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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown! It was an action-packed episode, and there are now only two episodes left before the road to WrestleMania officially concludes.
It continued on this week as the blue brand featured the biggest stars of the company. While no matches were made official, there were additions, including superstars and match stipulations.
Here is what WWE subtly told us in a good episode of SmackDown, the third last before WrestleMania 38:
#5. Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs may not be alone in the SmackDown Tag Team title picture
This week, Rick Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura were seen mountain biking in the Toyota advertisement. This may have unironically been the highlight of SmackDown if you ignore Brock Lesnar's epic opening segment.
In terms of matches, Nakamura and Boogs kept their momentum alive as they defeated Los Lotharios to continue their push for the SmackDown Tag Team titles. It was a good match, but Lotharios had also expressed interest in the title match at WrestleMania.
Despite the loss, this week, don't be surprised to see Angel and Humberto weasel their way into the tag team title picture in the coming two weeks
#4. Drew McIntyre continues to take down the Happy folks as dissent is teased
This week on SmackDown, 'The Scottish Warrior' Drew McIntyre teamed up with The Viking Raiders to take on Jinder Mahal, Shanky, and Happy Corbin. As you may know, ever since his luck changed in the summer of 2021, Corbin has been undefeated.
That streak is poised to come to an end soon. This week, a little dissent was teased as Madcap Moss made a joke about the "Happy Talk" show, which didn't please his boss Corbin. The match itself was quick and McIntyre did enough to put the trio away and let Corbin know that he was next.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Happy Corbin get the better of Drew McIntyre ahead of WrestleMania, which will essentially cement The Scottish Warrior as the one who will end his undefeated streak.
#3. The Women's Tag Team title picture sums up the state of the division
Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley came over from RAW to SmackDown to take on Sasha Banks and Naomi. Both teams will be facing Carmella and Queen Zelina for the Women's Tag Team titles at WrestleMania.
However, there was an interruption caused by yet another randomly-formed tag team - Shayna Baszler and Naomi. They made an impact that was enough for Sonya Deville to add them to the women's tag team title picture at The Show of Shows.
This was a clear move to simply get more superstars on the card. However, we wonder what it means for the likes of Aliyah and Shotzi, who don't have a spot this year.
#2. Charlotte Flair's ruthless pursuit against Ronda Rousey continues
WWE is trying their best to make a good storyline between Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey, but it just doesn't seem to be working out well. The feud seems to be based on the fact that one has tapped, while the other hasn't, and that one has only one trick up her sleeve, while the other is supposedly more accomplished.
The episode of SmackDown this week ended with Rousey going through a table, which was impactful but still not enough to add much interest to the feud. This was WWE's way of saying that the outcome of the WrestleMania match won't be as obvious as people think.
Unfortunately, regardless of the outcome, the women's division on the blue brand is likely going to be stuck in the same state.
#1. Brock Lesnar's babyface rampage continues on
There has never been a point in Brock Lesnar's career where character work was emphasized as much. He mostly had Paul Heyman doing the talking for him, but when he returned in 2012, it was because he needed it. It's been nearly ten years since his return, and he has continued to grow and improve to the point where he is now a well-established babyface character.
This week's episode of SmackDown saw Lesnar using a forklift to try to brutalize Roman Reigns and The Bloodline, and he would even proceed to rip open the door of a pick-up truck before bringing it to the ring.
It was a great way to make Brock Lesnar look like an incredible babyface, and that has been something that WWE has been able to do effortlessly.
