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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown! It was a fantastic episode of SmackDown as usual and we're going to start from the top with the final segment of the show:
#6 Roman Reigns drops the ground-breaking consequences on SmackDown
It's hard to disagree that Roman Reigns is the best thing going on in WWE today and not just SmackDown. Like Arn Anderson and a few other legends stated, this is the Roman Reigns that we were always supposed to see. But ultimately, Vince McMahon and WWE spent years trying to make him the next John Cena before realizing that it'll never happen.
We are, however, getting the best version of Roman Reigns on SmackDown and it was the perfect conclusion to a solid episode. Roman Reigns came out in the final SmackDown segment to reveal the consequences of the Hell in a Cell battle and suddenly, the camera cut to what looked like Jey Uso (in a mask) on Roman Reigns' seat and table backstage. It turned out to be a ploy and Jimmy Uso told Roman Reigns to look back.
By then, it was too late and Jey Uso got the better of him. Despite facing a small struggle, he stood tall and attacked his cousin brother. When exiting, Jey Uso had Jimmy Uso come out as well and a furious Roman Reigns announced what the consequences would be.
Roman Reigns said that if he were made to quit, he would lose his "Tribal Chief" status and he could live with that. However, if he makes Jey Uso quit, then the consequences are much bigger. Not only will he have to acknowledge Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief, but he will have to obey him and do as he says.
To us, this is a big indicator that WWE might just be going with the Samoan faction going forward. What that means for Paul Heyman on SmackDown, we can't be too sure. But either way, it could be a step closer to the Samoan faction forming after Hell in a Cell 2020.
#5 The Intercontinental title picture on SmackDown; Kevin Owens teasing a heel turn
Daniel Bryan wrestled for the first time in months. The last time we saw him compete on SmackDown, it was in the Intercontinental title tournament finals, where he lost to AJ Styles in a 40-minute match. He had a deserved hiatus after that, but his return was always inevitable.
It appears as though Daniel Bryan has entered the Intercontinental title mix on SmackDown and will be feuding with Sami Zayn. He made a comment on the Kevin Owens show about how the Intercontinental title should be defended every week.
We also can't help but think that a Kevin Owens heel turn could be coming soon. He's been a babyface for a while now on both RAW and SmackDown and after losing to The Fiend, a heel turn could kick in.
KO asked Bryan this week if they could become a team on SmackDown. However, the former Universal Champion has done this in the past and has turned on his allies. This was referenced by Bryan as well during the KO Show.
We could see the rekindling of the Sami Zayn-Kevin Owens alliance with KO potentially turning on Daniel Bryan. Sami Zayn told Daniel Bryan to keep his opinions about himself.
The heel turn would be a major change on SmackDown.
#4 JBL's corruption costs Otis on SmackDown
We were admittedly a bit skeptical at first about the Law & Otis segment on SmackDown. However, the segment was well packaged and managed to stay fresh by being cut into three different parts.
To give you a small rundown, The Miz and John Morrison jumped over from RAW to SmackDown to take Otis to court - with their case being that this year's MITB winner should be stripped of the briefcase because of causing emotional distress to The Miz.
The Miz was quick to fire his lawyer for stating that Otis had a fair argument and what ensued was nothing short of hilarious, with Teddy Long, Ron Simmons, and JBL present. JBL was the judge and he initially ruled in favor of Otis before receiving a "piece of evidence" by The Miz.
Given the sound effect, it was indicated that The Miz bribed him with a good deal of cash. JBL immediately ruled against Otis and said that he will face The Miz at Hell in a Cell to determine the Money in the Bank holder.
It's going to be interesting to see how it goes and whether Otis loses the briefcase.
#3 The Freak makes Shorty G "quit" on SmackDown
There was a lot of discussion about WWE repeatedly making the commentators say "The Freak" on SmackDown when referring to Lars Sullivan. We did a count and found that from Lars Sullivan's backstage appearance until the end of his match on SmackDown, they shouted "The Freak" on 11 different occasions including his finishing move (Freak accident).
Either way, the important bit of the show wasn't even with Lars Sullivan. It was just another night in the office on Smackdown for The Freak. For Shorty G, however, it was the end.
Shorty G declared that he quit after getting squashed and backstage in the medical room, he clarified what he meant. Since Shorty G wasn't drafted to RAW or SmackDown and then lost, he declared that he would go back to his roots - an Olympian with great amateur wrestling pedigree.
In short, Shorty G is dead and Chad Gable is back. We couldn't be more glad about that, though his position in WWE doesn't look to be changing anytime soon.
#2 Is Sasha Banks going to end Bayley's historic SmackDown Women's title reign?
The SmackDown Women's Championship match at Hell in a Cell would make for the most ideal main event. None of the other two matches have the same length of storyline culminating in a big match, though all three Hell in a Cell matches have great angles.
Bayley was yet to sign the Hell in a Cell contract and she seemingly refused to do so despite Sasha Banks coming out. It ended with Sasha Banks trapping Bayley in a steel chair and trying to make her forcefully sign the contract for the SmackDown Women's title match.
While she wasn't successful at first, Sasha Banks managed to put her in a Bank Statement inside the steel chair, forcing the SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley to sign the contract.
Sasha Banks looked fantastic, and while we assumed that she will be dethroning Bayley at Hell in a Cell, we can't be too sure now given that she stood tall at the end. Either way, it would make her 0-3 if she lost this Sunday. Banks will now be completing the Horsewomen series inside Hell in a Cell as well.
#1 The Mysterio family is back in business on SmackDown
For the last point, we'll be focusing on the Murphy-Seth Rollins-Mysterio family angle. We were a bit surprised to see a PPV-level match between Murphy and Seth Rollins on SmackDown.
It was a great match and it went on for quite a long time. Murphy had a great showing even in defeat and Seth Rollins tried to initiate the post-match attack. Behind the scenes, Aalyah Mysterio was a close observer of the match despite Rey Mysterio telling her that it isn't her business.
She came out anyway and Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio entered the fray to ensure that things calmed down. It appears as though the Seth Rollins-Mysterio family feud is back on, and whether it's a good idea or not, we can't be sure. The feud essentially transferred from RAW to SmackDown. However, this time around, Murphy could be aligned with the Mysterio family.
What we don't like, however, is how the emphasis has been taken off Dominik completely. While he was the focal point during the summer, he has become a side character now on SmackDown. He deserves a lot better than that.
