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WWE RAW seems to have its Elimination Chamber match set, and it was up to SmackDown this week to build towards its matches for the show. Unlike the WWE Champion on RAW, Universal Champion Roman Reigns has used his brains more than his fists, and fans wanted to see how he would react to an Elimination Chamber match.
Meanwhile, the Intercontinental Championship picture got more interesting as Apollo Crews was denied another shot at the title by Big E. Seth Rollins made a return to SmackDown this week and decided to carry on with his old gimmick rather than building a new one.
Edge stayed away from this week’s broadcast, but the SmackDown Women’s Champion came out looking for a challenge from Bianca Belair.
Let’s take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.
#5 Roman Reigns and Adam Pearce had another confrontation on WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown opened up with Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and Jey Uso's segment once again. Reigns has been doing a great job at keeping fans interested in SmackDown for several months, and he did just that again this week.
Adam Pearce was waiting in the ring for the Universal Champion, and it looked like a big announcement was on the way.
The Tribal Chief claimed that he would put Edge into retirement once again if he decided to fight him at WrestleMania. Reigns promised that he’d keep the title to himself for as long as he wanted to.
Pearce told The Head of the Table that he had a contract saying that Reigns would defend the Universal Championship inside the Elimination Chamber. Heyman wasn’t too happy about the announcement and told Pearce that Reigns would defend his title at the pay-per-view against the winner of the Chamber match instead, on the same night.
The WWE official said he would think about it, and also revealed that Uso and Owens would be participating in SmackDown's Chamber match at the upcoming pay-per-view.
Reigns got in Pearce’s face but left without doing any damage to him. The segment was good and gave SmackDown a different way to build towards Elimination Chamber as compared to RAW.
It's good that SmackDown's creative staff has decided to have the men compete inside the Elimination Chamber, only for the winner to then face Reigns later in the night. This angle will develop a big story and also showcase Reigns as an even more vicious heel.
At the same time, having Uso as one of the Superstars who could possibly win the Chamber match sounds like a terrific idea.
#4 King Corbin and Sami Zayn qualified for the Elimination Chamber match on WWE SmackDown
Sonya Deville used her powers on WWE SmackDown to turn the tag team match of Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin versus Rey and Dominik Mysterio into an Elimination Chamber qualifier bout.
Zayn came out and gave another great promo before the match but was attacked by the father and son duo. Corbin started the match for his team and went right after Rey. He used his power to keep Rey down, while Zayn helped him from the apron.
Dominik came into the match and had a good exchange with Zayn. It looked like Zayn could prove to be the perfect singles opponent for Dominik if SmackDown decides to push him ahead.
While Corbin was hit by the 619 from both father and son, Zayn ended Dominik's momentum with a Helluva Kick for the victory. It seems like Zayn and Corbin's victory was the right decision made by WWE.
Zayn’s early promo helped this match get over, and his performance at Elimination Chamber could do the same. Corbin has already competed in many big matches but failed to deliver at the right moment. However, Dominik may not be ready for a big match like the Elimination Chamber, and therefore it’s better to have someone like Corbin hold the match together.
#3 Apollo Crews became Big E's primary antagonist on WWE SmackDown
Apollo Crews has been teasing a heel turn for some time now on WWE SmackDown. After getting in Big E’s face in pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship, Crews was also seen backstage with Roman Reigns.
This week on SmackDown, Big E issued another open challenge for his Intercontinental title. Crews showed up once again, but Big E turned him down and told him he’d gotten his shots at the title. Shinsuke Nakamura grasped the opportunity instead and tried to impress the WWE Universe.
Crews remained at ringside as the two experienced men traded some big blows inside the ring. He even distracted Big E for some time to allow The Artist to take control of the match.
Late in the match, Big E planted Nakamura with the uranagi and prepared for the Big Ending. However, Crews entered the ring and took him down with a dropkick to cause a disqualification.
The angle ensured that Crews turned heel, and fans could see him join Reigns in pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship. The finish also protected both Nakamura and Big E, and fans can expect more big matches between the two men on SmackDown in the coming weeks.
#2 Seth Rollins returned to WWE SmackDown
Seth Rollins returned to WWE SmackDown and the entire roster was once again positioned at ringside for his promo. Rollins spoke about his time away from the ring and claimed that becoming a father had changed him in ways he didn’t expect.
Rollins carried on his self-absorbed gimmick and claimed that he had realized that SmackDown needs a leader like him to get ahead. The Messiah’s words made the SmackDown roster slowly walk out on him. After a while, Rollins realized that the only man left around was Cesaro.
The Swiss Cyborg also started to walk away, but Rollins followed him and attacked him outside the ring. The Messiah started beating him down before Daniel Bryan and some officials came out to make the save.
This was a good segment that put Rollins on the map again and allowed SmackDown to pick up The Messiah’s gimmick right from where he’d left off. This angle will likely allow Rollins to get into a rivalry against Cesaro sooner rather than later.
While some fans had expected Rollins to come in with a brand new gimmick, it looks like the creative team has something else planned for him in the long run.
#1 Cesaro and Daniel Bryan teamed up on WWE SmackDown
Seth Rollins’ attack on Cesaro had shaken up The Swiss Cyborg, but he still came out for the main event on WWE SmackDown. Cesaro teamed up with Daniel Bryan to compete against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.
With the opportunity to qualify for the WWE Elimination Chamber match hanging in the balance, this was a high-stakes bout for both teams. Bryan had a good exchange with Ziggler early on. After Cesaro came into the match, the heels immediately went after his injured knee.
Soon after, King Corbin and Sami Zayn came out to watch the contest from up close while Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman watched from backstage.
Cesaro once again came into the match with renewed energy, but Roode slowed him down by going after his knee. The Swiss Superman hit a Torture Rack Backbreaker on Ziggler and then applied the Sharpshooter to pick up the victory on SmackDown.
After the match, Jey Uso attacked the winners with a steel chair. Corbin and Zayn joined in and things got completely chaotic. Kevin Owens arrived to hit Stunners on everyone before sending a warning to Roman Reigns at the end of this week's SmackDown.
The match was good and allowed Cesaro to come across as a star once again. It was great watching him work with Bryan against two equally good men. The finish allowed SmackDown to immediately build towards the Elimination Chamber match.
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