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Welcome to the things WWE subtly told us on the Throwback episode of SmackDown. It was a great edition this week - up until the midway point of the second hour. The show ended in a great way too, and this was the penultimate SmackDown before WrestleMania Backlash.
Since the blue brand's build to Backlash pay-per-view has been much better, it will be interesting to see how things play out. Here is what WWE subtly told us on the special old-school episode of SmackDown
#6 A collapse in the family dynamic on SmackDown
For half a year on SmackDown now, there has been a clear dynamic between Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and Jey Uso. Roman Reigns is the main man, while Heyman is his advisor and Jey Uso proudly calls himself the right hand man.
Jimmy Uso has been out of action this whole time with an injury, and on the Throwback episode of SmackDown, he finally made his return after a year. The return was followed up by the Cesaro-Seth Rollins match.
The Usos were supposed to help Roman Reigns by preventing Cesaro from winning. Instead, Rollins had an altercation with Jey Uso at ringside and said that he didn't need his help before shoving him away.
Jimmy Uso didn't take kindly to this and superkicked him while Referee Charles Robinson looked away. It resulted in Cesaro picking up a hard-fought victory on SmackDown.
Post-match backstage, Seth Rollins got into it with Roman Reigns. When the Universal Champion confronted Jimmy Uso, he refused to take orders from The Tribal Chief like his brother.
In the main event, Jey Uso refused to pledge his allegiance to Roman Reigns and walked away from the ring before Cesaro made quick work of Reigns and The Usos.
It marked a big shift in dynamic, which is why it will be interesting to see how it plays out going forward.
#5 Are Rey & Dominik Mysterio going to make history by becoming SmackDown Tag Team Champions?
It's official - Rey and Dominik Mysterio will compete for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania Backlash. It was announced on the Throwback episode of SmackDown before the match between veteran Dolph Ziggler and relative newcomer Dominik Mysterio.
When the bout was announced, the result was somewhat clear. Dominik Mysterio was going to win. That was exactly what happened on SmackDown, and though there could have been a better-booked finish, a win is a win.
For a while now, commentators on SmackDown have been mentioning the idea of Rey and Dominik Mysterio becoming the first-ever father-son duo to win the Tag Team Titles in WWE.
It seems inevitable that the duo are going to make history and win the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. The two teams will face off at WrestleMania Backlash, and a throwaway match was used to hype it up. We're surprised that The Street Profits aren't involved in any way, shape, or form in the PPV Title match.
#4 Carmella takes a step ahead in the race for the SmackDown Women's Championship
It's been nearly three years now since Carmella's reign as SmackDown Women's Champion. It wasn't a long one, but she was the first woman to cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase to become the SmackDown Women's Championship.
That's her only Women's Title reign in WWE to date, and it might be for a while. With Bianca Belair at the helm, it's hard to see anybody dethroning her anytime soon.
But WWE knows that post-Bayley, there needs to be another superstar ready to challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Carmella took on Ruby Riott in what looked to be a match to show where they stood in the Title picture.
Carmella defeated Ruby Riott clean, and there are a few subtle takeaways from this. Firstly, she could be established as the next SmackDown Women's Title challenger after Bayley at WrestleMania Backlash. The second one is that Ruby Riott was hyped up as a woman with all the tools to be a potential Women's Champion.
While more fans will want to see Liv Morgan get pushed, it might take a bit longer. Ruby Riott could be the next woman on SmackDown that receives a long-term push.
#3 Bayley takes a step ahead on SmackDown
Since losing her SmackDown Women's Championship to Sasha Banks, Bayley's run on the blue brand has gone a bit under the radar. After a surprising omission from WrestleMania 37, Bayley got right back in the mix to establish herself as the No. 1 contender to SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair.
She has been the perfect foil for Belair, and even after losing her Title, Bayley has shown on numerous instances that she has improved leaps and bounds. There was a confrontation with Belair this week, and for once, Bayley got the better of the exchange.
Like many other superstars before her, The Role Model is in a position where she is good enough to be the first Title challenger post-WrestleMania, but she isn't going to win it. Perhaps it's not a bad thing, since she has many years left in WWE and many more Championships to win.
It's a good idea for WWE to start establishing Carmella as a Title challenger before she even gets her opportunity.
#2 Is a Women's Tag Team Title change in the works for SmackDown?
SmackDown was going incredibly well for the first hour, so of course, WWE had to throw a wrench in and book Tamina vs Reginald.
Although Tamina has been on a roll against Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, WWE decided to book her against the Champions' valet Reggie.
It was a match that made no sense. At first, we thought that WWE wanted to make Tamina look strong by having her squash, Reginald. Instead, she won by Disqualification.
Natalya was attacked post-match as well, and the indication seems to be that a Title change is highly possible next week on SmackDown. We're a bit surprised that WWE didn't go with the match on PPV, and rather chose to put it on SmackDown two days before WrestleMania Backlash.
It goes to show how much more valuable TV is to WWE than PPV. The broadcasting revenue has surpassed the income earned from PPV, which is why SmackDown feels especially stacked at times.
But having Tamina beat Reginald by DQ is a bad way to hype up a Title match next week.
#1 Cesaro made to look great on SmackDown ahead of the biggest match of his career
At WrestleMania 37, Cesaro picked up the biggest win of his career when he defeated SmackDown's Seth Rollins. This week, the stakes were raised for the rematch, as a win for Cesaro would make him the No.1 Contender for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania Backlash.
The Swiss Cyborg won a hard-fought battle against Seth Rollins with a little help from The Usos. While it was a superkick from Jimmy that ultimately won him the match, he looked great throughout SmackDown.
When Jimmy Uso walked away from his brother and cousin during the main event, Cesaro returned to take out Roman Reigns and Jey Uso before eventually attacking Jimmy as well.
This was the perfect way to build up a babyface title challenger ahead of WrestleMania Backlash.
While his win against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 37 was the biggest of his career, the victory on SmackDown has bigger consequences in the long run.
