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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown. It's yet another week, and Naomi still can't get her match on SmackDown:
The Boogs Cruise has been running wild as Rick Boogs registered a massive win on SmackDown in a singles match against Dolph Ziggler. A lot took place this week on SmackDown, making it an incredibly fruitful two-hour episode.
Here is what WWE subtly told us on Friday Night SmackDown.
#6 Roman Reigns' SmackDown challenge and what awaits him
In a rare Universal title defense on free television, Roman Reigns put his title on the line against Finn Balor in the main event of SmackDown. That was the central story, but a lot was going on.
Let's go back to the early part of the show. Kayla Braxton was interviewing Paul Heyman, and Brock Lesnar's theme song seemed to play. It was the ringtone on his phone, and the indication was that Lesnar was the one who called him.
It was revealed The Beast Incarnate would be present next week on SmackDown in the famous Madison Square Garden.
While Kayla Braxton was being annoying, Heyman bumped into a janitor before trying to berate them.
As it turns out, it was Men's Money in the Bank winner Big E who was dressed as a janitor, hearing everything that just took place. That might be something to note later on.
Secondly, Paul Heyman addressed the issue of Brock Lesnar with Roman Reigns, who told him that The Beast Incarnate wasn't his problem. However, Roman Reigns' facial expression changed when Paul Heyman told him that Brock Lesnar will be on SmackDown next week.
Reigns speculated about whether Brock Lesnar was in the arena at Jacksonville. Given how he keeps getting interrupted after his title victories, we don't blame him for thinking so.
Now, to the main event. Finn Balor was attacked beforehand by The Usos, making the already-uphill battle an even more daunting task. It was a solid match between Reigns and Balor, with The Tribal Chief barely kicking out of the Coupe De Grace.
Roman Reigns made Finn Balor pass out with the guillotine, but their rivalry isn't over. After the match, as Roman Reigns was walking away from the ring triumphantly, a red flash momentarily appeared, catching him off guard.
This seemed to indicate that we could see "Demon" Balor for the first time in 2 years and 3 months. The Demon Balor will likely return to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal title at Extreme Rules 2021.
#5 Edge and Seth Rollins to have a rematch on SmackDown, but what's the objective?
Edge vs Seth Rollins II is official for SmackDown next week in Madison Square Garden. The blockbuster SummerSlam match will be run back, but what led to it? Last week, Edge said his focus on SmackDown will be to capture the Universal Championship.
Seth Rollins sarcastically said that if he wants to fight his way back to the Universal title, he needs to be more like The Rated-R Superstar. This week on SmackDown, Seth Rollins faced his arch-rival, Cesaro.
Talking about Cesaro would require a whole other slide. But to sum up how his momentum has crashed, he was essentially used as a sacrificial lamb on SmackDown. The match ended in a DQ and Seth Rollins launched a vicious assault on the Swiss Cyborg.
He used a lot of Edge's moves and dirty tactics, and he even called out The Rated-R Superstar. Edge finally came to make the save and drove Rollins away. Backstage, The WWE Hall Of Famer realized how out-of-control Rollins is getting, and he offered to put a stop to it.
Next week, Edge vs Seth Rollins II will take place on SmackDown in MSG. What will be the finish? In all likeliness, Seth Rollins may get back his win in a nasty way to set up a stipulation grudge match for a potential trilogy at Extreme Rules 2021.
#4 Happy Corbin gets a new ally and starts a new feud on SmackDown
Although WWE teased "Broke" Baron Corbin becoming a babyface on SmackDown, that's the opposite of what has happened. In reality, Corbin is simply a natural heel.
Not the same broke man anymore, Baron Corbin seems to have officially changed to "Happy Corbin". He was a guest on Kevin Owens' show on SmackDown and the two had a verbal back-and-forth.
Happy Corbin would bring out a familiar face to SmackDown - Logan Paul. As you may remember, Kevin Owens has a history with Logan Paul, as the latter cornered Sami Zayn for their bout at WrestleMania 37 this year.
Logan Paul seems to have embraced being a heel and despite calling Baron Corbin an "a***ole" backstage at SummerSlam, they're good friends now. Logan Paul wasn't on the receiving end of a stunner this time around, as Happy Corbin smacked Owens with a mic and chokeslammed him.
Logan Paul and Happy Corbin got to have the last laugh tonight. This looks to be the new direction on SmackDown for Corbin, and it's good to see Kevin Owens involved. Hopefully, the payoff will be Logan Paul getting his comeuppance once again as well as Happy Corbin getting humbled.
#3 The Street Profits are gunning for SmackDown Tag Team titles
For some reason, there seems to be a trend of "Championship Contender" matches on RAW and SmackDown. It's essentially a specific name given to non-title matches that champions have on free TV.
Usually, it's against potential contenders and it sets up a future Title match. This week, there was a Championship Contender match on SmackDown between The Usos and The Street Profits.
It ended in a DQ, but The Street Profits were still dominant. They even made their presence known in the main event of SmackDown, where they chased Jimmy and Jey away and stopped their pre-match attack on Finn Balor.
The Street Profits are next in line for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles.
#2 Dominik Mysterio's inexperience continues to show
Dominik Mysterio faced Sami Zayn in a rematch from last week on SmackDown. Rey Mysterio is insistent that his son branches off on his own, which is why he wasn't present at first at ringside.
However, things were a bit different. Dominik Mysterio seems to have learned a lot from his loss to Zayn last week on SmackDown and avoided the same mistakes. Sami Zayn tried getting away but Rey Mysterio came out to stop him and sent him back.
In that time, Dominik hit an over-the-top-rope dive on Zayn, but he took too long to enter the ring and the veteran took advantage and hit the young star with a Helluva Kick.
It was one moment and one mistake that cost Dominik Mysterio. However, the seeds of a break-up with his father continue to be planted.
#1 Becky Lynch's heel turn is slowly working on SmackDown
It's going to be interesting to see how things play out with SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch. Admittedly, we were a few of the many skeptics who opposed Lynch's heel turn and didn't seem to make much sense of it.
When The Man came out on SmackDown, it seemed clear that the crowd still loved her. And they still do love her.
But there's no doubt that they have a lot of respect for Bianca Belair and what she has done in the last few months.
We can only imagine how reassuring it is for Belair, who had to have most of her run without a crowd present. However, on the latest episode of SmackDown, Becky Lynch rejected The EST Of WWE's immediate rematch challenge and said that it would happen on her own time.
It caught up to her as she was met backstage by authority figures, Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville. They said that Lynch would defend the SmackDown Women's Title against Bianca Belair at Extreme Rules 2021.
However, next week, there will be a contract signing for the match between the two women at Madison Square Garden. This could take an unexpected direction and work with the heel-face dynamic that is currently present.
