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WWE SmackDown fans waited patiently to see how John Cena would react to Roman Reigns’ rejection. Reigns accepted Finn Balor’s challenge for WWE SummerSlam last week, and the two were scheduled to make things official through a contract signing segment on the show.
Fans were also expecting a major return on this week’s SmackDown. The creative team did not disappoint as a top superstar returned to pick up a big victory before taking down the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Meanwhile, Rey Mysterio defeated Jimmy Uso on the show with a little help from his son. It looks like Rey and Dominik Mysterio will get a rematch for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships in the coming month.
The rivalry between Seth Rollins and Edge heated up further, while Reginald defended his 24/7 Championship against Chad Gable.
Take a look at the five things WWE got right on this week’s episode of SmackDown.
#5 John Cena targeted Roman Reigns to kick off WWE SmackDown
John Cena opened up WWE SmackDown again this week. The Champ laid down a challenge to Roman Reigns last week, but The Tribal Chief was not interested in facing Cena at WWE SummerSlam.
Cena did not take Reigns’ rejection lightly and took some shots at the Universal Champion right away. He reminded fans that legends like The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin never changed their act and remained red-hot throughout their careers.
The 16-time World Champion said that Reigns was just too afraid to fail and lose to Cena at SummerSlam. Soon after, Baron Corbin made his way out on SmackDown. He ran down his recent misfortunes and claimed that he was unable to perform after the mishap that took place backstage last week.
John Cena refused to help the SmackDown Superstar after polling the crowd and then took him down with an Attitude Adjustment to end the segment.
Cena is still one of the biggest names in the wrestling industry. He has the power to move the crowd and remain relevant. It was good to watch him target Reigns early and set the tone for the night.
Corbin has been one of WWE’s favorite superstars to take the fall and draw a big reaction from fans. He’s been an incredible heel for a long time now. SmackDown should look to reward the superstar for his services soon.
#4 Big E, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, and Apollo Crews on WWE SmackDown
A major brawl broke out on WWE SmackDown between the top stars of the mid-card. Big E, Cesaro, and King Nakamura teamed up to take on Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, and Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews in a six-man tag team match.
The Money in the Bank briefcase holder kicked off the match for his team against Apollo Crews. Apollo took him out of the ring early and the heels targeted him with some big moves.
Cesaro tagged in and went on a roll against Ziggler. He nearly picked up the victory before Ziggler kicked out just in time. The Swiss Superman kept the pressure on and took Ziggler for a Cesaro Swing before locking in the Sharpshooter.
Roode helped his partner get to the ropes and the former SmackDown Tag Team Champions took out Nakamura and Cesaro.
Late in the match, Rick Boogs started playing guitar to distract the heels. Cesaro took out Commander Azeez and Nakamura hit Crews with the Kinshasa for the pin.
Oddly, Big E is still involved in this rivalry after winning the Money in the Bank contract. SmackDown did the right thing by allowing Nakamura to pin Crews. He could get in line for a well-deserved Intercontinental Championship shot.
#3 Seth Rollins attacked Edge to take their rivalry ahead on WWE SmackDown
Edge and Seth Rollins have brought up their history and personal differences to their current rivalry on WWE SmackDown. The Rated-R Superstar made his way out on SmackDown to a huge ovation. Before he could make it to the ring, Rollins attacked him out of nowhere.
The former Universal Champion brutalized Edge before taking to the ring. He discussed his recent actions and the attack on Edge before claiming that he enjoyed every bit of it.
He even said he relished costing Edge the Universal Championship at WWE Money in the Bank. The Messiah ended the segment by saying that if he can’t be the Universal Champion then neither can Edge.
WWE has done well to build the storyline between the two greats without letting fans’ interest drop. Edge never lost to Reigns clean, and that storyline will likely continue following this rivalry.
SmackDown will be able to book a dream match between Rollins and Edge at SummerSlam. The contest could be the biggest match of the night. RAW will have a lot of catching up to do as the storylines on the brand aren’t nearly as entertaining as those on SmackDown.
#2 John Cena found his way to a match against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam on WWE SmackDown
The WWE Universe chanted John Cena’s name as Roman Reigns and Finn Balor took to the SmackDown ring. Paul Heyman, Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville were also present for the special contract signing ahead of the big SummerSlam match between the two SmackDown Superstars.
Reigns recalled Cena’s promo from earlier in the night, claiming that The Champ thought of Balor to be lesser than him. The Tribal Chief claimed that Balor was worth beating at SummerSlam and being sent back to WWE NXT.
The Prince spoke back, saying he was ready to take the title from Reigns before going back to NXT. Finn was about to put pen to paper, when Baron Corbin attacked him out of nowhere. It looked like Corbin would sign the contract before John Cena made his way to the middle.
He laid out Corbin before signing the contract and making the match between him and Reigns for SummerSlam official.
Later on SmackDown, Paul Heyman was seen questioning the validity of the contract before Deville and Pearce confirmed the Universal Championship match. It was a good bait-and-switch angle by WWE as it protected Balor while taking the story back to Cena.
A victory over the 16-time World Champion at SummerSlam will do The Tribal Chief a lot of good at this point in his career.
#1 Sasha Banks returned to give Bianca Belair a surprise on WWE SmackDown
Early on WWE SmackDown, Bianca Belair came out to the ring for an interview with Kayla Braxton. She was soon interrupted by Carmella and Zelina Vega who both wanted a shot at her SmackDown Women’s Championship.
The EST accepted Vega’s challenge before suffering a beatdown from both heels. Right then, Sasha Banks made her return to SmackDown. She saved Belair and cleared the ring before hugging her WrestleMania opponent.
Banks and Belair later teamed up to take on Zelina Vega and Carmella in the main event of SmackDown. The teams put on a good show and the babyfaces showed a lot of chemistry.The Boss locked Carmella in the Bank Statement to make her tap out and pick up the victory.
After the match, the victors celebrated before Banks turned on Belair. She hit a DDT and locked the SmackDown Women’s Champion in the Bank Statement to end the show.
The EST needs a big challenger for the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view. While Vega was a decent option, the return of Banks made things much better.
The two superstars already have a lot of history, and the creative team only needed a couple of decent segments to reignite the rivalry. The match will definitely help SmackDown book some entertaining contests.
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