'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
WWE SmackDown hosted a loaded episode after Elimination Chamber. Roman Reigns was proud of his quick victory over Daniel Bryan for the Universal Championship.
2021 Royal Rumble winner Bianca Belair was also expected to make her decision for WrestleMania just days after Edge picked Reigns as his opponent for The Show of Shows. Otis and Chad Gable continued to show their new side to the WWE Universe on SmackDown.
The Street Profits, on the other hand, impressed with their performances again and built towards another shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Tamina also managed to impress the WWE Universe with a dominating victory over Liv Morgan during the night.
Seth Rollins came face-to-face with an old friend, while Apollo Crews continued to grow on the Blue brand. Let’s take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown after Elimination Chamber.
#5 Daniel Bryan confronts Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown
Roman Reigns opened WWE SmackDown to cut a promo after clips aired of Edge attacking him at Elimination Chamber. The Tribal Chief bragged about defeating Daniel Bryan with ease after the latter won the Elimination Chamber match to challenge for the Universal Championship.
Reigns wasn’t happy about the fact that Edge had ruined his perfect night. He then offered Edge to back out of his challenge for WrestleMania because he did not want to hurt the Hall of Famer.
The Planet’s Champion came out on SmackDown to interrupt Reigns. He called Reigns a coward for defending his title against a man who’d gone through the Elimination Chamber. Bryan then challenged Reigns to a match for the Universal Championship at Fastlane.
Jey Uso interrupted and told Bryan that he was now at the back of the line before attacking The 'YES' Man to end the segment.
Backstage, Edge confronted WWE Official Adam Pearce. Pearce revealed that if Bryan defeated Uso later in the night, he would get a match against Reigns at Fastlane. Edge was unhappy with the decision and walked off.
This was another solid way to kick off SmackDown and run two storylines simultaneously. Roman Reigns is doing a great job at handling both Edge and Bryan. Fans will likely watch him face Bryan before he goes on to WrestleMania to wrestle Edge.
It was also good to see Edge questioning the logic that other Superstars were getting a shot at the Universal Championship ahead of the Royal Rumble winner. These little details help WWE to make things seem more realistic.
#4 Apollo Crews shows his true colors on WWE SmackDown
Apollo Crews has been building quite a good character on WWE SmackDown in recent weeks. The SmackDown Superstar was given a platform to embrace his Nigerian heritage during this episode.
Crews showed a different side to himself and went up against Shinsuke Nakamura in a match. Crews displayed his heelish side well in the contest and dominated The Artist for most of the bout.
Nakamura constantly tried to get back into the match, but Crews had an answer to every move Nakamura could throw at him. The Artist set up to deliver the Kinshasa, but Crews rolled out of the ring.
He then drove Nakamura into the ring steps and then sent him face-first into the turnbuckles inside the ring. He finished off his opponent with an Angle Slam to pick up the victory.
Apollo Crews has proven to be one of the most improved SmackDown Superstars in recent months. The Superstar had all the moves in the ring from before, but his new character and better mic-skills are helping him to become a bigger threat on the Blue brand.
Crews will likely continue his rivalry for the Intercontinental Championship against Big E again, and he could even come out on top this time.
#3 Bianca Belair chooses her opponent for WrestleMania on WWE SmackDown
After winning the 2021 Royal Rumble, WWE SmackDown Superstar Bianca Belair has been trying to decide who she’d like to face at WrestleMania. Belair showed a lot more interest in the SmackDown Women’s Champion rather than the RAW or NXT Women’s Champion.
Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville waited in the SmackDown ring as The EST came out to finally make her decision en route to WrestleMania 37. Reginald interrupted Belair before Sasha Banks came out to confront the Women's Royal Rumble winner.
She took exception to Belair calling herself The EST of WWE. Banks called herself The Boss and the best in the business. Belair took that as a challenge and decided to book the match between her and Banks for the SmackDown Women’s Championship for WrestleMania.
Belair made the right decision on SmackDown as she has been featured on the show more than any other brand since the Royal Rumble. While Reginald’s interruption ruined the segment a bit, WWE did well to book a big match for WrestleMania.
Even though the buildup to this match hasn’t been A-grade so far, fans have been looking forward to a clash between these two women for some time.
#2 Cesaro takes Seth Rollins for a ride on WWE SmackDown
Seth Rollins brought his vision to WWE SmackDown once again this week. He came out to address the complaint he’d filed last week. Rollins spoke directly to the WWE Universe before Cesaro interrupted him.
The Swiss Superman was looking to take down Rollins, but The Messiah had other plans in mind. He tried to get Cesaro on the same page as him and asked him to achieve success at the top level on SmackDown.
He implored Cesaro to join him and embrace his vision. However, The Swiss Superman wasn’t in for any of the nonsense and took Rollins for a ride on the Cesaro Swing. He followed it up with an uppercut before leaving the ring on SmackDown.
Cesaro is one of the top wrestlers in WWE and it’s great to watch him in some big segments week after week. A rivalry against Rollins could help him reach the main event picture. Fans can expect the two men to lock horns as early as at Fastlane. Will Cesaro finally reach the top after working so hard for so long?
#1 Daniel Bryan and Jey Uso bring WWE SmackDown to a close
After what went down at the start of WWE SmackDown, Daniel Bryan took to the ring to face Jey Uso in the main event. A Universal Championship opportunity hung in the balance for Fastlane as Bryan looked to go over Roman Reigns’ ally.
Uso targetted Bryan’s injured knee throughout the match as he looked to take advantage of the damage done to him at Elimination Chamber. Bryan tried to get back in the driver’s seat with a Yes Lock, but Uso managed to take the fight outside the ring.
After causing more damage to Bryan’s knee outside the ring, the referee had no choice but to count both men out and end the match in a double count-out. Bryan was unhappy with the decision and locked Uso in the Yes Lock after the match.
The Tribal Chief found an opening to come out and attack Bryan on SmackDown. Even though The Planet’s Champion tried to turn the tide, he was taken down by Uso and Speared by Reigns. SmackDown ended with Reigns locking Bryan in the Guillotine to teach him a lesson.
This was a different way to end things on a loaded show. Bryan and Uso had a good contest and the finish protected both Superstars. Bryan kept on finding the will to fight back and that will likely allow him to get a match for Fastlane. The post-match beatdown nearly confirms it.
