5 Things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown

Last night's episode of SmackDown was an interesting piece of business, and while it had its fair share of good and bad, it also progressed some subtle narratives that point to the future direction of the brand.

In this article, we will discuss five things that WWE may have implied on this week's Friday Night SmackDown:

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#5. Sami Zayn's arrival on SmackDown marks a direct trade with LA Knight

In the midst of Money in the Bank and King of the Ring season, LA Knight, one of WWE's most popular stars, was quietly moved to RAW. This seemed to be an attempt at elevating Knight on the red brand's show and providing him with a fresh environment and set of wrestlers to get involved with. Looking deeper, Knight essentially replaced Sami Zayn as one of the guys actively feuding with Seth Rollins.

Well, that seems to have materialized into Zayn being moved to SmackDown in a similar vein: being elevated to a more prominent role, as he interacts with a fresh set of talent in an environment that is likely to benefit from Zayn's presence as much as he is expected to reap rewards. Interestingly, The Underdog from the Underground is also now seemingly going to be involved in a feud with Solo Sikoa, whom Knight had been battling with earlier this year.

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#4. Sami Zayn is set for a major push

Sami Zayn's move to SmackDown provides him with an opportunity to stand out and not just legitimize his world championship aspirations but even help in enhancing the brand of SmackDown, which has struggled with a lack of stars of late.

RAW was simply too stacked for Zayn to stand out, given that he has been one of the faces of the Monday Night Show for years at this point. At some point, fresh superstars were bound to move into more prominent roles, especially when the star power involved includes CM Punk and Roman Reigns.

Nevertheless, with the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia next year, Sami going all the way and fighting for a world title at WrestleMania 42 seems plausible, and SmackDown provides him with the environment to pick up some major momentum and garner further goodwill by making a definite difference in the pacing and structure of SmackDown and enhancing the blue brand's show.

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#3. R-Truth's split personality isn't completely gone

A backstage segment with Aleister Black last night implied that, contrary to speculation, R-Truth will continue to portray an ambivalent character who is involved in comedy and serious stories. R-Truth seemingly still retains the ability to tap into "The Truth" Ron Killings, although he may continue to primarily be a comedy character unless the situation demands it.

His WWE exit, absence, return, and character since have been a point of major and divisive discourse in wrestling circles, but the present direction seems to be a way to keep almost everyone pleased with how R-Truth is presented going forward.

Fans are, of course, welcome to debate how the record-breaking 24/7 Champion has been handled by WWE these past few months, but a lack of logic in professional wrestling is not an anomaly, and certainly not one in the case of R-Truth.

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#2. Cody Rhodes is out filming Street Fighter

Cody Rhodes was nowhere to be seen during last night's SmackDown, and while the in-universe explanation for that absence was obviously Drew McIntyre's heinous assault on the reigning WWE Champion last week, the actual reason for him being absent last night (and thus having been written off last week) has to be his commitments, as he films the upcoming Street Fighter movie, in which he'll play the role of Guile.

It is for the same reason that Roman Reigns was absent from this week's RAW, as he may also have been shooting for the same movie, in which the Original Tribal Chief has been cast as Akuma. Rhodes and Reigns are expected to be back soon enough, and while Reigns is being advertised front and center for Clash in Paris and is thus expected to be back on RAW soon, Cody's case remains open to interpretation.

It is unclear if he'll be back on SmackDown next week or whether he'll defend the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre at Clash in Paris, but from a storytelling perspective, it is no big issue if the title match does not happen on August 31, and here's why.

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#1. Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre are set to feud through the fall

On last night's SmackDown, Drew McIntyre's promo made one thing clear: there is a lot to be explored in his imminent feud with The American Nightmare. The feud does not need to carry SmackDown over the next few weeks because of a lack of other top heels/challengers for Cody Rhodes, but because the story deserves all the time and will only unravel in a more layered and captivating fashion with the more time it gets.

Even if they battle for the WWE Championship in Paris, it will only be the start of something bigger, not a blowoff. Given the pre-existing star power for Clash in Paris, the first Rhodes vs. McIntyre match certainly does not need to happen at the upcoming premium live event, although IF that does happen depends on WWE's long-term goals with the feud.

And with Drew McIntyre being a very legitimate contender, Sami Zayn's imminent rise, Randy Orton always lurking, and the prospect of Cody Rhodes possibly losing a section of his traditionally universal fan support, the feud might even feature a title change or even multiple hot potato switches over the next few months.