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It was the penultimate episode of SmackDown before Hell in a Cell 2021, and WWE did a great job in keeping interest heading into the pay-per-view. While not a whole lot of matches were made official for Hell in a Cell, there was a lot of storyline progression on the show.
The rumored feud for the Universal Championship was true after all, and that will be the focal point of programming on the Blue brand with only one episode left before Hell in a Cell.
There were ups and downs, but as a whole, SmackDown continued to prove why it's a more consistent and enjoyable show to watch. Here are some things WWE subtly told us this week:
#5. No immediate SmackDown Women's title shot for Carmella
In the last few weeks, Carmella has gained a bit of momentum as she picked up a few wins on SmackDown. When building a title challenger, WWE usually gives them a winning streak to help boost them to take the next big step.
It seemed clear that Carmella would be the next SmackDown Women's title challenger to Bianca Belair. The latter, who is currently feuding with Bayley, defeated her at WrestleMania Backlash and will face her again at Hell in a Cell 2021.
With Belair expected to defeat The Role Model, it seemed inevitable that Carmella would be the next in line after this feud is over. Perhaps as a challenger at Money in the Bank 2021. But make no mistake about it, she would simply be a way for WWE to get Bianca Belair through to SummerSlam.
Either way, Carmella lost to Liv Morgan on this week's episode of SmackDown. Maybe it's a way to start a small feud before one of them moves on to challenge for the SmackDown Women's title.
#4. King Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura will finally end their rivalry on SmackDown
King Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura faced off once again on SmackDown. Thanks to a distraction from Rick Boogs, Nakamura had the upper hand early on and used his advantage to quickly defeat Corbin.
Even then, it was a weird roll-up type of finish where he got the pin by pressing the weight of his body against Corbin. The crown remains with the Japanese superstar, and a furious King Corbin went backstage to confront Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce.
Pearce pointed out that their feud is now 2-2, and that Nakamura would put the crown on the line against Corbin next week in a big blowoff match.
Whether or not Corbin will get the better of Nakamura is yet to be seen. But one thing is for sure, the rivalry that has dragged on for over a month on SmackDown will finally end. Hopefully, the SmackDown mainstay Shinsuke Nakamura will walk out with the victory.
#3. Is WWE continuing with a Fatal-4-Way Intercontinental title direction on SmackDown?
On SmackDown this week, Apollo Crews and Sami Zayn were in a reluctant tag team competing against two rivals in Big E and Kevin Owens. It was the babyface team of Owens and Big E that picked up the victory, and Zayn was the one who took the fall on SmackDown.
A furious Apollo Crews stopped Owens and Big E's mid-celebration and said that they didn't beat him. He also called Sami Zayn an idiot who he had to team up with and said that next week on SmackDown, Kevin Owens and Big E will face him and Commander Azeez - who will finally make his in-ring debut.
Zayn interjected and was outraged at Crews for calling him an idiot. The former Intercontinental Champion was on the receiving end of the Nigerian Nail right to the throat, putting him out.
While Sami Zayn should ideally be out of the title picture by now, it seems like all three other men will continue in the same feud.
#2. The Roman Reigns storyline on SmackDown that's all over the place
Roman Reigns was in the first segment on SmackDown as usual. But this time, it was Jimmy Uso who cut a scathing promo, and the story was more about the tension between the two cousins rather than the Universal Championship feud.
On that end, a furious Rey Mysterio called Reigns out on SmackDown, and that was the final segment of the night. The attack by Reigns on Dominik Mysterio last week on SmackDown led to the start of a small grudge feud.
It was a bit odd because Rey said that even if he knew he wouldn't win against Roman Reigns, he wanted to fight him. He challenged him inside Hell in a Cell, but before the Universal Champion could accept, Rey Mysterio attacked him with a kendo stick.
The bout will likely be made official next week, but WWE isn't even being subtle about the outcome of the match. Why build Rey Mysterio as a title challenger on SmackDown only for him to say that he knows he isn't going to win? The only thing that could salvage this is an incredible match between the two men at Hell in a Cell 2021.
#1. Seth Rollins and Cesaro to finally conclude their rivalry on SmackDown
On the episode of Ding Dong Hello!, Seth Rollins was the special guest this week on SmackDown. Bayley and Rollins got along perfectly well, which shouldn't be surprising given how annoying both their characters are.
The segment on SmackDown mainly involved the two complementing one another, but after Bayley played a highlight reel of Seth Rollins' beatdown on Cesaro, things changed. There was a ring on the doorbell, and as Rollins courteously went to open it, he found his rival The Swiss Cyborg waiting.
Cesaro returned to SmackDown and gave Seth Rollins a punch to the face before completely taking him out. That seems to be one match set for Hell in a Cell 2021, although it isn't confirmed just yet.
The logical place to conclude the feud would be Hell in a Cell. The two men have been going at it ever since Rollins' return to SmackDown, and it's finally time for things to come to a conclusion.
