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WWE SmackDown had a few matches and segments scheduled for this week. One of the biggest segments for the night was scheduled between Carmella and SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks.
Fans waited to watch what would be next in the rivalry between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns. Otis and Chad Gable teamed up during the night to compete against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.
Big E managed to get himself into a non-title match against the Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn. However, things did not end the way he’d have liked. The Riott Squad picked up a victory over the makeshift team of Natalya and Billie Kay during SmackDown.
With the build towards WWE Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) intensifying, we will look at the five things WWE SmackDown got right during this week’s show.
#5 Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro get back in the game again on WWE SmackDown
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura competed in their first match as a team since the end of October on WWE SmackDown. The two men took on Otis and Chad Gable. We’d learned on Corey Graves’ After the Bell podcast that Gable and Otis have been friends for over a decade.
Gable appeared as Otis’ new trainer, and both men were looking to make a mark as a tag team. After the match started, The Swiss Superman went after Gable right away before Otis tagged in.
Otis managed to take down Cesaro before tagging Gable back into the match. The back and forth continued for some time before The Swiss Superman got the upper hand again.
Gable had to rely on Otis once again to take Cesaro down before demanding him to tag him back into the match. Cesaro took advantage and took him out with the Cesaro Swing before Nakamura ended him with the Kinshasa.
This was a good match to build the new storyline and partnership between Otis and Gable. Gable is the more arrogant partner in this team, and that will likely help him get ahead on SmackDown. On the other hand, it was good to watch Cesaro and Nakamura compete in the ring again on SmackDown.
They work well together, and they’ve formed a partnership that is unique in WWE.
#4 Dolph Ziggler and Montez Ford put on a good match on WWE SmackDown
The first match of WWE SmackDown this week saw Montez Ford and Dolph Ziggler compete against each other. Both teams delivered promos before the match got started to build some heat between the two teams.
Ziggler used his heelish tactics to stay on top early in the match while Ford kept making comeback. Outside the ring, Robert Roode looked to interfere but Angelo Dawkins stopped him from doing so.
Following a commercial break, Ziggler worked on Ford with a headlock. He used some quick-paced offense to ensure that one-half of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions stayed down on the mat.
While Ford tried to make a comeback in the match, Roode attacked Dawkins outside the ring. The distraction allowed The Showoff to hit a Superkick to pick up the victory.
This was arguably the best match of the night between two of the most athletic Superstars on SmackDown. They kept the moves coming without boring the audience. These two men could end up putting on a great show on a big stage.
#3 Sami Zayn outsmarts another competitor on WWE SmackDown
Sami Zayn and Big E had an exchange backstage where the member of The New Day mocked Zayn for having no WWE merchandise. Apollo Crews then took out a shirt with Zayn drawn on him to upset the Intercontinental Champion even more on WWE SmackDown.
Zayn came out to the ring to compete against Big E. He ensured that the announcers knew that this was a non-title match. Zayn last defended his title against Jeff Hardy on the first SmackDown of October this year.
Big E overpowered the Intercontinental Champion right from the start. He punished Zayn and trash-talked him. While The Great Liberator managed to get back into the match, Big E started throwing him around with some belly to belly suplexes.
Zayn saw no way out and slapped Big E right across the face. This made the big man chase Zayn around and then look for him under the ring until the referee counted to ten. Zayn won the match via count-out.
This was the third match we’ve seen Zayn win via count-out over the past month. He’d defeated Apollo Crews and Daniel Bryan the same way. This will likely lead to an Intercontinental Championship match between Zayn and Big E or Bryan sooner than later with some interesting stipulations.
#2 Carmella shows no ring rust on WWE SmackDown
In the opening segment of the night, Adam Pearce was in the ring with Sasha Banks on WWE SmackDown. Banks looked for the contract in the folder but did not find one in it. Carmella then appeared on the big screen and said that she’d already signed the contract before sending it back to her.
The Superstars traded some insults before Banks challenged Carmella to a title match later in the night. The two women compete in the main event of SmackDown. Carmella debuted a new entrance during the match.
Carmella managed to deliver some good moves to keep the SmackDown Women’s Champion down. While Banks tried to counter and deliver some of her own moves, Carmella kept taking her out and making her look weak.
Finally, Banks managed to reverse the Code of Silence into a Banks Statement but Carmella’s helper soon interrupted while the referee was distracted. Banks went after them and it led to a disqualification.
After the match, Carmella attacked the SmackDown Women’s Champion to come out on top. This was a decent match that brought the best of Carmella thanks to Banks’ work. Both women looked great in the ring, and they will likely have a great match at WWE TLC.
#1 Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns impress on WWE SmackDown once again
One of the biggest segments of WWE SmackDown saw Roman Reigns and Jey Uso backstage as Kevin Owens went out to the ring. Uso asked The Tribal Chief if he could go to the ring and get Owens, to which he agreed.
Inside the ring, KO set up a table, a ladder, and a few chairs in the ring before delivering a promo. He addressed Reigns directly and told him that all the weapons would help him take down Reigns.
Uso appeared with a chair in hand and viciously beat down The Prizefighter. He went after the former Universal Champion’s knee to injure him. However, Owens somehow recovered and managed to powerbomb Uso through the table on SmackDown.
This brought out Reigns to the stage, but Paul Heyman convinced the Universal Champion to let it be for now. After a commercial break, we saw The Tribal Chief attacked KO backstage and lay him out. He then spoke into the camera and told KO’s wife to talk some sense into him.
This was a fantastic segment that perfectly sets up towards the two Superstars’ match at WWE TLC. SmackDown has gotten the flair back at the top with a great heel performance from Reigns and a good effort from KO. These two will likely deliver one of the best matches of the year at TLC.
