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The first episode of WWE SmackDown after the WWE Draft allowed several former members of the blue brand to have a match before heading over to RAW. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods united with Big E in a six-man tag team match, while Jeff Hardy also had his final match on SmackDown.
Lars Sullivan competed against Hardy. Meanwhile, Braun Strowman looked to regain the Universal Championship in the main event against Roman Reigns before he too made his way to RAW.
Bayley and Sasha Banks took part in a contract signing segment for their SmackDown Women’s Championship match at Hell in a Cell. The Street Profits defended their SmackDown tag team titles for the first time against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.
Daniel Bryan made his WWE Thuderdome debut and immediately came face to face with the SmackDown's new self-proclaimed savior.
Let's take a look at the five things WWE got right during this week’s show.
#5. Bayley outsmarts Sasha Banks during their contract signing on WWE SmackDown
Bayley and Sasha Banks were in the middle of their WWE Hell in a Cell contract signing segment on this week’s WWE SmackDown. Adam Pearce joined them in the ring to oversee the proceedings.
The Boss signed the contract without hesitation as she wants to teach The Role Model a lesson at Hell in a Cell. Bayley, on the other hand, ran her mouth a bit and claimed Banks was just baggage she was happy to dump.
She mocked Banks for being angry that she wasn’t given the chance to turn on Bayley first. In response, The Legit Boss reminded her of all the times she had her back.
The two bickered for a while longer before The Role Model refused to sign the contract and walked out of the ring.
This was a good segment that once again allowed Bayley to come across as the top heel. It also ensured that she did not disagree with the fact that she had only been the SmackDown Women’s Champion with Banks’ help.
Bayley's refusal to sign the contract added a new outcome to an all too familiar scenario. This allowed her to look a little scared, giving Banks the advantage in this rivalry.
Banks and Bayley have worked well together and even better against each other. This rivalry will likely continue to be a highlight of WWE programming over the next few weeks.
#4. The New Day leave a lasting impact on WWE SmackDown
During the first night of the WWE Draft, The New Day received the shocking news they would be forced to split up. This week on WWE SmackDown, the trio competed in their final match together for the foreseeable future.
Xavier Woods, Big E, and Kofi Kingston delivered a great promo about their time together and their plan to make one final impact. Afterward, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura teamed up with Sheamus to attempt to spoil The New Day's farewell match on SmackDown.
The match was filled with several fast-paced tags as the heel team continued to double team against their opponents to gain an unfair advantage. They traded big moves, but Big E seemed more determined than ever to score one final victory before Woods and Kingston moved to WWE RAW.
In the end, Woods and Big E hit the Midnight Hour to pick up the win. Then, the three real-life friends embraced in the middle of the ring to celebrate their victory as ThunderDome looked on.
This was a great showing for the heels, as well. Cesaro, Sheamus, and Nakamura work well together to give them the farewell they deserved. It was good to see WWE give The Purveyors of Positivity a memorable last match before they went their separate ways.
#3. Daniel Bryan returns to WWE SmackDown
The WWE Thunderdome welcomed The Planet’s Champion as Daniel Bryan returned to SmackDown. The former WWE Champion spoke about how much he missed the WWE Universe. Bryan also waved to Birdie and Brie Bella, who were on one of the ThunderDome screens watching their hero from their home.
Bryan talked about how excited he was to be back and he looked forward to getting back in the ring with some of the new faces on SmackDown. Just then, Seth Rollins made his way to the ring to tell Bryan that he was glad that he was back in a WWE ring.
The two Superstars traded some insults and Bryan taunted Rollins until SmackDown's Savior attacked him. The World's Toughest Vegan was ready for battle as he delivered a thunderous clothesline and unleashed a flurry of Yes Kicks.
Afterward, Rey and Dominik Mysterio came out to the middle ramp as Rollins tried to run away. He then thought that he could get Bryan to fight by his side, but Bryan wouldn't help out the Messiah.
Murphy then ran to the ring to stand shoulder to shoulder with his former leader and attacked him to once again show that he was done with Rollins. The former disciple tried to offer The Mysterios a handshake, but they refused and walked off.
Bryan’s return to SmackDown is a welcomed addition to Friday nights and he could have a great rivalry with Rollins down the road. Right now, it seems like Murphy will take on his feud with The Mysterios. It will be interesting to see where things are headed in the weeks to come.
#2. Braun Strowman suffers the wrath of the new Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown
In the main event and Braun Strowman’s final match on SmackDown, The Monster Among Men challenged Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship.
Both men started strong, but Reigns dumped Strowman out of the ring to gain the upper hand. He then hit him with a Superman Punch to exert his dominance over the bigger man.
Strowman wasn’t ready to back down in his last SmackDown appearance. The former champion slammed Reigns into the ring post and threw him over the announce table to regain control. It looked like The Monster Among Men would pick up an upset victory over The Tribal Chief. However, Reigns kicked out of a pin and hit Strowman with a low blow just like he did to Jey Uso during their match.
Then, he hit a Spear, but Strowman kicked out. He set up for another Spear, but Strowman caught him. However, Reigns locked Strowman in a guillotine choke and forced the monster to tap out to the Universal Champion.
This was one of the rare times we’ve seen Strowman tap out on television. It was also one of the few times Reigns has won a WWE match via submission. So, it was good to see WWE try something completely new during this contest. Even though it seemed like Strowman had the better of Reigns for at times, he ended up falling victim to the new top heel on SmackDown.
#1 Jey Uso remains defiant in the face of The Tribal Chief on WWE SmackDown
Jey Uso came out to the stage to watch Roman Reigns deliver a Spear to Strowman during the final moments of the main event of SmackDown.
Reigns told his cousin to come down to the ring as he waited with a steel chair in hand. He told Uso that he didn’t want to hurt him just like Strowman before he hit The Monster Among Men with several vicious chair shots.
Then, Reigns put the chair down and turned around to give Uso a chance to hit him. Uso refused at first but then took him down with a Superkick. He then picked up the chair and started going down on Reigns before the officials pulled him back.
While Uso was subdued, Reigns saw an opportunity and knocked his cousin out with a Superman Punch.
This was a good closing segment for SmackDown progressed the story between Reigns and Uso and kept it fresh. While we didn't expect their rivalry to stretch for this long and become so exciting, SmackDown has managed to get the best out of both Superstars.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
