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The post-Backlash edition of WWE SmackDown had some important matches and segments announced for the night, but most of the fans had their eyes set on Matt Riddle’s debut.
It was announced last week that The Original Bro would be making his SmackDown debut this week, and we could not help speculate which segment he’d be a part of.
Apart from Riddle’s debut, there were a few high points during this week’s show. Nikki Cross began to show signs of her former unstable self again, while Bayley pushed Sasha Banks in another impromptu match that The Legit Boss ended up winning.
Miz TV was also scheduled for the week where Mandy Rose came face to face with Sonya Deville yet again. The New Day faced The Lucha House party during the night while Shorty G got another match to show what he’s made of.
Last but not the least, SmackDown ended the night with a big segment involving Braun Strowman and the man who led him into WWE, Bray Wyatt.
In this article, we will look at 5 things that WWE got right on SmackDown this week.
#5 Shorty G continues his winning ways on SmackDown
Over the past few weeks on WWE SmackDown, Shorty G has defeated Cesaro and also teamed up with The New Day to take down the heel team of Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura & Mojo Rawley.
This week, the larger-than-life Superstar was interviewed backstage where he revealed that he is never intimidated by bigger Superstars and claimed that he had eyes on the back of his head. He proved this by punching Mojo Rawley in the face just when the latter was creeping up on him from the back.
The two men took matters to the ring where Rawley showed his power and tried to impress the WWE Universe once again. Rawley had control for most of the match, but Shorty G managed to catch him with a roll-up for the three count and picked up the victory.
WWE needs to push Shorty G more
It seems as if WWE is slowly building Shorty G again, even though he had enough momentum on his side when he first got into this role.
Michael Cole tried to sell his victory this week as an upset, which was surprising, to say the least. However, it seems like WWE does have something planned for the Superstar and they aren’t just using him to fill time on the Blue Brand.
#4 The Rose-Deville rivalry continues on SmackDown
The rivalry between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville isn’t very new, but it seems like the two women and the WWE creative aren’t done with it just yet. This week’s SmackDown featured an episode of Miz TV where hosts The Miz and John Morrison invited Rose to discuss her equation with the Pride Fighter.
The heels then also invited Sonya Deville who came out with a new look and attempted to talk down Rose.
The big exchange of words ended with a brawl and The Miz receiving a slap across the face from God’s Greatest Creation.
WWE could get the next SmackDown Women's Champion from this one
This was a fun little segment that reminded fans that the rivalry between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville is far from over. It seems like the two women will have a showdown at Extreme Rules with the possibility of some stipulation attached to it.
The winner of this feud would gain enough momentum to call out the SmackDown Women's Champion to kickstart a fresh feud over the summer.
#3 The Tag Team Division of SmackDown
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley and Sasha Banks joined the commentary team on SmackDown as The New Day competed against Lucha House Party. Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik have been impressing the WWE Universe for some time now, and fans are waiting for the duo to get a big match and a possible title run to show just how good they are.
While Dorado managed to get some control of the match early on, Kofi's tag to Big E turned the tides as his power was too much for the two Luchadors. The action went to and fro for a bit before the SmackDown Tag Team Champions hit the Midnight Hour to pick up the victory.
WWE could build a great new team
After the match, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura arrived to attack the New Day. It seems like WWE is working hard to get Cesaro and Nakamura in the SmackDown Tag Team titles picture and is looking to give them a run with the straps.
Cesaro is a multi-time Tag Team Champion with Sheamus, while The Artist can do justice to any belt easily. It will be fun to watch when these two men are given a chance to compete in a longer match on a big stage and Cesaro and Nakamura get a hold of the aforementioned Championship together.
#2 The Bro That's Gonna Run The Show (SmackDown)
While AJ Styles was busy talking about The House that he Built on SmackDown, he was interrupted by The Bro that's Gonna Run the Show on this week’s WWE SmackDown.
I predicted this segment earlier this week, and WWE delivered it perfectly as Matt Riddle made his SmackDown debut to shock the entire WWE Universe. The Original Bro did not hold back and interrupted the face of SmackDown during his Intercontinental Championship crowning ceremony.
The two men had a match right away with numerous SmackDown Superstars surrounding the ring. During the course of the bout, Styles got into an argument with Daniel Bryan, while Riddle came face to face with King Corbin.
Matt Riddle has a long way to go in WWE
While both men put on a great show, the Original Bro was able to hit the IC Champion with a BroDerek to pick up a win on his first night as an official member of the SmackDown roster.
This was a great debut for Riddle who is now among the top stars of the Blue Brand. His victory will help him push for an Intercontinental Championship opportunity. It looks like WWE has planted the seeds for a Riddle vs. Corbin rivalry too.
#1 The return of Bray Wyatt on SmackDown
The last time we saw Bray Wyatt was at WWE Money in the Bank where he took on Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship. While Wyatt tried to pull all the right strings, it was Strowman who caught Wyatt off guard with the Black Sheep mask and delivered the powerslam to pick up the victory. Since then, fans had been wondering where Wyatt had gone and they were delighted to hear that he would be appearing on this week’s SmackDown.
In this week’s episode of SmackDown, Wyatt returned with an episode of the Firefly Fun House where he tried to play off his time away from SmackDown.
Ramblin’ Rabbit revealed to the WWE Universe that Wyatt had been crying in a corner since losing to Braun Strowman at Money in the Bank.
The Monster Among Men told his former leader that he was done playing games, after which the segment took an unexpected turn. The Eater of Worlds arrived for the first time in a while and told Strowman to follow the buzzards.
WWE seems to be back in its zone with this one
This was a great segment that brought back the cult-leader character of Wyatt. We now have three different characters being played by the same man, with The Fiend missing since WrestleMania 36.
It will be interesting to see where WWE heads with this story, and if Wyatt will challenge Strowman as The Eater of Worlds at WWE Extreme Rules for the Universal Championship.
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