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WWE SmackDown kicked off just days after the company released a few top names. Aleister Black was rebuilding himself on SmackDown before his sudden release from the company. Murphy and Ruby Riott were among the other mid-card superstars who were released by WWE before this week’s SmackDown.
Seth Rollins appeared in an interesting interview that helped The Messiah build his character even more. Meanwhile, The Street Profits were approached by Chad Gable with a big proposal.
The Mysterios were scheduled to defend their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Usos on the show. Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews was also booked to defend his title against Kevin Owens.
The rivalry between Shinsuke Nakamura and King Corbin took another step forward after the two men had a short contest this week.
However, this week’s SmackDown revolved around the Universal Champion again. He managed to make things much more interesting for the blue brand. Take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.
#5 The Usos let Roman Reigns down early on WWE SmackDown
Universal Champion Roman Reigns kicked off WWE SmackDown. He came out to the ring, accompanied by Special Counsel Paul Heyman.
Reigns got to the point right away and told The Usos that he had changed his opinion on them challenging The Mysterios for the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. The Head of the Table warned the brothers that they better win the titles by the end of the show.
The Usos seemed overconfident and told their cousin that they would win the championships before the match got underway.
Jimmy and Jey Uso looked to take out Rey and Dominik Mysterio early in the contest. Jey laid Rey out with a Samoan Drop onto the announcers' table but could not put him away.
Dominik came into the match to spark a babyface comeback. He fought off The Usos and delivered some decent moves. Surprisingly, he caught Jimmy with a roll-up pin to retain the titles.
The finish wasn’t too clear and Reigns was unhappy with the result. Jimmy had his shoulder off the mat when the referee counted the three-count, and The Usos were livid with the decision.
SmackDown did well to build on the differences between Reigns and The Usos early on. The Mysterios also got a chance to defend their titles against a top team on SmackDown.
The Tribal Chief’s reaction to the loss suggested that there was something in store for both The Usos and the fans later in the night.
#4 Carmella and Liv Morgan got a match on WWE SmackDown; The Usos demanded a rematch
Liv Morgan came out for a match against Carmella on WWE SmackDown just days after her partner was released by the company. Morgan was looking to prove herself as a singles competitor once again against the former SmackDown Women’s Champion.
The Princess of Staten Island was caught off guard by Morgan who tried to beat her down. It did not take long for Carmella to fire back and make Morgan tap out to the Code of Silence.
Carmella demanded the ring announcer announce her as the most beautiful woman in the world.
The match wasn’t anything special but it allowed the SmackDown women’s division to show some of its strength. It looks like Carmella will be featured on the blue brand more frequently, and could continue with a slightly new gimmick.
SmackDown could also look to give Morgan a singles push following the release of Ruby Riott. Fans had her back last year, and they could get behind her once again if the creative team puts in some work.
Backstage, The Usos demanded a rematch for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Jimmy Uso clearly had his shoulder off the mat when the referee counted the pin.
After some deliberation, Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville announced that The Mysterios would defend their titles once again in the main event.
#3 WWE SmackDown finally confirmed the match between Bayley and Bianca Belair
WWE SmackDown hasn’t been able to give Bianca Belair much competition since her historical championship win at WrestleMania 37. Bayley has been the only top contender for the title. Former champion Sasha Banks has also been absent from SmackDown for some time now.
The EST admitted that Bayley’s laugh has been getting to her a little more every week. She challenged The Role Model to a match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Hell in a Cell.
Bayley appeared on the screens and accepted the challenge before laughing hysterically. Her video took over every screen in the Thunderdome as she taunted The EST of WWE.
This wasn’t the strongest way to build a rivalry for the SmackDown Women’s title. WWE made Belair’s historical win a big deal, and there are many better ways to make her reign memorable moving forward.
However, stronger booking for the champ has not happened yet. A key reason for this is because SmackDown’s women’s roster is rather flimsy right now. However, it was good to see that Bayley, who is a top wrestler, will take on Belair again at Hell in a Cell.
The two women should at least put on a great match for the WWE Universe.
#2 Apollo Crews retained his Intercontinental Championship on WWE SmackDown
Kevin Owens looked set to win the Intercontinental Championship from Apollo Crews on WWE SmackDown. However, Commander Azeez attacked Owens backstage and hit him with a Nigerian Nail to weaken him.
The Prizefighter still came out for his match against Crews later on. The champion went on the attack early and targeted his ribs. He went for a frog splash, but missed and allowed KO to make a comeback in the match.
However, Owens could not stay in the match for long as Crews continued to work on his weakened opponent. A Death Valley Driver on the ring apron from Crews ended KO’s hopes of winning the title.
After the match, Sami Zayn hit the ring and attacked Owens. He blasted his former best friend with a Helluva Kick and mocked The Prizefighter.
The match was decent and allowed WWE to develop an even bigger storyline. Either Zayn and Owens will challenge Crews for the title at Hell in a Cell, or they will look to settle their differences inside the steel structure.
Crews is proving to be a good heel champion on SmackDown, and he could continue his reign for some time to come.
#1 Roman Reigns destroyed The Mysterios to end WWE SmackDown
The Usos got a rematch for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships in the main event of the show. Dominik had picked up a victory for his team early in the show, but it was evident that Jimmy Uso had his shoulder up when the referee counted the pinfall.
Jimmy and Jey Uso went after The Mysterios early in the main event on WWE SmackDown. They grounded the younger Mysterio and beat him down in the hopes of winning the titles early.
Rey Mysterio was tagged into the match and started picking up some momentum for his team. He used his experience well against The Usos and tried to control the match.
After taking Jey Uso down at ringside, he hit a 619 to Jimmy in the ring. Dominik was ready to hit a top-rope splash to draw the curtains on the challengers before Roman Reigns came out of nowhere.
The Tribal Chief attacked both babyfaces and beat them down mercilessly. He showed his dominance and authority while brutalizing the father-son duo.
Reigns choked out Dominik with the guillotine as The Usos watched. Jimmy tried to break Reigns’ hold and free the young superstar. Jimmy left the ring in disgust and tried to make his brother do the same.
Reigns stopped his Right Hand Man and stared him down to prevent him from leaving the SmackDown ring. He continued to beat down Dominik to bring the show to a close. This was a fantastic main event that allowed the entire episode to pick up in quality.
Reigns showed his true colors once again and humiliated his cousins in the process. The Usos vs The Mysterios is a great storyline, and Reigns could possibly look to do more damage to The Mysterios in the near future to prove a point to Jimmy and Jey.
SmackDown ended the episode well and gave fans something to look forward to next week.
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