5 things WWE SmackDown got right this week: Paul Heyman fired; Roman Reigns destroyed

This week, the rivalry between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar further picked up on WWE SmackDown. The latter played more mind games with Reigns and his special counsel before their match at WWE Day 1.

Toni Storm was also looking for a way to get into contention for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Charlotte Flair had denied her a shot at the title, and the former NXT UK Women's Champion had to find new ways to get to her.

The Viking Raiders defeated Jinder Mahal and Shanky convincingly. Meanwhile, Sami Zayn's request for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship led to a Gauntlet Match being booked for next Friday night.

Drew McIntyre got Angela back from Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin on SmackDown. He will now face Moss at WWE Day 1 in a singles match.

A lot went down on this week's episode of SmackDown. Take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.

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#5. Toni Storm pinned Charlotte Flair on WWE SmackDown

WWE SmackDown decided to put two top rivalries of the women's division in one match to kick off the action. Toni Storm teamed up with Sasha Banks to compete in a tag team match against Shotzi and SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair.

Shotzi went after Storm early and dominated her. The latter took down her opponent into the mat as they both targeted each other's arms.

After a hot tag on both sides, Banks unloaded on Flair and Shotzi to take back control for her team. Storm came in soon after and went on a roll of her own to keep the action ticking.

After both teams exchanged some signature moves, Flair tried to hit the moonsault on Storm twice but failed. During her last attempt, Storm got her knees up and rolled Flair into a pin for the win.

The SmackDown Women's Champion seemed shocked as Storm celebrated her big win with Banks. It was a decent match that allowed the best of SmackDown's women's division to shine early.

Shotzi and Banks will continue their rivalry following the contest, and the green-haired superstar will hopefully get a good rub out of it. Meanwhile, Storm has entered the SmackDown Women's Championship picture, and she will likely get her title match at WWE Day 1.

#4. Ridge Holland picked up a big win over Cesaro on WWE SmackDown

WWE SmackDown went back to the rivalry between Cesaro and the team of Sheamus and Ridge Holland this week. The Bothercauser took on Swiss Cyborg in a singles contest on the show.

The Swiss Superman’s ribs looked injured during the contest, and Holland decided to use this to his advantage. He used the billy club to strike him in the ribs even before the match could begin.

The former NXT UK Superstar continued to work on Cesaro’s ribs after the match began. He looked to take his opponent out of the equation by further injuring him.

The Swiss Superman mounted a comeback, but Sheamus was at hand to distract his former partner. The distraction allowed Holland to hit Northern Grit power slam to pick up the win.

It was an excellent way to put Holland over as a heel without denting Cesaro’s value. The attack before the match provided a good reason for his loss. One can hope that SmackDown has a plan for these three men in the future, and their rivalry does not end abruptly.

#3. New Day defeated The Usos on WWE SmackDown

The New Day and The Usos competed in a tag team match on WWE SmackDown. The two teams are already set to take each other on at WWE Day 1 for the blue brand's Tag Team Championships.

Kofi Kingston and Jey Uso started the match for their teams, and Kingston went on a roll straight away. He hit an SOS early on before Jimmy Uso sneaked in the tag. The momentum shifted as the heels took down Kofi and isolated him from his partner.

A Superkick allowed Kofi to tag King Woods into the match. The referee missed the tag and the confusion tilted the match back in The Usos' favor.

Kofi missed a Trouble in Paradise and got smacked in the face with a superkick from Jimmy. The former WWE Champion took advantage of a distraction and nailed Jimmy with Trouble in Paradise for the win.

The victory allowed New Day to pick up some momentum before the SmackDown Tag Team Titles match on Day 1.

The match was standard, and the sequence was almost identical to many of the two teams' other matches. It was still one of the better matches of the night and allowed the build-up to Day 1 to continue.

#2. Roman Reigns fired Paul Heyman on WWE SmackDown

Paul Heyman waited for Roman Reigns to arrive on WWE SmackDown this week. Instead, Brock Lesnar showed up before The Tribal Chief to stun the Special Counsel.

Roman Reigns took to the ring at the end of the show along with The Usos and Heyman. The Head of the Table said he could look past Jimmy and Jey Uso's failure as they were his blood, but Heyman wasn't.

He asked Paul if he knew whether Brock Lesnar would be at WWE SummerSlam or the Madison Square Garden. Reigns wondered why Heyman was protecting Brock Lesnar from him.

Paul Heyman finally opened up on SmackDown and told The Tribal Chief that he was protecting Reigns from The Beast Incarnate instead.

Reigns hugged Heyman and told him he was fired before nailing him with a Superman Punch. It was one of the best segments SmackDown has seen in recent history.

Reigns and Heyman worked exceptionally well together for over a year. It was time for them to part, and WWE did well to book this segment on SmackDown.

#1. Brock Lesnar destroyed The Bloodline to end WWE SmackDown

Roman Reigns looked to do much more damage to Paul Heyman on WWE SmackDown. He felt betrayed and asked for some steel chairs to end Heyman for good.

Just as Reigns was preparing to deliver that one final blow, Brock Lesnar came out on SmackDown. He wiped out The Usos and hit an F5 outside the ring before staring down the Universal Champion.

He entered the ring and leveled Reigns with an F5 but wasn’t quite done with him. The Beast Incarnate hit another F5 to The Head of the Table to close SmackDown on Friday Night.

SmackDown outdid itself by bringing Lesnar out on a night Heyman was fired by Roman Reigns. It looks like The Beast Incarnate is ready to take on the services of his advocate again. However, it’s unclear whether Heyman will rejoin Lesnar or betray him at Day 1 to help out The Tribal Chief and win his trust again.

The match between the two SmackDown giants for Day 1 got much more exciting with a single segment. Full marks to the WWE creative team for this one.