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A few major matches and segments were on the card for this week’s WWE SmackDown. Shinsuke Nakamura was set to compete against Jey Uso on the show after he was robbed of a big opportunity by Uso and Roman Reigns last week. Adam Pearce was also scheduled to show up and have a few interesting run-ins with the Universal Champion.
King Corbin and Rey Mysterio continued their rivalry during SmackDown, and it seems like Dominik Mysterio will soon become a major part of this rivalry.
Cesaro got a major match against Daniel Bryan on Friday Night, while Apollo Crews hinted towards an alliance that could transform his career.
SmackDown has been entertaining fans with renewed energy over the past few months. Keeping that in mind, let’s look at the 5 things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.
#5 Apollo Crews turns heel and goes after the Intercontinental Championship on WWE SmackDown
In one of the most interesting backstage segments on WWE SmackDown, Apollo Crews was shown to be in Roman Reigns’ locker room. Crews seemed to be with The Tribal Chief to try and gain some knowledge from the Universal Champion.
Later in the night, Crews got a match against Sami Zayn. Big E appeared to watch the match up close as he knew that the winner would come for his Intercontinental Championship.
After showing signs of a heel turn last week, Crews continued his heel run during the match against Zayn. He overpowered The Great Liberator and proved himself worthy of another Intercontinental Championship opportunity.
While Crews could have ended the match with a power move, he ended up rolling his smaller competitor and grabbed his tights to pick up the victory. Following the match, Crews and Big E got into an argument to fuel the rivalry between them.
The match was decent and it allowed WWE to show a new side to Crews. The Superstar had been a face for too long, and a heel turn could help him. If WWE officials allow him to work with Reigns, then fans can definitely watch the Superstar get his dividends paid in the months to come.
On the other hand, Zayn’s conspiracy gimmick seems to be working very well on SmackDown. He could end up taking this to the next level if given the chance, and fans could watch him become a big part of the Blue brand in the months to follow.
#4 The debut of “Ding Dong Hello!” with Bayley on WWE SmackDown
This week’s WWE SmackDown marked the debut of “Ding Dong Hello!” with Bayley. Several WWE Superstars have hosted talk shows on RAW and SmackDown in the past, and Bayley is someone who can execute the same task just like The Miz and Kevin Owens.
Bayley introduced her first “G-U-EST,” Bianca Belair. The two women have an ongoing rivalry and it was good to watch WWE take it forward without having them get physical in the ring.
Belair took Bayley’s chair and taunted the host. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion claimed that she was better than Belair as she had defeated her in the ring. The argument led to Bayley challenging Belair to an obstacle course challenge on next week’s show.
While the overall tone of SmackDown has been serious since Roman Reigns has taken charge, it was good to see WWE creative working on the humorous side of the show.
“Ding Dong Hello!” with Bayley could turn out to be a big hit and the former SmackDown Women’s Champion did a great job at pushing things forward. Bayley is shining on the microphone under the guise of her new character.
#3 Shinsuke Nakamura silences Jey Uso on WWE SmackDown
A match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Jey Uso was booked for this week’s WWE SmackDown. Uso entered the ring first and declared his entry into the Men’s Royal Rumble Match. The former SmackDown Tag Team Champion vowed to go to RAW and win the WWE Championship from Drew McIntyre.
However, Nakamura entered the arena to his old entrance theme to suggest that The King of Strong Style was back. Nakamura taunted Uso and called him the puppy to Roman Reigns’ Big Dog.
The match started and Nakamura managed to continue his great showing from last week. While Uso tried to cheat his way to a victory, the referee caught him using the ropes. The argument that followed allowed Nakamura to hit the Kinshasa and pick up the victory.
The ending to the aforementioned match could have been booked in a better way by giving Nakamura a more dominant victory. While Uso has been on a losing spree, his spot on the card won’t affect his current standing.
Cesaro had joined commentary during the match and made up a nonsensical excuse for not coming out to help The King of Strong Style last week. This could suggest that Cesaro is jealous of Nakamura’s new position on the card.
#2 Cesaro gets a major spot on WWE SmackDown
Cesaro made an excuse earlier in the night while speaking on commentary on WWE SmackDown. However, he got a major match for himself later on in the show. The Swiss Cyborg competed against the Planet’s Champion, Daniel Bryan.
A nasty bump early in the match left Cesaro to nurse his head. However, he kept the pressure on Bryan and continued to show his skills in the ring. Cesaro and Bryan are arguably two of the best wrestlers in SmackDown today, and they put on a great show.
Both men delivered some massive strikes, and Bryan tried to lock Cesaro in the Yes Lock. However, Cesaro countered and applied the Sharpshooter in return before Bryan managed to reverse the move.
Bryan had the upper hand late in the match as he set up for the running knee. However, Cesaro countered and hit an uppercut before finishing him off with the Neutralizer for the win.
It was the best match of the night which also allowed The Swiss Cyborg to shine a week after Shinsuke Nakamura got over with the WWE Universe once again.
However, it’s interesting to note that Nakamura battled a heel during SmackDown while Cesaro took down a pure babyface.
#1 Kevin Owens returns to WWE SmackDown
Cue the electric guitars. Kevin Owens returned to WWE SmackDown this week after taking a couple of weeks off following a brutal attack by Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. However, the build-up to his return was decent, to say the least.
Fans expected a bait and switch, and that’s exactly what they got on this week’s SmackDown. Adam Pearce was put in a difficult position by Roman Reigns and his associates last week, and he decided to play along.
Pearce was first given a No Disqualification Match for the Royal Rumble against the Universal Champion. However, Reigns changed his mind and wanted a Last Man Standing Match instead.
At the end of the night, Reigns bullied Pearce into signing the Last Man Standing Match contract for the Royal Rumble before taking his place at the head of the table. Reigns signed the contract, and Pearce revealed that he’d been waiting all night for The Tribal Cheif to do that.
Pearce feigned a knee injury and revealed that the card is subject to change. He then introduced Owens and allowed him to take his place for the match. The entire thing was beautifully done and it allowed SmackDown to build a top match for the Royal Rumble.
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