrupted by RAW Superstar AJ Styles, and the two exchanged barbs, which resulted in a match between the two later in the night.
Just when their match was about to reach its crescendo, chaos broke out with Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Big E, and Shinsuke Nakamura getting involved in the bout, resulting in a DQ finish. A six-man tag team match between Styles, Cesaro, Zayn taking on Bryan, Nakamura, and Big E, began after an ad break on SmackDown.
After a few minutes, even this match ended in a DQ when RAW Superstars The Miz and John Morrison took down Big E, with whom they had already gotten into a scuffle earlier in the night. To further the chaos, Otis came out and made the save. Post another break, a five on four tag match begun on SmackDown.
It became abundantly clear once the match restarted for the third time that this is nothing but an exhibition for the Royal Rumble match. Sheamus and eventually a returning Braun Strowman also made their presence felt by making their intentions clear going into the Rumble match.
With Strowman's inclusion, the Rumble match has certainly gotten more exciting. While nobody expects him to be the winner, he can run amock the participants and accumulate a hefty number of eliminations. All said and done, Daniel Bryan and Edge seem to be the front-runners, and it would be a massive shock if someone other than these two comes up on top come Sunday.
#4 Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens engage in a verbal battle on SmackDown
The split-screen meeting between Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens on SmackDown was just as intense as everyone expected it to be. Owens spoke about how Reigns and his family can do nothing to keep him down in their Last Man Standing match. The Tribal Chief brought KO's father and grandfathers into his promo by saying if he's a fool, it makes even his forefathers fools.
After a tremendous back-and-forth, Owens finally lost his cool, but The Tribal Chief disconnected his feed. Both these performers were fantastic here, with Reigns' calm and cold demeanor playing in perfect contrast with Owens' searing intensity.
If we go by the story here on SmackDown, Owens should be walking out of the pay-per-view as the new Universal Champion. There's no way a babyface loses after the heel brutally disrespects his family. However, it's pretty much given that Reigns will walk out as the winner at Royal Rumble. If there's anything for Owens to win at the pay-per-view, it's momentum. Even in a loss, he can be booked strongly and possibly find a decent spot for himself at WrestleMania 37.
#3 Dominik Mysterio falls to Baron Corbin yet again on SmackDown
After losing to Baron Corbin in a matter of minutes on last week's SmackDown, Dominik Mysterio did not fare any better this week around as well. With his father, Rey Mysterio, even putting him over during the commentary, Dominik Mysterio failed to live up to the expectations.
Post-match, Rey Mysterio made his way to the ring to check on his son. While this story did not seem interesting initially, it's certainly more intriguing after tonight's developments. Though Rey Mysterio was disappointed with his son's loss, there was also a tinge of embarrassment on his face.
Yes, Rey Mysterio turning on his son may seem too far-fetched, but if that happens, we can be sure of some explosive and emotional contests between the two.
The only gripe about this feud is that Dominik Mysterio has already been established as a fighting competitor. The fact that he went for more than 20 minutes against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam speaks volumes. But, here on SmackDown, he's losing to Corbin in three minutes. It's not a huge problem, but a case of the creative ignoring the past in favor of the current storyline.
#2 Bianca Belair defeats Bayley on SmackDown in an underwhelming match
After weeks of feuding on SmackDown, Bayley and Bianca Belair finally went one-on-one on this week's episode. As expected, The EST of WWE came up victorious and ended the rivalry for good heading into the Women's Rumble match.
However, this has been a prominently featured program on SmackDown, and should have gotten more time, and ideally been the main event of the night. The two women would have surely torn the house down had they were given a little more time.
Though a victory gave Belair momentum heading to the Royal Rumble, this could have also been the WWE creative subtly hinting that she's not going to win the Rumble. Going by their booking patterns, Bianca Belair might be too predictable a winner, and they might be considering to execute a swerve by giving the win to returning Superstar. Maybe a returning Becky Lynch or Ronda Rousey or the NXT call-up Rhea Ripley might prove to be unlikely winners of this year's Women's Rumble.
#1 Will The Miz cash-in his MITB contract on SmackDown Superstar Big E for the Intercontinental Championship?
Amid all the chaos during this week's main event on SmackDown, one thing that certainly stood out was The Miz targeting Big E throughout the night. Earlier on the show, Big E was talking to Sonya Deville when the MITB contract holder and John Morrison from RAW interrupted the proceedings. Though The Miz teased he could cash-in his contract after the Last Man Standing match between Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens, the attack on IC Champion suggested something else.
Let's be honest, nobody believes The Miz could viably be the WWE Champion or the Universal Champion going by his booking in recent months. The only logical way to make The Miz cash-in his contract would be to let him target a mid-card title.
Also, considering, The Miz is an eight-time IC Champion, a win would tie him with Chris Jericho for the most combined reigns. It wouldn't only bring him credibility but also free up SmackDown Superstar Big E to eye bigger things at WrestleMania 37.
