'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Welcome to this week's edition to things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown. It was a fun episode that had some great storyline progression. There wasn't much time wasted on SmackDown and WWE was quick to go deep into certain storylines and in some cases, even leave us on a cliffhanger. We'll start off by addressing perhaps the two most interesting segments on an overall brilliant episode of SmackDown.
Without wasting much time, let's jump right into it. Here's what WWE subtly told us this week on SmackDown:
#6 The new member of the Firefly Fun House on SmackDown and the implications
Bray Wyatt's Firefly Fun House episode of SmackDown was a highly-anticipated one after there was an announcement last week over a new character being introduced.
While we initially suggested that it was Alexa Bliss (and it's still not out of the realm of possibility, but we'll get back to that later), Bray Wyatt first introduced what appeared to be a parrot on SmackDown. However, we never got to see the parrot come out of the box and after Bray Wyatt said "I should have poked some holes in the box", the implication was that the parrot was dead.
In came puppet Vince McMahon, furious with Bray Wyatt and on the verge of firing him. The boss gave orders and introduced the new "Special advisor" to the Firefly Fun House - Wobbly Walrus.
WWE had filed a trademark for Wobbly Walrus earlier and there was speculation that they were going to use it on SmackDown for the Firefly Fun House. Those rumors came true.
It appears that Wobbly Walrus is a mockery of Paul Heyman and that could very well indicate that Bray Wyatt/The Fiend could be Roman Reigns' next opponent after Jey Uso at Clash of Champions 2020.
#5 WWE still has no plans for Otis as Mr. MITB on SmackDown
With every passing week, most fans wonder why WWE made the decision to make Otis Mr. Money in the Bank 2020. He had great momentum on SmackDown and is undoubtedly an entertaining star, but given how they've been handling him on SmackDown lately, it seems quite evident that there aren't any solid plans for him.
Putting Otis on television is good because he gets some basic TV time, but a story where John Morrison and The Miz are trying to steal his contract isn't a serious way to build up a Superstar who you want to make your next World Champion.
Added to the fact that Roman Reigns is the Universal Champion, it seems quite unlikely that Otis will even be successful in his MITB cash-in. Either way, the story he's in now involves him outsmarting The Miz and John Morrison in keeping his MITB contract.
The Miz mentioned something about a "loophole" and the Instagram post by WWE seemed to suggest something interesting. If you take a look closely at the contract, it shows that it's from 2015 and that it can only be cashed in until 15th June, 2016.
While that could be unintentional, this could be the loophole that WWE uses to prevent Otis from cashing in on SmackDown. A bit bizarre, considering that nobody reads the contract pre-cash-in.
#4 The Jeff Hardy Triple Threat angle on SmackDown
Sami Zayn made his presence known on SmackDown before, during, and after the scheduled Intercontinental title match between Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles. Right before things started, Sami Zayn came out with the Intercontinental title that he won and was furious over the fact that he wasn't involved or rather, that two other men were competing for a title that he rightly felt belonged to him.
Adam Pearce, who has been busy on both RAW and SmackDown, ensured that Sami Zayn was halted mid-rant and escorted out.
This led AJ Styles to blindside Jeff Hardy and while their match was going well, Sami Zayn ruined things by attacking both men and causing a DQ. What was interesting was a certain knockout shot taken at Jeff Hardy - resulting in him going limp. This seemed to be a clear shot at his brother Matt Hardy, who seemingly suffered a bad injury at AEW All Out.
It even spilled over backstage when Jeff Hardy was being tended to and the Triple Threat feud will soon come to a head at Clash of Champions 2020.
#3 Bayley's justification and next SmackDown Women's title challenger - and an added twist
There was a lot to unpack in the sequence of events on SmackDown followed by the match. The way Bayley sat down in the middle of the ring on that steel chair gave an Eddie Guerrero 2005-esque vibe after he turned heel. Bayley has been a heel for a while now, but the little intricacies added to her promo made it much better.
The SmackDown Women's Champion said that Sasha Banks was using her but admitted that she was using Sasha Banks as well. Their partnership on SmackDown turned out to be fraudulent and that was all there was to it. There was a Fatal Four-Way match to determine Bayley's Clash of Champions opponent and it was between Nikki Cross (who Bayley blindsided with a steel chair during her entrance), Tamina, Lacey Evans, and Alexa Bliss.
The most interesting moment of the match was when Alexa Bliss hit the Sister Abigail on Nikki Cross outside the ring. That was a bigger indicator than ever as to what's going to come for her.
Ultimately, Nikki Cross won and secured a SmackDown Women's title match at Clash of Champions 2020, but one can't help but feel that an implosion with Alexa Bliss is coming soon.
#2 The SmackDown Tag Team Champions get unexpected visitors
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura have been spending a lot of time in the Champions lounge. This past week on RAW, they used the brand invitational option to come over and challenge The Street Profits to a Champion vs Champion match on RAW next week.
The Street Profits accepted, but on SmackDown, it was their turn to visit. The SmackDown Tag Team Champions were less than pleased about their space being invaded by the unexpected visitors and later that night, they faced the Lucha House Party.
A distraction from The Street Profits - who were still in the Champions lounge saw them throw a party with some women (and Drew Gulak, for some reason), allowing The Lucha House Party to pick up the win over the SmackDown Tag Team Champions in a non-title match.
Not only does this set up the interbrand match on RAW in a few days, but it also establishes Lucha House Party as the SmackDown Tag Team title challengers again.
#1 The Jey Uso-Roman Reigns dynamic on SmackDown
We have to give credit where its due. The decision to make the main SmackDown feud as Roman Reigns vs Jey Uso may not have seemed interesting on paper, but the execution so far has made it far more interesting than anything done in the months that Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman spent feuding together.
This rivalry is all about family, which is why we can't wait to see how it ultimately ends up playing out. Jey Uso had a great promo with Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns - with the Universal Champion insisting that Jey Uso was deserving of the title shot.
They were interrupted by Sheamus and King Corbin, setting up a tag team match between the brothers and the two heels who don't get along. What was interesting was that Jey Uso entered first and single-handedly carried the match. Roman Reigns didn't even show up until much later in the match when Jey Uso was getting worn down. Despite this, Jey Uso managed to do all the work and was just one splash away from a victory before Roman Reigns tagged in.
Roman Reigns' in-ring return on SmackDown saw him hit one spear to pick up the win - and that was it. It was intentionally done and just like how his victory on Payback didn't seem too legitimate, this was him taking the credit. It's a slow-burning build to what we're going to see come out of Roman Reigns. Jey Uso, unfortunately, will be the victim of his wrath on SmackDown.
