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After a good showing at WWE Clash of Champions, the Superstars of SmackDown were all prepared to get going during this week’s episode of the show. Roman Reigns opened up SmackDown once again and had another emotional promo with Jey Uso in the ring.
On this week's SmackDown, Sasha Banks challenged her former best friend Bayley to a match for next week’s show. A lot has been brewing between the two women, and we will likely see this rivalry stretch beyond WWE Hell in a Cell.
Matt Riddle teamed up with The Lucha House Party to take on the team of Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura and King Cobrin on SmackDown this week. Otis and John Morrison competed in another match that was easily won by Otis who is looking to defend himself in a court case against The Miz.
The final moments of the night saw the heelish Sami Zayn at his best as he defended his Intercontinental Championship against Jeff Hardy.
In this article, we will look at the five things WWE got right on this week’s SmackDown.
#5 The opening segment of WWE SmackDown
A dramatic video recapped the match between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso from WWE Clash of Champions in which Jimmy Uso was forced to throw in the towel to protect his brother.
Roman Reigns made his way out to the middle on WWE SmackDown with Paul Heyman by his side. Heyman hyped The Tribal Chief and spoke about how he knows Reigns since the day he was born. Heyman said that The Big Dog was not just the Tribal Chief of WWE, but also of the entire WWE Universe.
Reigns then took the microphone from Heyman and said that he doesn’t want to be called the Tribal Chief until Jey acknowledges him as such. Roman Reigns asked for Jey Uso to come out to the ring, and he obliged.
The two had a rather interesting and emotional exchange once again. This helped showcase Jey’s mic skills once again which haven’t been highlighted too much in the past.
Reigns claimed that he didn’t want to hurt his cousin at WWE Clash of Champions, and instead he wanted to help him make it to the main event. Reigns further said that if only Jey would have accepted him as the Tribal Chief then none of this would have happened.
The Big Dog then offered Jey another shot at the Universal Championship at WWE Hell in a Cell. He advised his cousin not to accept the challenge for his own good.
However, Jey accepted the challenge without wasting much time and said he would fight his cousin no matter what the stakes are.
Following the segment, AJ Styles came out to berate Jey Uso and the two Superstars exchanged some words before getting into a match.
The opening segment of SmackDown was spot on and worked well after the main event of WWE Clash of Champions. Jey has gotten a massive push, and while fans wanted to see Big E get over as a solo competitor, it’s Jey who has made the most of his brother’s injury.
It’ll be interesting to see what’s at stake for Jey at WWE Hell in a Cell.
#4 Jey Uso picks up another big victory on WWE SmackDown
Jey Uso and AJ Styles locked horns on this week’s WWE SmackDown following the events of the opening segment. Both men lost in their respective Championship matches at WWE Clash of Champions, but they put up a great fight nonetheless.
Styles took control early on, but we saw Uso make a comeback soon after. Styles went for the Styles Clash in the middle of the match, but Uso fought out of it and dropped The Phenomenal One on his face.
He sent Styles out of the ring, but when he attempted the suicide dive, Styles countered it with a kick to the head. He lifted Uso to show off his impressive strength and suplexed him onto the announce table.
Styles blocked a splash from Uso and set himself for the Phenomenal Forearm. Uso countered the move and climbed the ropes to deliver the Frog Splash to pick another huge victory.
Jey Uso has gone from a tag team wrestler to a big singles player on SmackDown in no time. A victory over Styles is huge for the Superstar, and this will help him work towards his goal of beating Roman Reigns at WWE Hell in a Cell.
#3 Matt Riddle and The Lucha House Party score a victory on WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown targeted two rivalries with one match as Matt Riddle teamed up with the Lucha House Party to take on King Corbin, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. The Lucha House Party have been chasing the SmackDown Tag Team Championships currently held by Cesaro and Nakamura, while Riddle and Corbin have been in a rivalry of their own.
The babyfaces started stong and Gran Metalik impressed early before getting Riddle into the match. The Original Bro and The King entered the ring at the same time, and Riddle exploded with a few big strikes.
After Cesaro entered the match again, he had a good exchange with Riddle, giving us a glimpse of how good a rivalry between these two men could turn out to be.
A brawl broke out and Kalisto nailed Lince Dorado with a kick in the face by mistake.
The Original Bro finished off The Swiss Superman with the Bro Derek for the pinfall victory for his team. However, Dorado was unhappy with Kalisto and shoved him, showing that their differences are growing even more.
The match was good and it allowed Riddle and Corbin to feature on a loaded show. The Lucha House Party are on the verge of breaking up, but SmackDown seems to be holding them together for some time for something big.
#2 Sami Zayn retains his Intercontinental Championship on WWE SmackDown
Sami Zayn was nursing injuries from the Ladder Match at WWE Clash of Champions where he was driven through a ladder by Jeff Hardy. Hardy himself wasn’t a hundred present as he walked out to challenge Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship on SmackDown.
Zayn took the fight to Hardy and almost got himself disqualified as he went hard at his opponent. Hardy fought back and began countering moves from the Champion.
After the two men exchanged a few big moves, Zayn saw an opportunity as a turnbuckle was exposed in the corner.
The Charismatic Enigma went for a Swanton Bomb, but Zayn blocked it with his knees. Hardy then went for the Whisper in the Wind, but Zayn tripped him and his head hit the exposed turnbuckle.
The Great Liberator then covered him to retain his title on SmackDown. This was a decent match that brought out the best of Zayn once again. Replays showed that he was the one who exposed the turnbuckle that allowed him to pick up a tainted victory.
The finish will allow SmackDown to book a couple of more matches between these two Superstars for the Intercontinental Championship.
#1 The Fiend comes back to life on WWE SmackDown
The Fiend was once the biggest character in all of WWE, but the return of Roman Reigns and some mixed bookings on WWE SmackDown had pushed the character back a bit. However, Bray Wyatt is a genius in his own right, and he managed to strike with his alter ego once again on SmackDown this week.
Kevin Owens headed over to SmackDown from WWE RAW and hosted the KO Show on the Blue brand this week. He welcomed his guest, Alexa Bliss, who has been drifting closer to The Fiend week after week.
KO talked to Bliss about the shift in her attitude in recent weeks, and she started talking in a strange tone. KO accused her of getting brainwashed by The Fiend, and Bliss agreed that he had cleansed her mind of all the lies.
The Goddess told The Prizefighter to let him in before the lights went out. A red light came back on and The Fiend was seen in the ring taking Owens down with a Mandible Claw as Bliss watched on. The segment ended with Bliss and Wyatt holding hands.
This was an excellent segment that should have headlined the show. The Fiend managed to make an impact similar to the ones he’d made in his initial days, while Bliss played her role very well.
KO could see a change in character following the attack from The Fiend, and that could have a major impact on his rivalry with Aleister Black on RAW.
